Dr. Mark Mudano

No, actually, it’s the exact opposite: resistance training is one of the best ways to develop strong bones and joints. Bones respond to gravity and any and all compressive loads; that’s why sitting too much is not a good idea no matter your age. And the chemicals your brain releases after any workout in the gym or at home where you are engaged in heavy breathing is extraordinarily beneficial to almost every system in your body. Weight training is also an excellent way to turn up your metabolic rate and burn more calories than just about any other form of exercise.

Dr. Mudano

The list of causes for decreased bone density is extensive. The primary reason people lose bone density is being a post-menopausal female and a decrease in daily wt-bearing activities, including resistance exercises. This does NOT mean swimming; if this patient has no other basic etiologies such as non-dairy intake, petite frame with genetic predisposition (mother has osteoporosis? And multiple fractures?), GI malabsorption issues, poor protein intake, then it all boils down to resistance exercises that will help rebuild bone density. Bone mass is a function of what we are born with, our genetics, our diet, and, most importantly, our activity level once we get past 40 yrs of age.

There’s no recent definitive data on delayed healing of long bone fractures in chronic diabetic patients. If the blood sugars remain high and the A1C is elevated, there are many processes in the body that will not be normal.
But, all other factors being equal, most diabetics in reasonably good health will consolidate their fractures in 6-8 weeks.

Dr. Mudano

Ankle swelling without an injury or event means there is something “upstream “ that is causing the swelling; depending on your age and any other possible medical conditions like venous insufficiency or even diabetes could be what is the etiology of this swelling. So it could be any number of things such as vascular malformation, prior leg or knee injury or surgery, or even a benign soft tissue mass.

First of all, every single human needs to distance themselves from their “smart” phone on a regular basis; this technology has many more psychological, social, and intellectual drawbacks and yet we cannot seem to live without our phones! Albert Einstein said that when the day comes that technology overtakes human interaction, the world will have a whole generation of idiots! And we are quickly approaching that landmark.
But to answer, there are no musculoskeletal issues of any significance from regular use of handling a cell phone.

Mark L. Mudano, MD

Very unlikely that a common pediatric fracture at age 7 would come back 20 yrs later as a sequelae; all pediatric fractures have great remodeling potential and it is extremely rare to see any routine fracture cause a problem if there was normal healing with standard treatment.
Now, the exceptions might be open fractures with neurological injury or severe growth plate injuries or joint involvement where cartilage was lost or crushed.

Yes, osteoarthritis is a heritable trait, but you can “override" the acquisition of the disease by simply doing a few things that help all humans on the planet. My own mother had 2 knee replacements and grandparents on both sides of my family had severe arthritis. I am a 60-year-old orthopaedic surgeon who takes no meds and has no health issues and the one thing that probably keeps me from getting “bad joints” is that I stay busy and try to get at least 2 good workouts in every week. I try to eat well, although I must admit to enjoying a couple of beers on 1 or 2 nights during the week, but I have no other vices. Everything you eat that is good for your heart and cardiovascular system is ALSO good for your cartilage.
So don’t condemn yourself even though you may have a bad gene predilection. What you do and what you put into your body count more in this case.
Dr. Mudano

First, you have to make the correct diagnosis - is it a dislocation or a simple proximal humerus fracture? (Or even something more benign?)
To diagnose without an X-ray is very tricky and uncertain. If there is a real dislocation, the longer you wait, the more difficult it is going to be to reduce it. And we never “pop it back in place" as this could cause further injury to her. I can try to diagnose this via this text, but I will need more information and some family member will have to actually do some simple procedures to your mother.
I am certainly willing to help. first question: when was the actual injury/event?
Dr. Mudano

As a 40 yo runner, and if also you eat regular dairy products, you should have all you need for lower extremity bone density; however, the upper body will need some resistance training. Multivitamin with plenty of Vit D is also good for bone health (calcium supplements usually not needed).
Most important thing after 40, especially in women, is getting enough protein in the diet. Think 1 mg protein for every kg body weight and that’s the bare minimum.

If this is a result of pure whiplash mechanism and no blunt trauma or head collision, then depending on your age, it's most likely a result of soft tissue strain or cervical sprain (meaning deep c-spine ligaments) that are inflamed.
Treatment consists of:
1. Rest (wear soft collar to rest neck muscles)
2. Apply ice over sorest area and alternate with moist heat
3. Start low dose NSAID like naproxen and take w food x 5-7 days
4. If you're experiencing a lot of spasm, can try Flexeril or Skelaxin to help relax tension
5. PT or even a massage therapist can often help
(If you are over 40 do NOT let chiropractor "adjust "your neck!
6. Visit orthopaedic surgeon if none of this helps
7. There are some otc topical/ ointments that can certainly help

As with all joint replacement surgery, the goal is pain relief without risking any function or range of motion for that particular joint. Ankle arthroplasty is still quite rare and there isn't as much data present that seriously looks at return to sports after ankle arthroplasty. I suspect that swimming with a flutter kick or breast stroke kick will be limited however I do not think it would pose any significant deterrent for participating in most swimming activities. As long as the thigh and hip musculature are equally strong to the contralateral side, the kicking power in the water should not be affected.