No amount of talent, notoriety, or smarts will stop back pain from rearing it’s ugly head. Here are a few famous victims of the infamous condition…

Bono

Bono was afflicted with a herniated disc and severe compression of the sciatic nerve while training for the U.S. leg of U2’s 360 degrees tour. That’s what you get for putting your album on my phone, buddy!

George Clooney

America’s top DILF suffered from a back injury on the set of Syria that was so bad that spinal fluid was leaking out of his nose.

Elizabeth Taylor

Born with scoliosis, Elizabeth’s pain got so bad she developed dependency on alcohol, painkillers, and sleeping pills.
RIP Elizabeth, thanks for the years of entertainment.

Tobey Maguire

While on the set of Seabiscuit, Tobey Maguire developed a back injury from horseback riding. The pain was so bad he almost lost his role as Spiderman for the sequel. (His replacement would have been Jake Gyllenhall.)

Jerry Lewis

Grandma’s favorite comedian has a well-documented history of struggling with back pain.

Living with back pain?

Learn about the mental and emotional side of back pain
Check out our options for back support

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No amount of wealth, fame, or good looks will stop the small intestine from passing through the abdominal wall. Celebrity or not, hernias happen. Here are just a few well known victims of the infamous condition…

David Spade

Someone noted on David Spade’s Wikipedia page that he was an actor and comedy, but no one’s laughing now. He’s starred in Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser, Lil’ Pimp, and Grown Ups 2. We hope his hernia wasn’t as bad as his movie choices!

James Caan

Turns out his Wikipedia page isn’t written in stone, and neither is his Hernia diagnosis. That won’t make your uncle stop with the Godfather lines at Thanksgiving though.

Justin Long

An apple a day didn’t keep his doctor away. Maybe this dude would’ve had better luck getting a Dell.

Jeff Bridges

Jeff Bridges is a popular star, notably from The Big Lebowski. Turns out the dude had more issues on his plate than spilled milk.

Dwayne Johnson

As strong as his abdominal wall is, one wrong move can leave you between a rock and a hard place.

Madonna

America’s favorite diva is no virgin to pain.

Daniel Tosh

America’s least favorite star of Tosh.0 got a hernia. We’re guessing he was laughing at his own jokes, because no one else is.

Bam Margera

This star from the MTV hit Jackass has suffered from a hernia. If you’ve ever seen his “work” you need no explanation.

Charlie Sheen

The fun loving star of Two and a Half Men may suffer from hernias like the rest of us, but he’s still winning.

Living with a hernia?

• Get our world-famous hernia truss for optimal support & comfort
• Read our NSFW guide to identifying a hernia early
• Learn about the different types of hernias

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Core Twists

Begin by taking a resistance band or a small dumb weight and stand with your arms at shoulder length feet apart. If using a resistance band your foot should be firmly planted on the band to keep it from slipping into you.

Next, take your body and twist it in the opposite direction from where you’re standing on the band. You should feel your core engaging. Continue this for 10 to 15 reps, and then switch sides!

This exercise works by using the muscles in your core, which help support your power back. When your core is strong, your lower back is more supported and the weight of your child is balanced out.

Deadlift to Curl

Your feet should begin stride length apart from each other, one side in front of the other. You’ll want to have a low-weight dumbbell in each hand.

Lean forward and engage your core, with the dumbbells at your side. From here, you’ll want to slowly lift your upper body up while turning the dumbbells into your body. Continue this for five to ten reps then switch sides.

Triangle Pose

This position uses the techniques of yoga to help you stretch your body. Begin by takin your feet and putting them a strides length away from each other. Reach out with your arms in each direction.

Next cross your left arm over your right side and stretch. Keep your head level and looking up toward the ceiling, and make sure your arms are a straight as possible.

Come back up and cross in the opposite direction. Do this five or six times holding in each position for a while. This will help elongate your body and keep your back relieved of tension.

Let us know how these exercises help, and send us some hints and tips from your own exercise routine! We’d love to hear about them. In the meantime, check out our store for pregnancy support belts that help manually alleviate pain and support your belly when carrying.

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The most important process to follow after a sprained ankle is RICE. It goes as follows:

R: Rest

The most important action to take after a sprained ankle, is none at all.
Allow your body to have time to heal, and not make the condition even worse than it is.
Try to stay off your ankle as much as possible.

I: Ice

A huge concern after an ankle sprain is swelling.
This can cause acute pain and worsen the sprained ankle situation.
Keeping swelling down is crucial for sprained ankle support.

C: Compression

Keeping the ankle compressed will also help with swelling, as well as supporting the ligaments.
Try our compression wraps or braces.

E: Elevation

After spraining your ankle, keeping it elevated for 2 to 3 days will reduce bruising and swelling.

Following these steps after spraining an ankle will get you started out on the right foot for recovery.. After rest and relaxation most sprains heal on their own. Keeping pain down with a mild over the counter pain reliever might be necessary.

If you’re experiencing extreme pain, heard a pop sound when you sprained your ankle, or see extreme bruising and swelling – visit your doctor. For extreme cases of sprained ankles or torn ligaments surgery will be a possibility.

The most important part of sprained ankle support, is having patience. Your body will naturally heal itself, but giving it time to rest, relax, and do it’s job is crucial.

Need a bandage for your sprain or strain? Get one here.

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The post RICE: The Perfect Recipe for Sprained Ankle Support appeared first on AT Surgical.

• Size: Absorbent pants come in many sizes, ours – like many match the size of your waist.
• Absorbency: When manufacturers refer to absorbency, they are talking about the amount of liquid the garment can hold – usually measured in ounces.
• Gender-Specific Design: Manufacturers will make different products for the bodies of different people, unless its a structural design, don’t fall for color marketing gimmicks. Unisex incontinence pants are great for everyone!
• Contour: This refers to how the undergarment fits against the body. Special features such as flexible tabs and leg cuffs are meant to make the product fit snuggly and comfortably to your unique body. Molicare briefs, for example, feature fitted leg cuffs.
• Odor Control: Don’t get stuck in a stinky situation, most incontinence pants have unique odor control technology.
• Tabs: Tabs refers to the way pants are secured to your body. Ours comes in two styles – velcro and pull-up waist.
• Moisture Wicking: Many incontinence garments have a means of moving water away from the body – make sure yours makes the cut.

Having Incontinence issues is more common than you think, and you should never feel embarrassed by what your body does. Keeping it in line with incontinence pants is a great option to keep the embarrassment down, but make sure you have the correct pants for your needs. Looking at these specific factors will help you target what your body needs most.

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Rotator Cuff Tendinitis Pitching Injuries

Rotator Cuff Tendinitis is a pitching injury that occurs closest to the shoulder in the arm. This area contains many muscles and tendons that help keep your arm from popping out of your shoulder. However, with age or extra tension (like pitching for years, improper technique, and lack of rest) these parts can become swollen or damaged. If you start feeling pain front and top of your shoulder, or the outer part of the upper arm – make a doctor’s appointment to get it looked at. Other symptoms could be loss of motion and/or strength, a clicking noise once the shoulder is raised over your head, or tenderness/swollen muscles in the front of your shoulder. Treatment involves an anti-inflammatory, rest, stretching and mixing cold and heat therapies. More severe cases will involved physical therapy, and even surgery – but this is less common.

Elbow Tendinitis Pitching Injuries

Elbow tendinitis is very similar to rotator cuff tendinitis, just found in the elbow instead. Another name used to refer to elbow tendinitis is Tennis Elbow. This injury is very common for pitchers who spend their time throwing fast balls and the like. We go into this condition extensively in our other post; Tennis Elbow: Symptoms, Exercises, & Treatments. We also carry the counterforce brace.

Medial Elbow Ligament Disruption Pitching Injuries

The medial elbow ligament is located on the inside of the elbow, its is to provide stability to the joint. Injury occurs, not surprisingly with repetitive overuse – like throwing. Symptoms include tenderness and pain, on the inside of the elbow – see your doctor if you find these symptoms after a game. Treatments for MELD include rest and hot/cold therapies, and for more severe cases surgery.

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Diabetes Foot Care

Step 1:
Inspect your feet daily

Patients should check their feet daily, to make sure no new discolorations, sores, or cracked/dry skin occur. Using a mirror for the under side of your feet, make sure you check the entire foot. Have someone help you if you cannot manage.

Step 2:
Check water temperature accurately

With intensive damage to the nerves of your feet and hands, you might find it harder to know when water is too hot. Hot tubs, baths/showers, and doing dishes can become a huge problem if the water is too hot and you cannot feel it. This can lead to scalding burns and blisters – which invite infection. Using your elbow will help you keep accurate readings of water temps.

Step 3:
Invest in good footwear and socks

Shoe shopping with a diabetes sufferer can become a real task. Making sure you have the right footwear and accessories is very important. Some tips include: looking for deeper toe boxes, and optimal coverage on the top and bottom of the foot. Also shying away from shoes and socks with seams inside that can rub against your feet. Socks should have padding and be really good at wicking away moisture. Check out our great compression socks!

Step 4:
Don’t go barefoot!

Along with checking water temperatures, you should never go barefoot in your own home. Nerve damage significantly decreases the foot’s ability to feel for any objects. Stepping on a lego isn’t a concern, but a thumbtack or getting a splinter becomes deadly. You may not feel the object cut or scrape your foot – allowing infection to grow and spread.

Step 5:
Orthotics are your friend

Keeping comfort in mind, getting a good pair of inserts can get be helpful. You can find great gel inserts for much less than a new pair of shoes, and for a whole lot more impact. We sell great inserts, like these or these.

Taking your diabetes care one step at a time is important and helps make it more manageable. Always talk to your doctor for recommendations on new products and treatments that help you overcome the troubles that diabetes brings to your life.

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Concussion Stats

New studies have shown that for every 100,000 soccer players, 33 will get a concussion per year. This is fewer than in football, where every game that’s played – someone walks away with a concussion. However, scientists are finding that concussions sustained from player soccer are more severe. This is alarming as soccer among girls is becoming increasingly popular, especially after the 2012 London Olympics gold and the continued coverage in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro games.

Causes of Concussions

People might be wondering how soccer players are at more risk for severe concussions compared to football and wrestling. The answer seems simple when you think about it, it’s all about where the action is. In football there’s high contact with other players, and in wrestling there’s a lot a deceleration/acceleration concussions. However, in soccer there’s a lot of balls bouncing on heads and heads accidentally colliding. When players are required to bounce balls off their heads that are soaring at most 60 mph, you might see where the concern is.

Ways to Reduce Severity of Concussions

The best practices to reduce severity of concussions, is to be situationally aware. Soccer players need to practice always being aware of their surroundings. Where are the other player’s elbows, where is the nearest player to me, where is the ball landing? And perhaps one of the most important practices is to protect the head. Bouncing the ball off the player’s head should either be phased out as a practice, or we should start equipping our players with helmets. A lot of research has been done on the importance of helmets in reduces concussions in the realm of football, researchers should use this as a jumping off point for soccer players and their unique challenges.

Check out our sleeping collar to help you with recovery!

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The post Severity of Concussions Increases in Womens’ Soccer appeared first on AT Surgical.

This imminently preventable injury is felt as a sudden sharp pain at the back of the thigh. A hamstring sprain is remedied by cold therapy with a compression wrap applied ASAP for 10-15 minutes every hour for the first day. After this, every 2-3 hours is usually sufficient. Use our bernie bag with the hot/cold pouch and our elastic bandage wrap for optimal results.

Shin splints

Also known as medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), shin splints occur when the tendons inside the shin bone swell from overuse. It’s the least comfortable of the injuries this writer has experienced. It feels like hitting your funny bone with your other funny bone. It’s a common ailment to affect folks just breaking into running, but don’t let it discourage you. Doctors recommend giving it 4-6 days to heal before returning to running, but if you continue running, wrap your leg first with an elastic bandage wrap for a few weeks.

Ankle sprain

This common injury typically occurs when the ankle rolls inwards, damaging the ligaments on the outside of the ankle, but the inverse will also occur on occasion. This ailment can be treated with R.I.C.E.: rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Similar to the hamstring strain, this type of sprain is remedied by cold therapy with a compression wrap applied. It is once again recommended that you use our bernie bag with the hot/cold pouch and our elastic bandage wrap for optimal results.

ACL tear

The torn ACL, or “anterior cruciate ligament”, is a common occurrence in sports that require quick-turning, such as soccer or football. Sadly, unlike the sports injuries above, this one is going to require professional help, but the first 72 hours require P.R.I.C.E. and the aforementioned bernie bag with the hot/cold pouch and elastic bandage wrap combo.

Groin pull

This tear to the abductor muscle creates pain between the belly and inner thigh that ranges from somewhat tolerable to excruciating. In the first 72 hours, use the AT Surgical patented combo of the bernie bag with the hot/cold pouch and elastic bandage wrap.

Tennis elbow (epicondylitis)

Tennis elbow can happen immediately, but unlike the other injuries listed here, it can also happen over time as a result of the tendon of the wrist extensor muscle becoming inflamed and eventually degenerated from the movement of tendons where they attach to the elbow. Treatment is a breeze with a counterforce brace, which pulls the tendons away from the elbow to prevent further inflammation. Use the R.I.C.E. method for a winning combo.

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The post 6 Common Sports Injuries & How to Heal Them appeared first on AT Surgical.