This story is all too common on the soccer field and basketball court. A high school athlete jumps to get the ball, lands and blows out a knee. And most of that time those athletes are girls. Girls are four to six times more likely to suffer a certain kind of knee injury than boys. And that’s why sports medicine specialists at Mayo Clinic developed a camp aimed at preventing knee injuries for young female athletes.

Lower back pain is very common. If you lift, bend or twist wrong, you can pull a muscle, pinch a nerve or even cause a herniated disc. Many times those injuries will get better on their own. Sometimes you need surgery. Here’s a story about a woman with debilitating back pain who ran the Boston marathon soon after surgery to repair a bulging disc.

Janis Ollson thought she had it all. She was young, in a great marriage with baby number two on the way. Then she got the bad news. A rare cancer had formed in her pelvis. Getting rid of the cancer would mean not only removing part of her pelvis, but also part of her spine and her entire left leg. For treatment, Janis went to Mayo Clinic where doctors performed a first-ever reconstructive operation in hopes that she would walk again.

Up the stairs. Down the stairs. Out the door and around the corner. Our feet can take us just about anywhere we want to go. But foot problems can make life a real pain. Dr. Steven Kavros, M.D., a Mayo Clinic podiatrist explains some common foot problems and what can be done about them.

To listen to this podcast segment, click the link below:

Foot Problems

Is age 50 the new 30? That might be true when it comes to a common knee injury. You see, it used to be that doctors only repaired torn ACL’s in young people because people over 50 weren’t active enough to need surgery. But now, as more and more people are staying physically active later in life, the philosophy on who should have surgery is changing.

There’s nothing like foot pain to make you crazy. That’s what an expert at Mayo Clinic says he hears from patients who have a condition called plantar fasciitis [fashee-EYE-tis]. It’s very common and can make walking across the room a miserable experience. What can you do about it?  We find out from Mayo Clinic physical therapist, Phil Orte.

To listen to this podcast segment, click the link below:

Plantar Fasciitis

Forty years ago, Army Staff Sgt. Walt Myers was exposed to the herbicide Agent Orange in Vietnam. Now he suffers profound muscle weakness in his legs. He was facing the possibility of spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair. But thanks to a special knee brace developed at Mayo Clinic, Myers is walking tall.

Whether you’re a professional athlete, high school athlete or weekend warrior, reaching peak performance is a common goal. But that’s not going to happen if you have deficiencies in strength or flexibility. In fact, these weaknesses are a common cause of injury. That’s why Mayo Clinic’s Sports Medicine developed a program aimed at helping athletes, such as the hockey player you’re about to meet, be their best.

Cancer.  Diabetes.  Trauma.  Many conditions can result in the need for an amputation.  As we hear from Tom Shives, M.D., a Mayo Clinic orthopedic surgeon, because of today’s advanced prosthetics, amputation is surgery that’s really more reconstructive than destructive.

To listen to the podcast segment, click the link below:

Amputation

Here’s a question for you: What’s the most common joint injury people can get? It’s an ankle sprain. And as we hear from Edward Laskowski, M.D., a sports medicine specialist at Mayo Clinic, if you do twist your ankle, your chances of re-injuring it are very high unless you make an effort to strengthen it.

To listen to the podcast segment, click on the link below:

Ankle Sprains