Dr. Sean McCance - NYC Orthopedic Spine Surgeons' Blog

Now What? Post-Marathon Recovery

This past weekend, over 50,000 runners participated in the New York City Marathon, the largest race in the world. Months of rigorous training went into those 26.2 miles, but what happens after you cross the finish line is just as important when it comes to preparing for your next race. You may feel ready to take on the world after your marathon, but your body needs a break. You’ve likely iced your joints and muscles immediately after the race, but be sure to wait a few days before any sort of major heat. A session in the sauna or a hot tub will relax muscles, but adding heat too soon after the race will further inflame them. Instead, take a break and schedule a massage. These activities bring blood flow to areas that need repairing. Don’t get right back to running. In the first week post-marathon, focus on stretching and low-impact cross-training activities, like easy bike rides, or walking. Swimming is especially easy on the back. Gentle yoga poses such as child’s pose are great for helping muscles heal. Then, try an easy 30-minute run at the end of the week to gauge how your body is feeling. If, at

November 4, 2014

Exercising in Cold Weather: Stay on Track This Winter

You may have been able to stick to an exercise routine during the warmer months, but when temperatures drop, we all have the urge to hibernate. When figuring out the best way to continue exercising in cold weather, the obvious answer is to join a gym. But for those who can’t take things indoors (for instance, if you’re training for a marathon), there are some important exercise and equipment adjustments you can make so you can safely brave the cold. In winter, warming up is more important than ever. Consider adding time to your warm-up, and starting indoors so you already feel warm when you step outside. After you warm up, don’t stop to stretch, as your body will cool down again quickly. Similarly, it’s best to cool down inside. The biggest enemy of warmth during winter workouts isn’t the cold air; it’s moisture. Peripheral vasoconstriction, a process where the body slows the amount of blood reaching the skin’s surface and heat leaving the body, is your natural defense against cold temperatures – but it’s not enough. Stay dry as you exercise by wearing moisture-wicking clothing for the layer closest to your body, as cotton will stay wet. Over this,

October 28, 2014

Feeling Back Pain at Night?

It’s hard enough experiencing back pain as you go through your day, but back pain at night when you want to sleep is especially grueling. Many patients experiencing nighttime back pain aren’t even especially uncomfortable during the day, but find that once they climb into bed, the pain may be too much to bear. These people find themselves in a nasty cycle: insufficient or interrupted sleep can exacerbate the very same pain that keeps them up each night. Nighttime back pain can be caused by a number of issues. Disc degeneration and arthritic changes as the result of aging may be to blame for some patients. A bulging or herniated disk putting pressure on a nerve can cause back and leg pain when lying flat. Sprains or fractures and conditions such as scoliosis, spinal stenosis, or even endometriosis may also cause pain at night. It’s possible that nighttime back pain may be an indicator of spinal tumors, though this is quite rare. Typically, mechanical causes of lower back pain will get better once you are in a comfortable position, but when you roll over in bed, may wake you up. Also they are often accompanied by morning pain or stiffness. Before turning in,

October 21, 2014

Ebola: What You Need to Know

If you’ve been paying attention to the news—and even if you haven’t—you know that an outbreak of the Ebola virus has been ravaging West Africa since August and, in recent weeks, has made its way to Spain and the United States. After approximately 10,000 cases and nearly 4,000 deaths in Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, plus two in Spain, one in Germany and one in the United States, there’s a lot of concern about what comes next. Of course, it all sounds scary, but this isn’t quite the dire situation of disaster movies. First discovered near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1976, the virus causing the current outbreak is one of five known strains. It is unclear where the virus originated or how exactly it spreads, but we believe the virus was probably transferred to humans by bats. The virus can only be spread by direct contact from person to person once symptoms have started. The virus is not thought to be spread by airborne mechanisms, but only by direct contact with bodily fluids. Outbreaks of Ebola have affected areas of West Africa sporadically

October 14, 2014

Your Hips and Back Pain

From day to day, as we walk, run, sit, and lie down, it can be easy to forget about our hips – that is, until they suddenly start to hurt. They need care, especially in relation to the rest of the back; the spine rests on the hips, so the hips have a very important job when it comes to alignment and posture. In fact, pain you feel in your hip may signal a problem in your back – and tight or weak hips can disrupt your back’s proper alignment. Some hip and back pain may be the result of lumbar spinal stenosis, a condition that becomes more common as we age past 50. In this condition, the spinal canal narrows, squeezing the nerves inside. In milder cases, symptoms can be treated with a combination of medications, physical therapy, and injections. In cases with severe narrowing of the spinal canal, surgery is necessary to get symptom relief. With arthritis of the hip, decreased range of motion can occur, which can put increased stress on the lower back. Also if one leg is shorter than the other, that can cause pelvic tilt which can induce scoliosis and abnormal stress on the vertebra and disks of the lower back. For muscular forms of hip pain, exercise can likely address the problems. Consider them part

October 7, 2014

Kids and Football Safety

Nothing says fall more than football, whether that means watching a professional game on TV with family and friends or having your child go out for the team. Even with all the excitement around the start of the season, there are still plenty of football safety concerns, especially for younger players. The biggest question for parents is usually “at what age can my child start playing tackle football?” This question made headlines recently when former NFL coach John Madden spoke out against younger children playing the sport. “I’m a firm believer that there’s no way that a 6-year-old should have a helmet on and learn a tackling drill,” he said in an interview. Because children have proportionally larger heads to their bodies than adults, they’re more prone to injury. Mark Hyman, co-author of Concussion and Our Kids: America’s Leading Expert on How to Protect Young Athletes and Keep Sports Safe argues that kids shouldn’t be allowed to play tackle football until they’re at least age 14. Even for those who wait until their freshman year of high school to play football, there’s still risk. In 2012, football was responsible for 394,350 emergency roommates in athletes under age 19. These young athletes

September 30, 2014

Bras, Breasts and Back Health

With these exercises, you should be able to avoid discomfort or lessen existing back pain. If the pain is unbearable or is accompanied by tingling in the arms, I recommend consulting your doctor. Whether big, small, sports, or lace – industry figures show that women around the world spend $16 billion on bras. Aesthetics aside, many women find themselves dealing with the frustrating problem of upper and mid-back back pain caused by large breast size. Excessively large breasts, known as breast hypertrophy, put extra stress on the back extensor muscles and spinal disks, leading to muscle tension, spasm and pain. It can also exacerbate the symptoms of thoracic kyphosis, commonly known as hunch back or round back. Other symptoms include tingling in the arms from compressed nerves and pain from bra straps digging into the shoulders. Patients often come to me with the question, “Will breast reduction surgery help my back pain?” The answer is often yes if other treatments – such as physical therapy and postural exercises – fail. Bethannie Snodgrass, MD, plastic surgeon and author of When Less is More: The Complete Guide for Women Considering Breast Reduction Surgery explains, “As women get older and heavier, their shoulders

September 23, 2014

Back Pain Tops List of Workplace Injuries

Even in today’s world where so many of us spend our days at a desk, back injuries are still the most common workplace injuries, according to a survey from U.S. Healthworks. Of course, outdoor workers and those who must regularly lift heavy objects are the first to be hurt, but those who don’t lift anything heavier than a file folder in our 9-to-5 are at risk as well. If you work does happen to be physically demanding, it doesn’t mean you have to live with chronic back pain; there are things you can do to prevent injuries: Make sure you’re lifting carefully. Take extra care when lifting items that are either below knee level or above shoulder height, as that reach can put added strain on your back. Do your best to avoid lifting things placed on the floor to reduce strain ot the lumbar spine. Remember to bend your knees as you lift and take a break to stretch at least once an hour. Avoid twisting as you lift heavy objects. However, if you must turn, move your feet so you don’t wrench the muscles of the back. If you have to climb stairs, ladder or other structure with

September 16, 2014

Bad Posture and Back Pain in Children

I can’t stress enough the importance of good posture, and that’s especially true for kids. It’s not just that it makes them look and feel more alert and prepared; bad posture in childhood and adolescence can mean back pain in adulthood. Some doctors report seeing children as young as seven years old with back problems. A major part of the problem is the ways in which our kids learn and relax. Backpacks are heavier than ever, and the chairs most schools provide make good posture very difficult to achieve. Backward sloping chairs mean students have to curve their spines forward to write on desks. Plus, all that recreational time spent hunched over a laptop, PlayStation, or iPad means young backs likely aren’t getting the support they need outside of the classroom, either. There are things parents can do (beyond yelling) so slouchy kids don’t grow into suffering adults. Gentle reminders. Being conscious of good posture is the first step to maintaining it. Your kids don’t want to hear it and you may get sick of saying it, but this is where it begins. Make breaks a priority. We’ve all become accustomed to sitting for long periods of time, but

September 9, 2014

Back Pain from Your Backhand? Preventing and Treating Tennis Injuries

You’ve been working hard on your serve, only to have to sit out your next tennis match because of back pain. While you may be in pain, you’re certainly not alone; tennis injuries, especially back pain, are common (even in the pros) and can range widely in their level of severity. The rotation needed to switch between backhand and forehand can wrench muscles in the low back, leading to acute pain. Serving is also a major culprit when it comes to back pain in tennis players because the hyperextension puts stress on the foot joints and disc. More serious problems include herniated disc or degenerative disc disease and stress fractures can occur a condition more common in younger players. As always, an ounce of prevention is worth of a pound of cure. Stretching before play is key, as is finding the right racket and proper shoes for shock absorption. Players new to the game as well as those who have been playing for years should make sure their form is correct — with knees bent and abdominal muscles contracted. Also, make sure to use the first ten minutes on the court as warm-up time before playing hard. Those modifications are

September 2, 2014

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