By Dr. Stephen Simons, Sports Medicine Institute
In my line of work, it’s a common occurrence. People coming into my office with muscle pain, or worse, shortly after declaring that this is it, they’re going to get in shape this summer. Right now – this week, this month – they’re going to reverse what is sometimes months or years of relative inactivity to lose those extra pounds, improve their cardio, or simply scratch that competitive itch.
There are obviously many reasons to embark on athletic endeavors and, more than most, I’m in favor of people getting out and being active. However, as both an athlete and doctor, I advise patients that they need to gradually get into a consistent pattern of exercise. It doesn’t happen overnight ... at least not without first suffering the sensation of pain and/or injury.
If you’re looking to get into jogging or biking – maybe you want to enter that 5k race at the end of the summer – that’s great. Such time-based activities are naturally conducive to beginners because you can start slow and gradually increase your minutes over time. Just make sure to give your muscle tissue the proper time it needs to recover from the stress you apply to it. Perhaps start off by only participating in the activity every other day instead of daily. As a general rule, one shouldn’t increase exercise time by more than 10 percent each week as your body needs time to adapt to a new level of workout.
Weekend Warriors
What if your buddies need another player for a weekly pickup basketball or soccer game? You’re pretty good, need the exercise, and don’t mind getting back out there and playing. Unfortunately, it’s also been a few years.
This is where you really have to be disciplined because the decision of how long to exercise is no longer just about you ... the individual. In other words, if your group normally plays for two hours and you are just getting started with them, it takes a fair amount of discipline to say that you’ll play for 30 minutes the first week and then increase your time next week ... and so on. Peer pressure comes into play and it’s easy to succumb to that – especially if you’re feeling good at the time.
Like everything else, the older you get, the more likely you are to run into some type of problem just jumping into an activity. An 18-year old can get away with a lot more than a 48 year old.
One of the main problems that occur in these situations is DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) – when the connective tissue gets strained and produces subtle swelling in the muscle. That is manifested through muscle soreness 24 to 48 hours later. People often call it a ‘good hurt’ but there’s not much good in feeling that way. When suffering from DOMS, a little muscle movement (i.e. stretching the muscle) is advisable because it helps massage that interstitial fluid that results from a subtle vascular leak at the point of the injury.
Tendonitis and bone stress injuries are also potential risks. However, unlike DOMS, symptoms of these injuries generally occur following repeated heavy activity over time. Symptoms of such injuries involve continuing achiness in a narrowly focused area of the body – even while at rest. Finally, muscle strains become more common in 40 and 50 year-old athletes as the result of their bodies becoming stiffer with age.
Kid Concerns
What about our children? What are their risks associated with participation in summer sports and other activities? For those aged around 9 to 16 – before skeletal maturity – the issue is dealing with their open growth plates. Because they are still growing, it’s easy for kids to have heel pain, knee pain, ‘little leaguers elbow’ – all those problems that result from overuse of the growth plates.
Such injuries usually occur during a growth spurt – about the time you notice your son or daughter has already outgrown the pair of pants you bought them four months ago. That’s when they are more susceptible to the growth plate injuries.
Typically, I see heel pain at younger ages (10 to 12 years of age) and knee pain two to three years later. And in any sport where there is constant throwing, there are always potential growth plate problems in the elbow or shoulder.
The key here is that, just because they are kids – young and strong – they are not impervious to muscle and bone injury. In fact, because of the growth plate issues, at times they are more prone to injury than adults.
Therefore, kids need to make sure they are properly stretched before exertion and that they keep their muscles loose and warm during the game to keep them pliable. We’ve all seen the little league outfielder standing out there an entire game and then – all of a sudden in the seven inning – having to make a long throw to home plate. Not a good situation for the arm, shoulder or elbow.
Summer is a special time of year for most people – regardless if they are looking to get out on the court, field or diamond again, or simply trying to look a little better for the beach. Just keep in mind that you may find your way back inside on the couch quicker than you think if you try to make it all happen overnight.
More Info
Dr. Stephen M. Simons is board certified in sports medicine and family medicine. An avid runner, Dr. Simons also served as a US Olympic Team Physician in 2004. He can be reached at the Sports Medicine Institute at 611 E. Douglas in Mishawaka at (574) 335-6214.
Moisturizers: The Cream of the Crop
By Aaron Young, MD, Saint Joseph Family Medicine
I’m often asked what is the number one preventive measure people can take to keep their skin looking as youthful as possible for as long as possible. Quite simply, the biggest factor regardless of age or gender is sun protection – especially for those in their 20s and 30s – because, if you’re taking care of your skin during this time in your life, it will positively affect how you look in your 40s and 50s.
For women, there is makeup and moisturizers that already have SPF 15 in them. If you incorporate these products into your daily routine – with base products, lip stick, lip gloss, etc. – you don’t even have to think about being caught off guard by being out in the sun for a prolonged period of time when maybe you don’t anticipate it. By using these products, you’re already covered.
While such SPF protective makeup has been around for a few years, they are now more common and attainable to the general public. Until recently, they were viewed as more of a high-end, specialty product but now the technology and applications have trickled down to the less expensive brands.
What I also recommend for all age groups is the use of skin moisturizers as they are effective treating those fine lines that start to become apparent around the eyes and the mouth with aging. Moisturizers plump up and lessen the appearance of facial lines. Also, like makeup, you don’t have to purchase an expensive brand that you find at the department store for it to be effective. It can essentially be any type of moisturizer – even something you find at the corner drug store. What is important is buying a moisturizer that works for you and sticking with that particular brand.
One cautionary note: if you suffer from acne and you’re looking to purchase a moisturizer, try to use a brand that is non-comedogenic (oil-free) so you are not compounding your problem.
As you approach middle age, it’s best to continue these healthy skin practices that ideally were established in your 20s and 30s. As you get older, however, the pursuit of youthful looking skin obviously becomes a little more complicated. For many women, the approach of menopause signals the onset of hair in places where it hadn’t grown previously. Combating this commonly means the use of electrolysis, tweezers or doctor-prescribed creams. While there are hair removal creams available over-the-counter, they tend to either not work very well or not at all. So, if you really want something that will work – talk to your doctor about it.
Finally, there’s a lot of focus these days – especially through TV commercials and infomercials – on collagen formation. Collagen is the primary structural protein in your skin that determines how firm and tight it is. Unfortunately, as we grow older, natural collagen formation does not occur as frequently as it does in our youth. Thus, the proliferation of wrinkles and lines as we age.
However, despite the popularity of these anti-wrinkle creams in some circles, I tend to recommend that people stick with a basic moisturizer. That’s going to fill in those lines just as well and you don’t have to worry about them damaging your skin. But, if you do put an over-the-counter cream on your face and it just doesn’t feel right – perhaps it burns slightly or tingles – stop using it immediately. Also, never combine the use of multiple skin products as it is sometimes difficult to predict how these products will interact with one another.
While perhaps a medical cliché, the key to maintaining healthy skin is – as it is with most healthcare issues – prevention. And if you find yourself starting this process a little late in life, don’t try to make up for lost time through quick fixes. At the risk of using another medical cliché – see your doctor first.
More Info
Dr. Young is a certified family practitioner within the Saint Joseph Physician Network with a special interest in dermatology. He currently practices out of the Saint Joseph Family Medicine - Elm Road office. He can be reached at 574-252-3616.
I’m often asked what is the number one preventive measure people can take to keep their skin looking as youthful as possible for as long as possible. Quite simply, the biggest factor regardless of age or gender is sun protection – especially for those in their 20s and 30s – because, if you’re taking care of your skin during this time in your life, it will positively affect how you look in your 40s and 50s.
For women, there is makeup and moisturizers that already have SPF 15 in them. If you incorporate these products into your daily routine – with base products, lip stick, lip gloss, etc. – you don’t even have to think about being caught off guard by being out in the sun for a prolonged period of time when maybe you don’t anticipate it. By using these products, you’re already covered.
While such SPF protective makeup has been around for a few years, they are now more common and attainable to the general public. Until recently, they were viewed as more of a high-end, specialty product but now the technology and applications have trickled down to the less expensive brands.
What I also recommend for all age groups is the use of skin moisturizers as they are effective treating those fine lines that start to become apparent around the eyes and the mouth with aging. Moisturizers plump up and lessen the appearance of facial lines. Also, like makeup, you don’t have to purchase an expensive brand that you find at the department store for it to be effective. It can essentially be any type of moisturizer – even something you find at the corner drug store. What is important is buying a moisturizer that works for you and sticking with that particular brand.
One cautionary note: if you suffer from acne and you’re looking to purchase a moisturizer, try to use a brand that is non-comedogenic (oil-free) so you are not compounding your problem.
As you approach middle age, it’s best to continue these healthy skin practices that ideally were established in your 20s and 30s. As you get older, however, the pursuit of youthful looking skin obviously becomes a little more complicated. For many women, the approach of menopause signals the onset of hair in places where it hadn’t grown previously. Combating this commonly means the use of electrolysis, tweezers or doctor-prescribed creams. While there are hair removal creams available over-the-counter, they tend to either not work very well or not at all. So, if you really want something that will work – talk to your doctor about it.
Finally, there’s a lot of focus these days – especially through TV commercials and infomercials – on collagen formation. Collagen is the primary structural protein in your skin that determines how firm and tight it is. Unfortunately, as we grow older, natural collagen formation does not occur as frequently as it does in our youth. Thus, the proliferation of wrinkles and lines as we age.
However, despite the popularity of these anti-wrinkle creams in some circles, I tend to recommend that people stick with a basic moisturizer. That’s going to fill in those lines just as well and you don’t have to worry about them damaging your skin. But, if you do put an over-the-counter cream on your face and it just doesn’t feel right – perhaps it burns slightly or tingles – stop using it immediately. Also, never combine the use of multiple skin products as it is sometimes difficult to predict how these products will interact with one another.
While perhaps a medical cliché, the key to maintaining healthy skin is – as it is with most healthcare issues – prevention. And if you find yourself starting this process a little late in life, don’t try to make up for lost time through quick fixes. At the risk of using another medical cliché – see your doctor first.
More Info
Dr. Young is a certified family practitioner within the Saint Joseph Physician Network with a special interest in dermatology. He currently practices out of the Saint Joseph Family Medicine - Elm Road office. He can be reached at 574-252-3616.
Real Stories: A Letter of Thanks
The following is a letter sent to Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center from Dr. Carol Ecker, Director Humane Society of St. Joseph County, in thanks of supplies donated from the former SJRMC/South Bend.
When I received a phone call from Sister Laureen Painter, I was in seventh heaven, if there is such a place. She graciously told me that the Humane Society could have articles from the former Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center/South Bend that would be of possible use to us. Since we were building our new shelter for the animals, this was great news. Little did I know that it would be thousands of dollars worth of savings for us. My Aunt Mary always told me “Good things that go around come around.”
Sister Laureen took precious time out of her schedule to show some others and me around the hospital so that we could see exactly what items we could use. It was like Christmas at Wal-Mart. I found so many things that we could put in our new shelter that would diminish the cost tremendously. The stainless steel sinks, lights, cabinets, furniture, IV stands, stainless steel instrument stands, tool cabinets, paper towel holders, vanities and many more things.
So one Wednesday morning, we again toured the facility, after an okay from Sister Laureen. I brought men from Casteel Construction Company, the folks building our new building, and we marked all of the prizes that we were allowed to take. They brought a plumber and we were in business. I have 24 sinks, enough for my surgery, treatment and triage areas. I have vanities for the bathrooms, furniture for the grieving room. The grieving room is where people will be allowed to say good-bye to the animals before they are put to sleep by owner request. The other rooms that need furniture are the play areas where we have people come and visit with their potential pet to get to know them better and to make sure that it gets along with their family members.
In the cattery, which will have outside porches, we need all kinds of plastic items so that they can be cleaned readily. So chairs, tables, benches and milk carton boxes will be used in these rooms for the cats to climb up on and play. We are on a constant hunt for these items.
The Staff has never had any place to really relax and eat their lunch and now will have a staff room. It has tables and chairs from the cafeteria. A refrigerator and a microwave will be used to make their lives better. We do not have a high pay scale here but we will try to make the work conditions improve. The staff is so dedicated to the animals and their well being, that little amenities are really all that we can offer aside from the joy when animals are adopted into the community.
My surgery is being put together little by little. I now have to load the animals in a van, take them to Michigan to a friend’s hospital, spay or neuter them, wake them up and load them in the van and bring them back to our shelter. It is a laborious task and can only be done a few times per month. The surgical supplies that I received from you are most precious to us. Suture material, gowns, drapes, gauze and the many other items that you all bring on a regular basis are most valued. Thank you!
Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, we owe you so much for all you have done for us! We will keep you posted as to what we are doing with the materials that you so graciously donated to our facility. The gift from the hospital will keep on giving to a really good cause - the animals that have so little.
When I received a phone call from Sister Laureen Painter, I was in seventh heaven, if there is such a place. She graciously told me that the Humane Society could have articles from the former Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center/South Bend that would be of possible use to us. Since we were building our new shelter for the animals, this was great news. Little did I know that it would be thousands of dollars worth of savings for us. My Aunt Mary always told me “Good things that go around come around.”
Sister Laureen took precious time out of her schedule to show some others and me around the hospital so that we could see exactly what items we could use. It was like Christmas at Wal-Mart. I found so many things that we could put in our new shelter that would diminish the cost tremendously. The stainless steel sinks, lights, cabinets, furniture, IV stands, stainless steel instrument stands, tool cabinets, paper towel holders, vanities and many more things.
So one Wednesday morning, we again toured the facility, after an okay from Sister Laureen. I brought men from Casteel Construction Company, the folks building our new building, and we marked all of the prizes that we were allowed to take. They brought a plumber and we were in business. I have 24 sinks, enough for my surgery, treatment and triage areas. I have vanities for the bathrooms, furniture for the grieving room. The grieving room is where people will be allowed to say good-bye to the animals before they are put to sleep by owner request. The other rooms that need furniture are the play areas where we have people come and visit with their potential pet to get to know them better and to make sure that it gets along with their family members.
In the cattery, which will have outside porches, we need all kinds of plastic items so that they can be cleaned readily. So chairs, tables, benches and milk carton boxes will be used in these rooms for the cats to climb up on and play. We are on a constant hunt for these items.
The Staff has never had any place to really relax and eat their lunch and now will have a staff room. It has tables and chairs from the cafeteria. A refrigerator and a microwave will be used to make their lives better. We do not have a high pay scale here but we will try to make the work conditions improve. The staff is so dedicated to the animals and their well being, that little amenities are really all that we can offer aside from the joy when animals are adopted into the community.
My surgery is being put together little by little. I now have to load the animals in a van, take them to Michigan to a friend’s hospital, spay or neuter them, wake them up and load them in the van and bring them back to our shelter. It is a laborious task and can only be done a few times per month. The surgical supplies that I received from you are most precious to us. Suture material, gowns, drapes, gauze and the many other items that you all bring on a regular basis are most valued. Thank you!
Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, we owe you so much for all you have done for us! We will keep you posted as to what we are doing with the materials that you so graciously donated to our facility. The gift from the hospital will keep on giving to a really good cause - the animals that have so little.
Physician's Personal Experience Helps SJRMC Provide Unique Cancer Care
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| Dr. Mohamed Farhat, MD |
Not only is Dr. Farhat triple Board Certified in the areas of Hematology, Oncology, and Medicine, he is also an Assistant Professor at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, where he completed his Fellowship and Residency.
“We are so happy to be here in this area,” said Dr. Farhat. “Not only is this a great place to live and raise a family, but being here helps provide a university-based cancer treatment program to this area. We have at our disposal whatever we want and access to some of the greatest minds in cancer treatment.”
Rush University is home to one of the first medical colleges in the Midwest and one of the nation’s top-ranked nursing colleges, as well as graduate programs in allied health, health systems management, and biomedical research.
For more than 170 years, Rush has been leading the way in developing innovative and often life-saving treatments. Today, Rush is a thriving center for basic and clinical research, with physicians and scientists involved in hundreds of research projects developing and testing the effectiveness and safety of new therapies and medical devices.
This unique combination of research and patient care is now available in Michiana thanks to the connection and care provided at SJRMC by Dr. Farhat, as well as some poignant personal motivation.
“The patients have been very happy and enthusiastic about receiving the same care as they would in Chicago,” said Dr. Farhat. “I’ve always wanted to bring what I know to an area like this – a place where I can do the most amount of good.”
It wasn’t until his second year at Chicago Medical School that Dr. Farhat realized what “the most amount of good” would be.
Arriving in the United States with his family from France in 1988, Dr. Farhat took four years off between high school and the beginning of undergraduate work at Loyola University in Chicago to help his parents and two older siblings make ends meet at home. When he arrived at Chicago Medical School after graduating from Loyola, he still wasn’t sure what route medicine would take him.
“But during my second year of med school, one of our uncles who was very close with our immediate family developed Leukemia and died two weeks after being diagnosed,” Dr. Farhat explained. “I wanted answers – wanted to know how and why something like this could happen so fast. But nobody could tell me.
“From that point on, I decided that I wanted to be that person who could give answers and help patients and their families,” he continued. “Since that day, I’ve never looked back.”
Using an inherited work ethic from parents who took on extra work to make sure their children would have a solid foundation when it was their time to have families of their own, Dr. Farhat took extra classes and rotations to better prepare him.
“It’s very hard to do but you really have to lock yourself in a room or the library from 8am – 10 pm to just study, study, study,” he said. “But like anything, you get out of it what you put into it.”
At age 35, triple Board Certification and Assistant Professor status on his resume is all the proof one needs to see that Dr. Farhat has made the most of his young life.
“Needless to say, our parents are very proud,” he said with a big smile. “My sister is a lawyer in California and my brother is in his final year of Residency in neurosurgery in Miami. We are blessed with great parents.”
Local cancer patients and their families are feeling the results.
“When you treat cancer patients, many times you are committed to life-long therapy and patients become more like your own family members,” Dr. Farhat said. “It can be tough when you see them go when you have completely cured them because you’ve been a part of each others’ lives for a long time. But you can never experience anything quite like it when you know your patient is feeling better.”
National Healthcare Decisions Day: Advanced Directives
April 16, 2010 is National Healthcare Decisions Day. From 11:30 am - 1:30 pm tomorrow, Saint Joseph Chaplains will be available at a table outside Lakeside Dining at the Mishawaka hospital to provide information about Advanced Directives and tools for talking about wishes with family, friends and healthcare providers and executing written advance directives in accordance with Indiana state laws. Packets of all the forms will be available.
National Healthcare Decisions Day was established to encourage people to initiate conversation about their personal healthcare decisions and advanced directives.
By creating a dialogue, fewer families and providers will have to struggle with making potentially difficult decisions in the absence of guidance from the patient. Healthcare providers and facilities will be better equipped to address a crisis and honor a patient's wishes.
What is an advance directive? All adults can benefit from thinking about what their healthcare choices would be if in the future they were unable to speak for themselves. These decisions can be written down in an advance directive so that others know.
National Healthcare Decisions Day was established to encourage people to initiate conversation about their personal healthcare decisions and advanced directives.
By creating a dialogue, fewer families and providers will have to struggle with making potentially difficult decisions in the absence of guidance from the patient. Healthcare providers and facilities will be better equipped to address a crisis and honor a patient's wishes.
What is an advance directive? All adults can benefit from thinking about what their healthcare choices would be if in the future they were unable to speak for themselves. These decisions can be written down in an advance directive so that others know.
Advance directives come in two main forms:
- A healthcare power of attorney (or proxy, agent or surrogate) documents the person you select to be your voice to make decisions should you not be able to.
- A living will documents the types of medical treatments you would or would not want at the end of life.
Our Saint Joseph Chaplains are always available to help patients and families discuss Advance Directives and complete necessary paperwork.
For more information contact Rev. Sue Breiner at (574) 335-2312.
Feedback from the Community
Big thanks to everyone on our Saint Joe team for working so hard to provide an excellent patient care experience. Below read some recently received letters commending your quality, compassionate care:
Mishawaka Campus Associates
I am very pleased to thank you for the thorough care and treatment I received at your new facility. Everyone I encountered, from the Emergency Entrance to Surgical Room to Critical Care through to my exit out the front door with my stent, treated me with courtesy and kindness. I am amazed at the great skill and talent of the highly committed army of people serving directly one to another to save, improve and extend human life.
Plymouth Campus Critical Care
It’s so very difficult to find the right words to tell each of you just how special you truly are. Over and over again, you have shown compassion and excellent care. How can we ever thank you enough? God bless each and every one of you.
Mishawaka Campus & Valet Service
The new hospital is beautiful, I took my husband there yesterday for outpatient surgery. Everyone was very friendly, I got a good feeling from the moment I approached the door and the valet said "Good Morning.”
To all of our patients - thank you trusting us with your health care needs.
Mishawaka Campus Associates
I am very pleased to thank you for the thorough care and treatment I received at your new facility. Everyone I encountered, from the Emergency Entrance to Surgical Room to Critical Care through to my exit out the front door with my stent, treated me with courtesy and kindness. I am amazed at the great skill and talent of the highly committed army of people serving directly one to another to save, improve and extend human life.
Plymouth Campus Critical Care
It’s so very difficult to find the right words to tell each of you just how special you truly are. Over and over again, you have shown compassion and excellent care. How can we ever thank you enough? God bless each and every one of you.
Mishawaka Campus & Valet Service
The new hospital is beautiful, I took my husband there yesterday for outpatient surgery. Everyone was very friendly, I got a good feeling from the moment I approached the door and the valet said "Good Morning.”
To all of our patients - thank you trusting us with your health care needs.
National Cancer Control Month: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Assists in Cancer Treatment Recovery
April is National Cancer Control Month and thanks to early detection and new therapies, the Centers for Disease Control estimates that 64 percent of adults whose cancer is diagnosed today can expect to be living in five years.
Yet after beating cancer, many patients who undergo radiation therapy discover a hidden complication that may not come to light until years after they concluded treatments.
"Radiation doesn’t differentiate between cancerous and healthy tissue," says Dr. Carol Ann Royer, panel physician at The Wound Healing Center at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in Mishawaka. "Radiation causes a lack of oxygen in the body's tissues but visible symptoms of soft tissue radiation injury may not occur until as much as 20 years later. In fact, one study showed an average time of eight years and seven months before patients who underwent radiation experienced these complications."
Of the more than one million people who will be diagnosed with cancer this year, half will undergo radiation therapy which, according to the American Cancer Society, will result in serious radiation complications for up to five percent.
"Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the only therapy known to reverse the vascular compromise responsible for late radiation effects," Royer explains. "There are no alternative therapies that correct the problems these patients have although narcotics and antidepressants have been used to control the pain with limited success and significant side effects. Nothing is a cure-all but hyperbaric oxygen therapy offers 60 to 80 percent of patients either improvement or complete resolution of the injury."
While receiving hyperbaric oxygen treatments, patients watch movies while relaxing on a bed incased in a large see-through plastic shell as they are surrounded by 100 percent oxygen at higher-than-normal atmospheric pressure which enables oxygen molecules to pass through the plasma to the body more easily and speed healing.
The local experts at the Saint Joseph Wound Healing Center in Mishawaka and Plymouth offer hyperbaric oxygen therapy and provide these tips to identifying and treating radiation therapy:
Yet after beating cancer, many patients who undergo radiation therapy discover a hidden complication that may not come to light until years after they concluded treatments.
"Radiation doesn’t differentiate between cancerous and healthy tissue," says Dr. Carol Ann Royer, panel physician at The Wound Healing Center at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in Mishawaka. "Radiation causes a lack of oxygen in the body's tissues but visible symptoms of soft tissue radiation injury may not occur until as much as 20 years later. In fact, one study showed an average time of eight years and seven months before patients who underwent radiation experienced these complications."
Of the more than one million people who will be diagnosed with cancer this year, half will undergo radiation therapy which, according to the American Cancer Society, will result in serious radiation complications for up to five percent.
"Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the only therapy known to reverse the vascular compromise responsible for late radiation effects," Royer explains. "There are no alternative therapies that correct the problems these patients have although narcotics and antidepressants have been used to control the pain with limited success and significant side effects. Nothing is a cure-all but hyperbaric oxygen therapy offers 60 to 80 percent of patients either improvement or complete resolution of the injury."
While receiving hyperbaric oxygen treatments, patients watch movies while relaxing on a bed incased in a large see-through plastic shell as they are surrounded by 100 percent oxygen at higher-than-normal atmospheric pressure which enables oxygen molecules to pass through the plasma to the body more easily and speed healing.
The local experts at the Saint Joseph Wound Healing Center in Mishawaka and Plymouth offer hyperbaric oxygen therapy and provide these tips to identifying and treating radiation therapy:
- Unlike more typical chronic wounds, soft tissue radiation injuries are usually not as visible. A biopsy is not always practical so all other causes of symptoms need to be considered before a diagnosis is made.
- Most common symptoms that suggest radiation injury are presence of blood in urine, rectal bleeding, vaginal discharge and pain.
- Post-irradiated skin initially may resemble early skin changes consistent with thermal injuries: redness or alterations in pigmentation, itching, wounds caused by excess scratching and pain.
- Areas especially prone to tissue injury are those covering bony prominences, surgical areas and those on the face. Moist skin folds such as those under the breast, the armpit and around the anus and genitals are also vulnerable.
- Soft tissue radiation injuries often arise after tooth extraction in patients with prior radiation therapy. The second most common group of patients are those who have received radiation to treat gynecological, prostrate and colon cancer.
- Radiation injuries may occur spontaneously or in response to a traumatic injury or infection. The wounds may appear superficial and the pain associated with these injuries is often the reason a patient seeks treatment.
- Patients who are currently receiving chemotherapy must have a thorough review by a hyperbaric physician before being treated for injuries since some drugs may have adverse affects.
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