You wake up one morning, and your shoulder hurts. You’re not sure why, and blame it on your sleeping position. Perhaps you bend down to pick something up, and when you stand up your knee hurts. These are very common stories heard from patients in an orthopedic surgeon’s office. The onset of joint pain without significant trauma is very common over the age of 40.
Perhaps you wait a week, or worse, you run off to your primary care doctor immediately. Surely, pain means that something is wrong … right? Well, not so fast. Many of us will have shoulder, elbow or knee pain for no apparent reason as we age. Sedentary behavior is not tolerated well by our joints. Our tendons and muscles like to be exercised. They like the force or stress that resistive exercises provide. A joint supported by weakened muscle is a joint at risk for pain. That being said, even if you do exercise, you are still at risk of developing joint pain. So back to your aching knee or shoulder. What’s your next step?
Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how.
