Our knees are some of our hardest working joints. Standing, sitting, walking, running, jumping, and so much more depend on our knees being strong and mobile. It’s easy to take them for granted. That is, it’s easy to take them for granted until one unexpectedly gives way and you’re suddenly struggling to keep your balance.
Sometimes our legs can get fatigued from doing things like playing sports or climbing a long flight of stairs. Sometimes, though, leg weakness can occur without an obvious cause. Maybe you suddenly notice some shakiness when standing from a chair. Or maybe your legs feel especially heavy during a walk you’ve taken dozens of times before.
Numbness in your hands or fingers can be very unsettling. If you wake up with your hand feeling “asleep” because you slept awkwardly last night, that’s easy enough to understand. Sometimes, though, the cause of numbness is much less obvious and may be more concerning.
You may feel some tingling while driving or find that certain fingers repeatedly go numb while you’re working.
Walking is great exercise, and a great part of a healthy lifestyle. It’s something our bodies were built to do, and it should be a relaxing and invigorating experience, not painful. Unfortunately, for some people walking can be a source of hip pain. It can be a slow ache that arises after several minutes walking,
Millions of Americans feel the pain of sciatica every year. Though not everyone experiences it the same way, it typically feels like pain that begins around the lower back or buttock area and travels into the leg. The sciatic nerve is the largest and longest nerve in your body, and when it (or one of the spinal nerve roots that contributes to it) gets irritated or compressed,
Back pain can come from seemingly nowhere. It can happen after a day of standing at work or after cooking a large meal or waiting in a long line, even if you didn’t lift anything heavy or bend awkwardly. It’s as if standing itself is a problem, like your back struggles just to support its own weight.
It’s something that comes on slowly for most people. You find yourself reaching for the railing more often. Maybe you’re a little less confident on uneven ground. Or maybe you suddenly notice that turning quickly makes you a bit wobbly.
Balance problems are very common as we age. Though it’s easy to take for granted,
Moving an arthritic joint hurts. This unavoidable fact can make it seem like physical therapy could be painful and counterproductive, a possibility that keeps many people from getting the help they need. While it’s true that physical therapy can’t cure arthritis or reverse existing joint damage, it can be very effective in helping reduce pain and stiffness.
You reach into a kitchen cabinet and suddenly there’s a sharp pain in your shoulder. Or maybe it happens when you’re trying on a new shirt or simply brushing your hair. Or maybe the pain isn’t really sudden at all. Maybe you know it happens all the time, but you forget about it until the next time you raise your arm and get a reminder.
Is it possible that something happening in your mind can contribute to actual physical pain? Isn’t that the sort of pseudoscientific theory you read about in a fringe magazine or hear from some self-styled “guru” on a podcast? Maybe.
Mental stress is something we all experience. We may worry about our work, our finances,