Knitting column : Support Glove - Tips for easing knitter's aches, pains

Knitting column : Support Glove - Tips for easing knitter's aches, pains

By: CATHERINE HOLLINGSWORTH
Daily News correspondent
Published: April 25, 2006

(Click the link above for the complete article)

"Is knitting damaging your health? If you are a knitting addict like I am, you probably have a few aches and pains associated with your addiction.

I have been knitting for more than 46 years now, and I'm afraid all my bad habits have come home to roost. My neck gets stiff, my wrist hurts from carpal tunnel, and my back and shoulders ache. I have eyestrain too. Oh, yeah, I also have something called trigger finger. It's a repetitive-motion injury of the tendon. In my case, the ring finger of my left hand has a pea-sized lump that really hurts at times. So what's an avid knitter to do?

Of course, I won't quit knitting, so I figured I had better learn how to correct some of my bad habits. I talked with Dr. Greg Egeland at the Ireland Chiropractic Clinic. He had good advice for all knitters, and I am sure you'll thank him too.

You can also purchase gloves, which act like support hose for your wrists. They fit tightly and massage your hands as you work, which reduces the fatigue and pain. Try doing isometrics for your hands too. Hold your hands together like you are praying but with your fingers splayed out. Push together and release; repeat. This helps to relax the fingers."

Do 'flight hose' stop deep vein thrombosis?

Do 'flight hose' stop deep vein thrombosis?

Most won't need them, but travelers who pull on a pair of elastic support hose before boarding a long flight can cut their risk of blood clots, according to a new review of research.

The review examined the evidence that compression stockings can prevent deep vein thrombosis. Sometimes called "traveler's thrombosis," DVT is a circulatory condition in which blood coagulates into small clots inside a blood vessel.

Compression stockings — made from elasticized material — provide graduated, gentle pressure and are designed to keep blood flowing properly.

Lead researcher Mike Clarke, Ph.D., and his team uncovered strong evidence that flight stockings work. The review found that compression stockings reduce the risk of symptomless DVT to one to three cases per 1,000 long-haul passengers, down from 10 to 30 cases per 1,000.

"It's an extremely dramatic reduction, but it's of something that in the first place wasn't very common. So, these stockings reduce a fairly small risk, to something tiny," said Clarke, director of the United Kingdom Cochrane Centre.

The review appears in the current issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research.

Spending Too Much Time at the Keyboard?

Official Google Blog: Avoiding Repetative Stress Injury

There is a Chinese saying that "To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short.

" In other words, how long can you tap on that keyboard or sit in that chair before you hurt yourself.

We’re not designed to remain as sedentary or perform the fine motor movements for the long uninterrupted hours that we have to do in so many of our jobs. Evidence suggests that prolonged abnormal posture and repetitive movements contribute to neck, limb and back pain. These conditions are collectively known as overuse syndromes, or repetitive stress injury (RSI).

Here are a few tips:
-- Breaks should be taken every 30-45 minutes for at least 5 minutes. If you need assistance there are free downloadable timers that will help remind you to do so.
-- Stretch your arms, hands, neck, and back during breaks. This yoga site demonstrates some exercises. Other sites are listed below.
-- Maintain posture alignment. Don't slouch on the couch with the laptop.
-- Work stations should be reviewed initially and with each office move. Adjust your chair, monitor, keyboard, mouse, laptop. Alternate keyboards and mice periodically.
--Shift your gaze from the computer screen to the distance. And don't forget to blink!
--Limit non-essential computer use. This may be heresy
-- but do give the surfing, gaming, emailing, and text messaging a rest.
-- If pain occurs or persists, see your doctor, who may recommend wrist brace, ice packs, anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen, cortisone injections, physical therapy, and most importantly, rest to allow healing.

Don't procrastinate in addressing your symptoms -- the sooner you tend to them, the better off you are.

Wales - aviation health campaigners urges airlines to provide socks

Wales - MP urges airlines to provide DVT socks:

A sign of times to come? Is the UK a leader in helping to prevent DVT during air travel?

We'll keep you posted.

"WELSH aviation health campaigners have called on airlines to supply flight socks as part of the fight against Deep Vein Thrombosis.
Vale of Glamorgan MP John Smith, who is spearheading the campaign, yesterday welcomed research showing flight socks reduced the risk of DVT by as much as 90%.


'I call on all airlines who take the health and well- being of their passengers seriously, to make flight socks readily available to passengers on long-haul flights as a matter of urgency. Such a measure could potentially save thousands of lives."

Foot swelling during air travel: What causes it? - MayoClinic.com

Foot swelling during air travel: What causes it? - MayoClinic.com

Leg and foot swelling is common during long flights. It's usually caused by inactivity. As a passenger on a plane, you spend most of your time seated with your feet on the floor. This allows blood to pool in your leg veins. When you walk, the muscles in your legs contract and compress the veins, forcing blood back to your heart.

Also, the position of your legs when seated increases pressure in the veins. This contributes to foot swelling by causing fluid to leave the blood and move into the surrounding soft tissues. Another cause of swelling in the ankles and feet may be certain medications, such as calcium channel blockers.
You can usually relieve swelling during and after a flight by:
-Elevating your feet and legs
-Get up and walk around the plane once an hour
-Rotate your ankles while seated

Foot swelling isn't a serious problem if it lasts only a short time. But excessive swelling that persists for several hours after you resume activity may be due to a more serious condition, such as a blood clot in the leg (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT) — especially if the swelling occurs in only one leg and is accompanied by pain. These symptoms require prompt medical attention.

On flights lasting six hours or more, consider taking these additional precautions to reduce the risk of DVT:
-Avoid wearing tight clothing around your waist
-Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration
-Stretch your calves once an hour
-Avoid alcohol and sedatives, which promote immobility
-If you're at increased risk of blood clots, such as due to factor V Leiden, talk to your doctor before flying.

He or she may recommend:
-Compression stockings
-Low-molecular-weight heparin given two to four hours before departure
-Aspirin taken before flying is not proven to be effective in reducing the risk of blood clots.

Discovery Health :: Body Atlas :: Varicose veins

Discovery Health :: Body Atlas :: Varicose veins

This short online video is helpful in understanding the basics cause of varicose veins.

Scuba Diving and Lymphedema

Scuba Diving and Lymphedema

We’ve heard glowing reports from friends, who also happen to have lymphedema, about how they continue to enjoy scuba diving. In our search for information as to whether this is, or isn’t a recommended activity for those with lymphedema, we found the following statement made from Dr. Bruno Chikley, M.D.

“According to many patients, scuba diving is beneficial in chronic lymphedema. The hydrostatic pressure of water probably has a similar effect to that of compression bandaging. The change in oxygen pressure may also have some effect, but no scientific study has yet been done on scuba diving and lymphedema.
“When scuba diving, lymphedema patients need to protect themselves against injury and wear a wet suit and diving gloves when diving close to reefs. They also need to look out for jellyfish, stingrays, etc.”

I'm 20 weeks pregnant. Can I travel by air? - Health - MSNBC.com

I'm 20 weeks pregnant. Can I travel by air? - Health - MSNBC.com

Most of us just sit in our seats without even stretching our legs. Especially on long flights, these cramped circumstances can lead to the formation of venous clots in the leg, and even pulmonary embolism. The risk is small, but it is relevant to all long-distance travelers. Though no published reports have shown that pregnant women are at a higher risk for this medical complication on long flights, I don’t find that reassuring. Even when they’re not flying, pregnant women are more likely to develop varicose veins, poor venous blood flow, and clots.

So once you are up in the air, and the seat belt sign is turned off, I would suggest that you very carefully move around the cabin as much as possible and consider wearing support stockings for your flight. Finally, since you don't know when turbulence will occur, while in your seat, wear your seat belt low on your hip bone, between your abdomen and pelvis.Now some tips for feeling more comfortable on your flight. Since humidity in the cabin is very low (less than 25 percent), hydrate! We do know that dehydration can lead to contractions. I recommend drinking one glass of water for every hour of your flight. Avoid gas-producing foods and drinks before boarding the plane, since trapped gas expands at higher altitudes. You don’t want to feel scary abdominal discomfort 40,000 feet up in the air and wonder if it's a contraction or gas pain.

Healthy Legs Tips for Women - Support Hose - Google Video

Healthy Legs Tips for Women - Support Hose - Google Video

A recent survey shows that nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of women complain of leg pain at the end of the day.

This short video explains the top 10 tips for Healthy Legs including use of support hose, walking, taking calcium and vitamin D, and elevating your legs.

For more information

Fitness - Best Moves for Legs

Fitness - Best Moves for Legs

Legs are frequently the subject of self-recrimination among many people, men and women included, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Your legs are a vital part of your body, carrying you around every day and rarely complaining. It’s important to keep your legs in the best shape possible so that years from now the two of them will still be taking you up stairs and around town. Leg health is also important in case of illness that confines you to bed. Bedridden patients whose legs were not healthy before illness suffer Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) up to twice as often as those with strong legs. You may never end up in a hospital bed, unable to get out, but good leg health will ease your mind just the same.

The legs are made up of six major muscles and muscle groups. Located in the front of the thigh is a group of muscles known as the quadriceps. Opposite the quadriceps is another group of muscles called the hamstrings. The inside thigh is the location of the adductors. The lower consists of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles in the back and the tibialis anterior muscle in the front. Connecting the leg and hipbone to the spine are the hip flexors and the illiopsoas. All of these muscles must work together in perfect harmony in order for you to be able to walk, point your foot up, straighten your knee, and much more. When these muscles are strong and well conditioned they become firm and well defined, but let them get weak and the muscles will sag. Good muscle tone also helps prevent varicose and spider veins in the legs. While neither type of vein is especially dangerous, they are both unattractive and will rarely disappear on their own. Most varicose and spider veins must be treated by a doctor with either a laser or an injected saline solution.

Keeping your legs healthy will prevent 95 percent of all varicose and spider veins.
Deciding to make a point of maintaining strong, healthy legs is a wonderful decision and fortunately many of the muscles in the legs are some of the fastest to respond to conditioning. Aerobic exercise is great for some toning but concentrated work is best to shape the individual muscles. Some of them, like the adductors, are used so rarely that they can be challenging to tone but it is possible. To see maximum results for your legs, you should plan to work out at least three times weekly. Four to five sessions during the week are better and will give you faster results, but if you can only do three for now that’s fine to start.

The granddaddy of all leg conditioning movements is the lunge. Trainers across the nation put their clients through the lunging paces thousands of times every day and there’s a reason for that. The lunge is the one movement that can target most of the major muscles within the leg and shape them up fast. Lunging down requires the use of both lower leg muscles to help stabilize you and then the upper leg muscles to raise your body back up. By performing the same movement over and over you condition the muscle to take on the strongest form possible. If you have bad knees, though, lunging can be difficult and sometimes downright impossible. Rather than trying to force your body through pain, though, try modifying the movement. Instead of dropping your body all the way to the bottom of the movement, go only halfway or as far as you feel comfortable. Don’t step too far forward in the beginning and that will lessen some of the strain on the knee joint. The ultimate solution is simply to not do lunges at all and for some people it may be the only option. There are plenty of other choices that will help strengthen your legs without placing so much demand on your knees.
Squats are another excellent choice for firming and shaping the buttocks and upper thighs. As you squat, you demand a lot of work from the muscles in your buttocks and legs both going down and coming up. That demand intensified by 20 times results in some serious definition after several sessions. To work the inner and outer thighs, lateral raises are wonderful. Begin with your weight on your left foot and your right foot pointed slightly behind you. Hold on to a chair or wall for balance and slowly raise and lower your right leg out to the side. Raising your leg high isn’t so much the issue as just raising it and asking your muscles to make the effort. Do at least 20 repetitions for 3 sets several times per week to tone hips and back of the thigh. The inner thigh is a bit more challenging. Typically only used in climbing stairs or inclines, the inner thigh can get flabby fast without regular exercise. To condition the muscle, stand again with your weight on your left foot, raise and point your right foot in front of you, and slowly move your right foot and leg across your left leg. You should feel the stress in your inner thigh – if not, turn your leg so that the inner thigh is facing the ceiling and slowly sweep the leg back and forth across the other. Repeat for 3 sets of 20 repetitions.

Strong, healthy legs are worth the effort but the best part is that they respond quickly without putting in weeks of work. Incorporate squats and lunges into random parts of your day – brushing your teeth, doing laundry, washing dishes – and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how fast your legs shape up!

Women's Leg Health - Top 10 Tips

Women's Leg Health - 10 Tips for Healthy Legs

To see Dr. Donnica discuss healthy legs, click here.

A recent survey commissioned by L’eggs Sheer Energy® shows that nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of women complain of leg pain at the end of the day.

To address problems like these, Dr. Donnica Moore and L’eggs Sheer Energy® are partnering to offer women specific tips on how to boost leg health.

Radiology increasingly replaces surgery

Radiology increasingly replaces surgery - Nightly News with Brian Williams - MSNBC.com

Includes free video from NBC Nightly News.

Bruce Tempone is undergoing treatment for varicose veins in his legs. In the past this would have required surgery, including a day in the hospital and weeks of recovery.

But with the help of ultrasound, Dr. Robert Min guides a laser repair device into the veins. The entire procedure is over within an hour and Tempone recovers immediately.

This vein repair is one of dozens of procedures that fall into the expanding field of medicine called "interventional radiology" — often replacing more costly and difficult surgery. Doctors can now repair all sorts of organs by running tubes through various blood vessels. They're guided by live images such as X-rays, ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging.

Cramped planes not only culprit in blood clots

Cramped planes not only culprit in blood clots - Heart Health - MSNBC.com

Air travel, particularly long-haul flights, can increase the odds of developing dangerous blood clots but researchers said on Friday they are not only due to being immobile for long periods.

Low pressure and low oxygen levels in aircraft may also contribute in some people to the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

LeBron James' put in tight spot

NBA ban on support hose tights - James put in tight spot

The NBA will be banning tights next season, according to a report on ESPN.com. That means James and his contemporary stars' efforts to make support hose cool have been nixed.

Much to the dismay of Nike, which was getting upward of $35 a pair for them while their signature stars sported them during games this season, they've apparently gone the way of throwback jerseys and gold and diamond chains: On to the NBA's banned apparel list.

Flight Attendants Benefit from Support Hose

Support hose help relieve symptoms of leg discomfort and swelling for International Flight Attendants.

more information