Posts made in January, 2021

When you’re young you don’t think about vision loss… but then you pass the age of 40, and suddenly people around you are telling you about their vision problems and you’re wondering, “What about me?” Many adults over the age of 40 have trouble seeing clearly at close distances, typically when reading or working on a computer. As we age, we most likely have a change in our ability to focus. This is called presbyopia and it progresses...

If a child is experiencing pain near their ear, their jaw and/or the muscles on the side of their face, accompanied by a clicking or popping sound (or restricted jaw movement), they may have TMD. This is a group of conditions involving pain and dysfunction of the “TMJ,” aka the temporomandibular (jaw) joint. Children going through significant stress can experience jaw problems. If they have a dental issue, such as a “bad bite,” or...

When people are involved in a car crash they typically have neck and back pains. But there can also be hidden injuries that aren’t even felt or known about for weeks or perhaps months later. For example, the force of a collision can cause tissue between the vertebrae of the spine to “balloon out” or rupture. When this happens, the person experiences a herniated disc. This herniation puts pressure on nerves coming out of the spine....

What is dementia? It’s a general term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with a person’s daily life. Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia. A person with dementia might not remember how to do simple tasks, such as zipping up their hoodie or tying their shoelaces. When dementia gets really bad, they might not remember people’s names or even recognize...

If your parents experience back pain, will you, too? Is back pain “in the genes?” Several studies suggest a connection between back pain and genetics. Research has discovered that the development of lumbar degenerative disc disease, which gives a person chronic back pain, has a strong genetic link. Can back pain run in families? Yes. Research has shown that people with lumbar disc disease, for example, typically have other family...