In my practice, I see patients almost every day with medical conditions or injuries that have been misdiagnosed. This can often make the condition worse or lead to expensive surgeries. Below, I’ve compiled a list of the 5 most commonly misdiagnosed injuries based on my experience. Be aware of them so you can avoid prolonged and unnecessary pain.
Was your shoulder pain diagnosed as strain or bursitis? Actually, you’ve likely injured one or more of the four muscles that make up your rotator cuff. Unfortunately, this condition will not improve on its own. In fact, it will get worse if you do nothing about it.
Tip: For pain relief from a rotator cuff injury, I suggest using ice, anti-inflammatories, or some form of muscle stimulation, like the TENS Unit that can be found here. But, you’ll need to determine which muscle was injured and use specific exercise to rehabilitate it in order to fully recover. This process is discussed in my book, Get Lean with Dr. Dean which is coming soon.
Do you often experience foot pain? Flat footedness can cause your foot to roll inward as you walk, called pronation. Most of us will suffer from this with age. While pronation can cause foot problems like plantar fasciitis and heel spurs, it can also lead to more serious complications. As the foot is the foundation of the body, a fault there can manifest in other areas. I often encounter patients that were previously diagnosed with a leg or hip injury only to discover that the root cause of the pain was flat feet.
Neck and back pain is often blamed on muscle spasms, but it usually stems from spinal disc injury. Chiropractic care realigns the spine, decreasing pressure on discs. In certain situations, a brace is used to reduce range of motion and relieve pressure on the disc, while a TENS unit can help reduce night pain. Nutritional supplementation can aid in the repair of diseased tissue.
Tip: I prefer supplementing Glucosamine Sulfate to help support these injured structures. Additionally, the anti-inflammatory effects of turmeric and ginger can offer pain relief.
Knee pain is often caused by the displacement of your knee cap by a muscle imbalance. I’ve seen this diagnosed as arthritis, strain or tendonitis. When in fact, strengthening your inner quad muscle might be the best remedy for this injury and getting back on track.
Tip: Amazingly, strength training is all it really takes to significantly reduce the pain from a knee injury but I suggest using a simple knee strap that will elevate pressure on the kneecap until your muscles get stronger.
You read right: tendonosis NOT tendinitis. You’ve probably never heard of that because nagging elbow pain is often diagnosed as tendinitis when it is actually tendonosis. Tendinitis is an inflammation of the tendon and requires rest whereas tendonosis actually gets worse with rest and must be treated. In this case, a misdiagnosis could result in more pain and worsening symptoms, making the distinction all the more important.
Tip: Fortunately, treating elbow tendonosis requires only a few simple exercises and, in some cases, an elbow brace. The same strategies can be applied to all other types of tendonosis as well.
There are countless ways to work out effectively but no matter what routine you choose to go with there are 3 fundamental rules that are always are always important if you want to build muscle when weight training, especially for those of us in the 40+ crowd.
You can’t make a house without bricks, proteins are the bricks of our body, it's needed to build everything from our skin to our organs and tissues. A strong body needs plenty of it. Amino acids, pre-workout drinks and supplements, such as vitamins and minerals, can also aid muscle growth and recovery. But high protein, low fat foods are paramount to strength gains.
Tip: A good rule of thumb for protein says that you should consume about one gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. I know this may sound cumbersome. Don’t worry! My book, Get Lean with Dr. Dean coming very soon is filled with shortcuts.
The longer the muscle is under tension the more gains will be made. It’s that simple. More stress means more damage. Although damage may sound like a bad thing, it's actually what we want. Our muscles will rebuild even stronger and be capable of handling more stress the next time you train.
Tip: Don’t damage your joints with heavy weight! Avoid torturing yourself when you work out by doing longer sets with lower weight. This will make you stronger over time than shorter sets with more weight.
The best kept secret to getting stronger is allowing your body to heal after the stress of weightlifting. Like I said,The muscle will rebuild itself stronger if given enough time but most people exercise again without allowing for a proper recovery.
Tip: Everyone needs to recover but once you hit 40 it becomes even more important. Never work out the same muscle group twice in one week. You can work out everyday but be sure to hit different muscle groups.
Many of us already know that you don’t have to lift something heavy or experience an accident at work to get injured. getting injured at work doesn't mean that you were lifting heavy objects, or that an accident happened, Often, overuse of a body part or simply being in the same position for an extended period of time can cause persistent pain. Luckily there's relief for many common work related injuries. Check out what some of the most common injuries are and some quick remedies.
Back and neck pain from strains and improper mechanics is probably the most common workplace injury. This is often due to long hours sitting at a computer or desk with pure posture, poor chair support, or otherwise bad ergonomics.
Tip: All that's really needed here is to a few quick fixes. Makes sure you're not slouching and make sure your chair is ergonomically correct. If you don't feel like getting a whole new chair, you can supplement the one you have with a lumbar support cushion.
If you're on your feet all day at work the obvious associated pain will be in the foot but more that that, being on your feet at work all day without the proper structural stability can lead to knee, hip, and back problems. The foot is the foundation of the body and if your foundation isn't solid then there will be problems all the way up.
Tip: Getting the stability you need is a quick fix. All you need is an orthotic. My Wolf Orthotic which is coming soon was designed to hold the foot in the most optimal position, giving you the perfect arch which in turn gives your body the support it needs.
Do you have tingling and numbness in your hands from repetitive use at work? The likely culprit is carpal tunnel syndrome from frequent repetitive motions. Most commonly this is from keyboarding or driving.
Tip: Many people jump the gun into thinking that they need surgery but there are affordable alternatives if your carpal tunnel isn't severe; a carpal tunnel brace will keep your wrist in a neutral position and in most cases this is enough to eliminate the pain.
As we get older we develop a muscle imbalance in our legs that predisposes us to knee injuries. This happens from disuse of your inside quads. The outside quads get worked out the way they should through daily routines that you likely perform at work, the inside quad does not. This disparity is what displaces the knee cap which results in pain.
Tip: Strengthening your inner quad muscle coupled by using a simple strap called a knee strap can reduce your pain right away and get you on track to recovery.
Hurt your shoulder at work? Although it could be a number of problems, the most likely culprit here is a rotator cuff injury. These can occur easily as we age simply from overuse during routine tasks like lifting heavy objects. People who work with their hands are most prone to this.
Tip: Thankfully most shoulder issues recovery quickly with a few easy exercises and pain can easily be managed with icing and anti-inflammatories. Electric muscle stimulation modalities, such as a TENS Unit, can help to enhance recovery and reducing pain as well.