It’s a painful injury and without the tendon to control your heel, you can’t walk. Lang has had surgery that’s been reported to be a success. Let’s  hope so, because if you’re a Habs fan, you know that Lang is desperately needed right now!

Here are some resources for you on the topic of Achilles tendon injuries:

• Everything About Achilles Tendons
• Arthroscopy.com
• AAOS

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Tags: montreal canadiens forward robert lang, forward robert lang, robert lang achilles tendon, habs fan

Post from: Blisstree

Severed Achilles tendon for Montreal Canadiens’ forward Robert Lang

Now, I’m not one to second-guess treatments for various problems, but I am kind of scratching my head over this one. Outgoing vice-president Dick Cheney is now in a wheelchair because he hurt his back doing something that many of us have done: moving boxes.

I don’t know about you all, but when my back hurts, the lower back agony that comes with lifting something the wrong way, the *last* thing I want to be doing is sitting. Sitting is agony, especially in a position that you’re in when you’re in a wheelchair because your legs aren’t up high enough to take the stress off your lower back.

The other thing that made me go "huh?" was, boy, was he waiting for the last minute and didn’t he have any help? I guess the last comment wasn’t fair;  no matter how much help you have, you often want to do some stuff yourself.

A wheelchair? For what is reported a pulled back muscle?

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Tags: pain blog, back pain, lower back pain, dick cheney hurt back, dick cheney, outgoing vice president dick cheney

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Outgoing VP Dick Cheney in a wheelchair

Take, for instance, Ken Griffey Jr. pinching a testicle with his own cup, Cardinals’ kicker Bill Gramatica tears his ACL celebrating a field goal, San Francisco Giants’ manager Roger Craig cuts his hand on a bra, professional disc golfer Ron Russell swung his hand into a tree during a throw at the 2000 PDGA tournament, and Manchester City’s (soccer player) David Seaman broke a bone reaching for the TV remote.

To read how these highly paid (and sometimes over-rated!) athletes sustained their injuries, pop on over to The 5 Wimpiest Pro Sports Injuries of All-Time. I’m not sure if you’ll giggle – or wince.

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Tags: pain blog, pro sports injuries, ken giffey jr, kicker bill gramatica, manager roger craig, ron russel, footballer david seaman, torn ACL, pinched testicle

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5 Wimpiest Pro Sports Injuries of All-Time

Having a collapsed lung is not only dangerous for the obvious reason (limited breathing), but depending on the cause of the collapse, there’s a danger that the other one can collapse as well.

News reports say that 44-year-old actress Mariska Hargitay was recently rushed to the hospital with a collapsed lung. They don’t say how it happened.

If you look up "collapsed lung" on a search engine, you’ll see there are two terms that are used: atelecetasis and pneumothorax. They aren’t quite the same thing.

Atelectasis is the term used when a fully expanded lung collapses, but pneumothorax means that there is air in the pleural cavity (in the chest) that pushes on the lungs, resulting in atelectasis. So, if you have a pneumothorax, it can cause atelectasis, but if you have atelectasis, it doesn’t mean you have a pneumothorax.

What can cause a collapsed lung? Sometimes, it can just happen, without a particular cause. But the major causes include:

• A mass or plug of mucus that was inhaled
• Something pressing on the lung, like pneumothorax, fluid, or blood
• Trauma, injuries, surgery to the chest
• Swelling of the abdomen, which can push up on the lungs
• Lack of surfactant, the coating of the alveoli (the tiny air sacs where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged)
• Scarring of the lungs
• Smoking

Believe it or not, people like fighter jet pilots are also at risk – the high speeds at which they travel can cause a collapsed lung.

Symptoms:

When I had pleurisy, at one point I was convinced I had a collapsed lung (before I was diagnosed properly) because the pain in the side of my chest was excruciating. That’s one of the symptoms, especially if the collapse is very sudden. Other symptoms are:

• Fast, shallow breathing
• Shortness of breath
• Looking bluish or very pail
• Irregular heartbeat
• Drop in blood pressure

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Tags: pain blog, actress mariska hargitay, collapsed lung, atelectasis, pneumothorax, mariska hargita collapsed lung

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Mariska Hargitay and her collapsed lung

The hip is a complicated joint. It’s a ball-and-socket joint that takes a tremendous amount of stress from body weight and movement. That’s why many people who have osteoarthritis, the so-called wear-and-tear arthritis, have it in their hip or hips.

I feel badly for Marian Gaborik. I know that he’s made a ton of money already as a hockey player, but he was going to take his chances as a free agent and at the age of 26, he should have had a good few years left to play hockey. Here’s to wishing him a complication-free surgery and a quick recovery.

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Tags: pain blog, Marian Gaborik, right winger Marian Gaborik, minnesota wild hockey player Marian Gaborik, Marian Gaborik hip pain, Marian Gaborik hip surgery

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Minnesota Wild right winger Marian Gaborik needs hip surgery

Have you hit your jaw really hard ever? It hurts and it can hurt a lot. So imagine what a fracture jaw may feel like. According to statistics, jaw fractures are the second most common facial injury, after broken noses. The lower part of the jaw, that part that is usually broken, is called the mandible.

Although a broken jaw can be very painful, there are times when they don’t really hurt, but instead there may be numbness of the chin or lower lip. This is caused if nerve is damaged. Other people notice something is wrong if their teeth no longer meet up as they used to or they can’t open their mouth as they should be able to.

The treatment for a broken jaw is wiring. The jaw is actually wired to the upper part so that it doesn’t move. However, if the break is severe, surgery may be needed to repair the jaw first.

Of course, having your jaw wired shut will affect your eating, your speaking, and your mouth care (cleaning your teeth). If your jaw is wired, you’ll only be able to consume foods that can be blended to the consistency of a milk shake. It’s vital that you be sure to get the right amount of vitamins and nutrients even if you can’t eat properly. Usually, six small meals every day are better than three large ones.

Caring for your mouth can be tricky. Your gums will be at high risk for infection, so you need to keep your mouth as clean as possible. People with wired jaws have found that the smallest, child-sized toothbrushes are best in this case. Be gentle, but thorough. If you have stitches, be extra careful. Some dentists recommend that you brush, rinse your mouth with salt water, and then brush again.

You may find that the wires in your jaw scratch and irritate your cheeks and lips. If this happens, there is special wax that you can get – it’s what people with braces use – to help protect your cheeks and lips.

There are other issues you need to think about. If you become sick and need to vomit, this can be serious – you don’t want to choke on the vomit. Lean forward to let it come up and out. Then be sure to rinse your mouth well and to brush your teeth again.

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Tags: ann coulter, political commentator ann coulter, ann coulter broken jaw, broken jaw, fractured jaw, wired jaw

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Broken jaws hurt – ask Ann Coulter

Ulcers can be very serious. They used to be portrayed as a nuisance. On television and in movies, you’d see executives in suits chugging milk and antacids because of their stress-induced ulcers. But research has moved on and it was found that milk doesn’t really help and it’s not mostly stress that causes ulcers, but a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori. Most of the time, antibiotics to get rid of the H. pylori will eliminate the ulcer.

Ulcers should be treated though because, as we saw with Barbara Bush, they can perforate and this can be deadly. The stomach contents would empty into the abdominal cavity, causing infection and other problems. Ulcers can also be caused by using too over-the-counter medications like Aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen, drinking too much alcohol, and smoking.

So, what are the signs of an ulcer?

According to the National Institutes of Health, the symptoms are:

Abdominal pain is a common symptom but it may not always be present. The abdominal pain from peptic ulcers can differ a lot from person to person. For example, the pain may get better or worse after eating a meal.

Other possible symptoms include:

* Nausea, vomiting
* Weight loss
* Fatigue
* Heartburn, indigestion, belching
* Chest pain
* Vomiting blood
* Bloody or dark tarry stools

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Tags: chronic pain blog, pain blog, barbara bush, former first lady barbara bush, ulcer, helicobacter pylori, h pylori

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Barbara Bush and the “worst pain she ever felt”

It’s known that a broken hip in seniors can speed up a disease process, like that of cancer. The pain and disability can cause the most independent of seniors to become weak and frail.

I can only hope that she died knowing that the boy she loved has reached as far as he could, and that much of his success was due to her love and guidance.

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Tags: barack obama, barack obama grandmother, madelyn dunham, barack obama’s grandmother cancer

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Obama’s grandmother, broke her hip – dies, one day before historic election

Anyway, back to Julianne – she was complaining of stomach pains last week and was diagnosed with endometriosis. Julianne is only 20, so hopefully she has a mild case of endometriosis. The condition can cause severe pain and infertility in some women. In order to reduce the pain, she is to have an appendectomy. I’m assuming that she developed endometrial tissue on her appendix for this to be the course of action.

Luckily, appendectomies can often be done by laparoscopy now – surgery that uses tiny instruments through and even tinier incision. And, she must be in incredible shape from all that dancing, so she’ll likely be up on her feet, donning her dancing shoes, quite quickly.

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Tags: chronic pain blog, pain blog, julianne hough, dancer julianne hough, appendix, appendectomy, endometriosis, endometrial tissue, dancing with the stars

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Julianne Hough’s stomach pains are endometriosis

We all know that when a celebrity becomes involved in spreading the word about an illness, things get done because people begin to recognize it as a problem. This is the case with Desperate Housewife actress Dana Delaney. While many celebrities become involved in a cause because they or someone they love is affected, Dana became involved after she played the role of TV personality Bob Saget’s sister, Gay, who died of scerloderma. In 1996, Dana starred in the made-for-TV movie, "For Hope."

After appearing in the movie, Dana joined the board of the Scleroderma Research Foundation in 1999. Here is a CNN Heroes video, which features Dana, with her friend, Luke Evnin, a 45-year-old who is living with scleroderma and who is also the current foundation chairman: CNN Heroes.

Do you or someone you know have scleroderma? Did you even know about it? Please share your thoughts with us.

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Tags: chronic pain blog, pain blog, dana delaney, desperate housewives dana delaney, bob saget, living with scleroderma, luke evnin

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Desperate Housewife Dana Delaney raises awareness about scleroderma