Transcripts

Dr. Jim Keany:
There's going to be wear and tear on the body, especially the joints. This is a very common problem when people get older, that joints hurt and that is part of normal aging.

Dr. Jim Keany, Emergency Physician at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, CA.

But if it's joint pain that goes on for some time and doesn't allow you to do the activities of daily living like brushing your teeth or taking a shower, that's time to get it checked by a doctor.

And when you do have temporary pain, should you ice it or put heat on it?

Ice is the best thing. You look in the game room after a game and they're interviewing players, they all have ice on. None of them have heating pads on and that's because ice takes down inflammation.

It may sound amazing but some people actually think of a stroke as normal aging.

Grandma wakes up and her right arm doesn't work, it doesn't move and the right side of her face droops a little bit. Other members of the family look at it and say, " Well why don't you take a little nap and see if that goes away?" But that's actually the sign of a stroke and that needs to be taken care of immediately. Another common one, when people get chest pain they seem to feel like they're going to bother someone if they go seek medical attention. That's a common scenario. When you have chest pain, especially if it's pressure or squeezing type pain that lasts more than even a few minutes, that should be checked out immediately.

At somethingyoushouldknow.net I'm Mike Carruthers and that's Something You Should Know.