Published: August 02, 2011
Mayo Clinic Health Letter, August 2011 Highlights: Knee Replacement Relieves Significant Joint Pain; Keep Bedbugs out of Home; Avoid Outer Ear Infections
ROCHESTER, Minn. - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Here are highlights from the August issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter.
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Mayo Clinic: Knee Replacement Offers Arthritis Patients a Renewed
Stance in Life
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Every year, more than half a million adults in the
United States have knee joint replacements. The August issue of Mayo
Clinic Health Letter provides an overview of knee replacement, also
called knee arthroplasty, which helps relieve pain and improve function
in severely diseased knee joints.
In a normal knee, joint surfaces are covered with cartilage, a smooth,
cushiony substance that allows the underside of the kneecap (patella)
and the end of the thigh bone (femur) and lower leg bone (tibia) to move
against each other with ease. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
can damage the knee cartilage and bone, causing moderate to severe pain,
even at rest. Total knee replacement is considered when knee pain
significantly impairs daily activities such as walking, climbing stairs
and getting in and out of chairs.
The surgeon removes damaged cartilage and bone to prepare the joint
surfaces for the new knee joint components. The specialized metal and
plastic components are positioned and aligned to restore near
frictionless joint surfaces.
After surgery, successful rehabilitation includes exercise and
low-impact activities. Most patients return to nonstrenuous activities,
such as light housework and shopping, within three to six weeks. Most
are able to walk without a cane or crutches after two months.
Knee replacement relieves pain and improves quality of life for most
patients. While activity level before surgery will influence recovery,
most patients resume a variety of low-impact activities such as
swimming, gardening, playing golf or biking.
Knee replacement can be done on adults of all ages but is most commonly
performed on older adults. The procedure is considered only when other
treatments and strategies haven't helped. Less-invasive treatment
options include modified activities, losing weight, walking aids and
pain-relieving medications.
Keeping Bedbugs at Bay
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Bedbugs have feasted on sleeping humans for
thousands of years. Although bedbugs were eradicated from most developed
countries after World War II, they are again becoming a problem. The
August issue of the Mayo Clinic Health Letter offers a few simple steps
to minimize the risk of bringing bedbugs home.
Bedbugs are more common in high-traffic environments such as hotels,
apartment buildings, dormitories, office buildings, movie theaters and
even libraries. Bedbugs don't care if the environment is clean or dirty.
As long as they can find a hiding place and a warm host, they are
comfortable almost anywhere.
Mature bedbugs are reddish brown, oval and flat, about the size of an
apple seed. Newly hatched bedbugs are smaller, nearly colorless and hard
to spot. During the day, bedbugs hide. They emerge to feed when humans
sleep or sit still.
Here are tips to help keep bedbugs at bay:
-- If sleeping in a high-turnover environment, look for signs of bedbugs
such as dark specks (excrement) and empty exoskeletons, which are light
brown in color. Check along the mattress seams, the undersides of beds
or box springs, headboards and bed frames. Report suspicious findings to
facility management.
-- Place luggage, purses, backpacks and clothes on tables and dressers.
Any items on the floor are prime hiding spots for bedbugs. Consider
bringing plastic garbage bags for belongings.
-- Before returning home, empty washable items directly into a plastic
bag. At home, empty the bag's contents directly into the washing machine
or dryer. Either wash at 120 F or run through the dryer on high heat for
20 minutes.
-- Heat or freeze luggage. In hot weather, put luggage -- packed or
unpacked -- in a black plastic garbage bag. Keep it in a closed vehicle
parked in the sun with the windows up for a day. The target temperature
is 120 F for two hours. If the weather is below 23 F, leave the suitcase
outside for a week.
Some people have no reaction to bedbug bites, while others experience an
allergic reaction that can include severe itching, blisters or hives.
Redness and itching usually go away on their own within a week or two.
There's no evidence that bedbugs transmit disease to humans.
Itchy, Painful Ears Merit Prompt Treatment
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- An itch or pain inside the ear may be due to an
outer ear infection. The August issue of the Mayo Clinic Health Letter
covers outer ear infections, how they are treated and ways to prevent
them.
An outer ear infection, also called external otitis (o-TI-tus) or otitis
externa, is most often caused by a bacterial infection that invades the
layer of skin lining the ear canal. Signs and symptoms of an outer ear
infection may include itching of the ear canal; ear pain, especially
when touching or tugging on the outer ear; a feeling of fullness in the
ear; or clear fluid or pus leaking from the ear.
Prompt treatment usually clears up the infection. Treatment generally
starts with cleaning debris and discharge from the outer ear canal so
eardrops can reach infected areas. Depending on the type and severity of
the infection, eardrops are often prescribed along with other
treatments, such as acidic solutions, to reset the ear's antibacterial
environment, an antibiotic to fight bacteria, a steroid to reduce
inflammation or an antifungal drug.
The Mayo Clinic Health Letter offers these suggestions to help avoid
outer ear infections:
Dry ears -- Carefully dry ears after swimming or bathing. Water that
remains in the ear canal can break down normal earwax, leaving the canal
vulnerable to bacterial infection.
Avoid scratches -- Scratching with a finger or cotton swab may damage
thin ear canal skin.
Avoid irritation -- Protect the ears with cotton balls when using
hairsprays or dyes. Reactions to hair products or jewelry can cause
allergies or skin conditions that promote infection.
Take a break from hearing aids -- Leave hearing aids out for a time to
let your ears dry.
Ear pain or discomfort should not be ignored. Severe, aggressive
infection is a dangerous complication of an outer ear infection. The
infection can spread into cartilage and bone in the skull. This
complication is more common in older adults, people with diabetes or
those with weakened immune systems. Untreated, it can be life
threatening.
Mayo Clinic Health Letter is an eight-page monthly newsletter of
reliable, accurate and practical information on today's health and
medical news. To subscribe, please call 1-800-333-9037 (toll-free),
extension 9771, or visit www.HealthLetter.MayoClinic.com.
About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research
and education for people from all walks of life. For more information,
visit http://www.mayoclinic.org
and www.mayoclinic.org/news.
Mayo Clinic
Ginger Plumbo
507-284-5005 (days)
507-284-2511
(evenings)
Email: newsbureau@mayo.edu
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