The male and female bodies aren’t built the same. And, as it turns out, these anatomical differences make female athletes more prone to certain types of injuries like anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. At Douglas J. Abeles MD & Associates in Castro Valley, California, our team of sports medicine experts...
A herniated disc isn’t the same as degenerative disc disease (DDD), even though they may cause similar symptoms and you can have both at the same time. But when it comes to back or neck pain, it’s important to know the difference and which one is causing your discomfort. At...
Your hips are large, complex joints that help you stand and walk while supporting the weight of your upper body. Any type of hip pain can hinder your mobility and affect your quality of life. At Douglas J. Abeles MD & Associates in Castro Valley, California, our board-certified orthopedic surgeons specialize in joint replacement procedures, helping...
Surgery is rarely the first course of action for conditions that cause joint pain. At Douglas J. Abeles MD & Associates in Castro Valley, California, our board-certified orthopedic surgeons take a conservative and comprehensive approach to care. Before recommending knee or shoulder surgery, we may start with treatments like physical...
Total knee replacement is one of the most successful surgical procedures of all time and can transform your life. But you may worry about what to expect during recovery from the procedure. At Douglas J. Abeles MD & Associates in Castro Valley, California, our board-certified orthopedic surgeon is a joint replacement specialist. He uses the most...
Pain, tingling, and numbness that worsen over time — those are the common symptoms of spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the space in the spinal canal. Not everyone with spinal stenosis has symptoms, but it’s a progressive condition. Once symptoms start, they tend to worsen over time. Though you can’t reverse...
Do you wake up in the middle night of the night because your hands feel tingly or numb? Are you having a hard time turning the key in the door because your hands feel too weak? You may have carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Ignoring your symptoms won’t make it go away, but...
Runners, basketball players, and dancers repeatedly stress the muscles and connective tissue that attach to the shinbone. This stress causes inflammation of the soft tissue (muscles and tendons), leading to pain, or what you may know as shin splints. They aren’t a serious sports injury, but if you continue your...
Your hip is a large ball-and-socket joint that forms the connection between the upper ball joint of your femur (thigh bone) and the socket joint in your pelvis. Your hip supports the weight of your upper body when standing and walking. When you have hip pain that makes it impossible...
Not everyone with spinal stenosis needs surgery. In fact, some people with spinal stenosis may not even know they have the degenerative spine condition because they don’t have any symptoms or problems. But for those with symptomatic spinal stenosis that fails to improve with medical interventions, surgery is an option. What surgical...
Playing sports and being physically active is good for your body, but injuries happen. When you have a sports injury, the first thing you need to do is stop playing. Continuing to work out when you have an injury might make things worse. You can manage minor sports injuries at...
If you spend most of your day typing at a computer, assembling small objects, or using handheld power tools, you may have concerns about carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Repetitive hand and wrist movements put you at risk of developing this common pain condition. But carpal tunnel syndrome often occurs from...
Your shoulder is the most flexible joint in your body, giving you the ability to move your arms in all directions. Unfortunately, this shoulder joint flexibility also makes it unstable and a common source of pain. Shoulder pain can make simple activities like brushing your hair or putting on a...
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) runs diagonally through the center of your knee, connecting your shinbone to your thighbone. This ligament prevents the shinbone from sliding out in front of the thighbone and stabilizes the knee during movement. When you have an ACL injury, you may need surgery to regain...
Have you ever felt a throbbing sensation in your shins after starting a new exercise program? That’s likely shin splints, an overuse injury from too much stress on the connective tissue that attaches the muscle to your shinbone. Though common in athletes and active men and women, shin splints can...
Every year, about 2% of people in the United States develop a herniated disc, and it’s one of the most common causes of neck and back pain. The good news is that most disc herniations heal on their own over time. At Douglas J. Ables MD & Associates in Castro...
If many of your coworkers complain about hand pain because of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), you may worry you’re next. Though there are work-related activities that seem to increase a person’s risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome, it’s usually a combination of factors that leads to this common hand pain...
Most people with shoulder pain get better with conservative care, including activity modification, physical therapy, and medication. But some causes of shoulder pain may only improve with shoulder surgery. At Douglas J. Abeles MD & Associates in Castro Valley, California, our team specializes in diagnosing and treating all types of...
The first and most important thing you can expect with knee joint replacement is a drastic reduction in knee pain. Studies show that 90% of people who undergo knee replacement therapy report feeling significantly less pain. You can also count on your new joint to last 15-25 years, according to...
Whether you’re a professional athlete, star basketball player, or weekend warrior, sports medicine can benefit your game and your health. Sports medicine doctors specialize in treating sports-related injuries, in preventing injury, and in enhancing sports performance. They receive special training in all areas of medicine that revolves around sports, movement,...
De Quervain's syndrome goes by many clinical names, including de Quervain's tendinitis, de Quervain's disease, and de Quervain's tenosynovitis. In nonclinical terms, it's also called mommy wrist, new mom's syndrome, gamer's thumb, and designer's thumb. De Quervain's syndrome develops when the tendon that runs down your forearm and through your...
Herniated discs go by different names: ruptured disc, slipped disc, and bulged disc. No matter what you call this back condition, it’s usually painful. Your back is composed of bones stacked on top of each other called vertebrae. You have 26 vertebrae, each separated and cushioned by a round gel-filled...
A sports medicine doctor specializes in treating and preventing activity-related injuries. While all doctors can help an injured person, a sports medicine specialist is trained to quickly assess and treat a sports-related injury so the athlete can get back to playing their sport safely. Orthopedic surgeon Douglas J. Abeles, MD,...
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common nerve condition affecting about 3-6% of all adults. It can result from a trauma or injury, rheumatoid arthritis, or a job or hobby that requires repetitive hand and wrist movements such as factory work, working on a computer, sewing, or cleaning. Having diabetes or...
Both cervical stenosis and lumbar stenosis fall under the category of spinal stenosis. A common back ailment, spinal stenosis affects up to 500,000 Americans. People of any age can develop it, but it’s more common as you age. In fact, some have nicknamed the condition Baby Boomer back. Spinal stenosis...
Are you in pain? Have you tried noninvasive treatments for your hip or knee problem? Are you in good health? If you answered yes to all of these questions, you might be a joint replacement candidate. Joints are where two or more bones come together. There are different types of...
Playing sports has numerous benefits. Some of those benefits include weight management, improved heart health, stronger bones, and a boost in mood and self-esteem. They also provide a social outlet. Along with those benefits come risks. There are about 8.6 million sports- and recreation-related injuries reported every year. In this...
Because the shoulder is so integral to arm movements, it’s not uncommon for people to experience shoulder injuries at some point in their life. In fact, one study found that shoulder pain is the third most common complaint orthopedists see. And shoulder impingement is one of the most common causes...
“Fracture” and “broken bone” are terms used interchangeably to describe the same injury. A bone that is cracked, broken, or partially fractured is a fracture or bone fracture. About 6.3 million Americans fracture a bone every year, and the average adult has two fractured bones in their lifetime. A fracture...
Trigger finger, also called stenosing flexor tenosynovitis or stenosing tenosynovitis, is one of the most common causes of hand pain in adults. Trigger finger can affect any finger on your hand, but it most commonly affects the thumb and ring finger. Sometimes it’s referred to as trigger thumb. Trigger finger...
Sciatica affects people differently. It can affect you anywhere along your sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back, through your buttocks, and down the back of each leg to your big toes. But the one common symptom for people with sciatica is pain. About 40% of people get sciatica...
Is your knee replacement surgery scheduled? Congratulations. After about three to six weeks of recovery, you’ll be able to resume most daily activities, and soon after that, you’ll be able to lead a pain-free, active lifestyle. While you may be dreading the recovery period, keep in mind that your new...
Do you have carpal tunnel syndrome (CPS)? If you have pain, numbness, and tingling in your fingers and wrist, you may be one of the 3-6% of adults in the United States that have this common nerve condition. Carpal tunnel syndrome is essentially a pinched nerve. The median nerve runs...
Does your hip hurt when you walk? You don’t have to live in pain, but many people do because they are reluctant to have surgery. Or maybe they think they can live with the pain. Hip and knee replacements are the most common types of joint replacement surgeries. Over a...
Spinal stenosis is more common in older people, but it’s not an inevitable part of aging. About 250,000 to 500,000 Americans have spinal stenosis, many without symptoms. For those who do have symptoms — which include pain, weakness, and tingling in your neck, arms, legs, lower back, and shoulders —...
The shoulder is the most flexible and one of the most complex joints in your body. Your shoulder joint enables you to move your arms overhead, behind you, out the side, and around in circles. It’s an important part of your body and one that greatly affects your quality of...
Radiculopathy, commonly known as a pinched nerve, is a painful and uncomfortable condition that can occur anywhere along the spine. The three main areas that radiculopathy affects are your lower, middle, and upper spine area. In addition to pain, symptoms include: Weakness Tingling Numbness When it affects your lower spine...
Your shoulder is made of a complex group of joints, muscles, tendons, and bones. It allows your shoulder to move in a variety of ways. Because of these many parts and many ways it can move, your shoulder is vulnerable to a variety of injuries. In fact, shoulder pain is...
Almost everyone experiences back pain at some point in their lives. Back pain can be dull and sporadic or sharp and chronic. The key to relieving back pain is to pinpoint the cause of it. In about 8-11% of people with back pain, the cause is spinal stenosis. Spinal stenosis...
Knee pain is a problem for about 25% of adults. Many things can contribute to knee pain, such as a breakdown of cartilage (osteoarthritis), injuries, or other problems with the joints, bones, and tissues surrounding the knee. However, many men and women don’t know that their knee pain can be...
Are you older than 55 and have a family history of herniated discs? If so, it’s important to be aware of the warning signs of this condition, as well as to understand that sometimes it occurs without any warning signs at all. At Douglas J. Abeles, MD, and Associates, Douglas...
Of course you’d like to lose weight. But you also like your lifestyle, and don’t want to feel deprived. So, though you may have reached your goal weight once or twice, you just haven’t been able to stay there. If you have arthritis or joint pain and are overweight, you...
A sports medicine therapist is someone who uses their knowledge of medicine and physical therapy to help athletes at different stages in their careers to optimize performance as well as to heal and prevent injuries. Dr. Douglas J. Abeles is an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine and treats...
Your spine plays several key roles, not the least of which is furnishing the foundation of musculoskeletal support for your entire body. It also provides safe passage for your nervous system, a role that’s often overlooked until something goes wrong within the passageway, as is the case with both lumbar...
There aren’t many risks associated with desk jobs, or working in safe environments such as office buildings. However, a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sheds light on several positions in these environments that put you at increased risk for developing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), a...
When the protective, cushioning discs between your spinal vertebrae wear down, the soft center can push through and compress the nerves in your spinal canal. This condition, known as a herniated disc, can be extremely painful and even interfere with your quality of life. Proper treatment for a herniated disc...
Does your shoulder hurt when you reach overhead or behind your back? Or do certain sports like swimming, lifting or tennis cause pain? If so, you might be suffering from shoulder impingement syndrome. At Douglas J. Abeles, MD & Associates, located in Castro Valley, California, Dr. Abeles and his staff...
If you think rotator cuff tears only happen to professional athletes, think again. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, about 2 million people suffer rotator cuff tears each year, making it one of the most common types of shoulder injuries. Made up of an interconnected “network” of muscles...
Age affects pretty much every part of the body, and while some changes can be really evident — like wrinkles and gray hair, for instance — other changes stay “hidden” until they start to cause symptoms. Spinal stenosis is a good example. In spinal stenosis, the spaces inside your spine...
Herniated discs are one of the most common causes of back and neck pain, creating symptoms that can extend all the way into your arms and legs. When you have back pain, it can affect just about every aspect of your life, including your sleep —and it may be tempting to turn...
Losing weight has little effect on your issues Sometimes carrying extra weight on our frame puts a lot more pressure on our joints. Your doctor might have recommended you try a weight loss program to find some relief from your pain. It can work in many cases to help those...
You may think of spinal stenosis as a problem only for older adults — and it is the top cause of back pain in those over the age of 50 — but it also affects up to 20% of adults under the age of 40.True to those numbers, spinal stenosis...
Suffering an injury to your anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) that requires surgery can put you out of the game for an extended period of time, leaving you to wonder how long it will be until you can get back to being physically active.At Douglas J. Abeles, MD and Associates, your...
The rotator cuff describes the four muscles that cap the head of your upper arm bone and has the role of lifting and rotating your arm, while also stabilizing the ball of your shoulder in its joint. A tear of your rotator cuff can cause your shoulder to ache and...
Giving It Space: How Shoulder Impingement Surgery Frees Up Your ArmShoulder pain is a common problem for many, though it’s usually short-lived and resolves itself with rest and basic care. However, if you regularly enjoy sports where your arms are raised over your head, activities such swimming or tennis, you...
Arthritis is one of those especially frustrating conditions wherein relief is found through the very thing that causes you pain — moving your joints — but the outcome is well worth the effort.As arthritis robs you of your ability to move freely without stiffness or pain, it’s imperative that you...
These Are the Most Common Sports Injuries (and How to Avoid Them) Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a competitive athlete, being sidelined from your favorite sport can be devastating. Many of the most common sports injuries can be avoided with some smart training and preparation. Don’t lose time on...
When patients at Douglas J. Abeles MD & Associates have shoulder surgery, we stress the importance of following all the aftercare instructions, especially performing the at-home exercises. These exercises are vital in achieving a full recovery and they help restore function to your shoulder joint, allowing you to return to...
Is It a Slipped Disc or Something Else?Are you hunched over when you get out of bed in order to avoid the debilitating pain that comes with straightening your back? Does turning a doorknob or reaching for something make you wince? Do you have pain that shoots down your leg?These...
Carpal tunnel syndrome happens when there is swelling around the median nerve where it runs through a passage in your wrist called the carpal tunnel.The median nerve allows you to feel sensation in your fingers -- except the pinky finger -- and helps control the muscles around the base of...
Did you know that the knee is the body’s most commonly injured joint? Knee injuries are disruptive, affecting your ability to go to work or to maintain your active lifestyle. People of all activity levels can benefit from knowing the following tips to help prevent troublesome knee injuries.Maintain a Healthy...
Walk Farther, Live LongerBeing active is beneficial to general health and well-being. Numerous studies have shown that on average, regular exercise improves your quality of life and longevity. But the idea of starting an exercise program can be daunting, especially if it hasn’t been part of your lifestyle for a...
