“You would be surprised by the mobility of the remaining joints. That’s not
to say you don’t have more motion with an ankle replacement. But it’s not
that we are welding the whole foot together. It’s just the ankle,” said Dr.
Steven Kodros, orthopaedic surgeon, Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Professional football players, even those in the most physically punishing
positions, can undergo back surgery and return to the gridiron, researchers
at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine report in the
American Journal of Sports Medicine.

“They aren’t broken, they aren’t more fragile after surgery,” orthopedic
surgeon and lead author Dr. Joseph K. Weistroffer told Reuters Health. “Four
out of five who have surgery not only return to play, they return to starter
positions.”

 Also appears in PostChronicle.com

Kim Lebowitz, PhD, director of Cardiac Behavioral Medicine at the Bluhm
Cardiovascular Institute, is quoted in a column about how a patient’s spirit
aids in survival and recovery. Lebowitz comments that biology plays a
pivotal role in outcomes, but a fighting spirit can really make a difference
in the rehabilitation process.

What can you do in that situation? Five suggestions from Dr. Will Cronenwett,
a psychiatrist and researcher at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School
of Medicine…

“The more active people are, the faster they can walk,” said Dorothy Dunlop,
associate professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School
of Medicine and lead author of the study.

“You would be surprised by the mobility of the remaining joints. That’s not
to say you don’t have more motion with an ankle replacement. But it’s not
that we are welding the whole foot together. It’s just the ankle,” said Dr.
Steven Kodros, orthopaedic surgeon, Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Professional football players, even those in the most physically punishing
positions, can undergo back surgery and return to the gridiron, researchers
at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine report in the
American Journal of Sports Medicine.

“They aren’t broken, they aren’t more fragile after surgery,” orthopedic
surgeon and lead author Dr. Joseph K. Weistroffer told Reuters Health. “Four
out of five who have surgery not only return to play, they return to starter
positions.”

 Also appears in PostChronicle.com

Kim Lebowitz, PhD, director of Cardiac Behavioral Medicine at the Bluhm
Cardiovascular Institute, is quoted in a column about how a patient’s spirit
aids in survival and recovery. Lebowitz comments that biology plays a
pivotal role in outcomes, but a fighting spirit can really make a difference
in the rehabilitation process.

What can you do in that situation? Five suggestions from Dr. Will Cronenwett,
a psychiatrist and researcher at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School
of Medicine…

New Northwestern Medicine research shows people with this common arthritis
are more likely to walk fast enough if they lead physically active
lives.

“The more active people are, the faster they can walk,” said Dorothy Dunlop,
associate professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School
of Medicine and lead author of the study. “This is strong evidence that even
a small increase in activity is related to better walking function. The bar
for improvement isn’t that high. This should motivate people to get moving,
even if they have pain or stiffness.”