Health Quest

TOO MUCH OF A BAD THING That clunky golf swing could harm more than your handicap. Improper technique is just one factor that contributes to overuse injuries, including tendinitis, muscle strains, stress fractures and cartilage tears. Those injuries affect both weekend warriors, who try to squeeze a week's worth of physical activity into two days, and "go-getters," individuals who never allow their bodies to recover from training or competition. "If you're taking up an activity for the first time or returning to it after a long layoff, start slow and set realistic goals for yourself—Day 1 of your marathon training shouldn't include a 15-mile run," says Andrew Stewart, MD, board-certified Orthopedic Surgeon and Sports Medicine Specialist at Northern Dutchess Hospital and Vassar Brothers Medical Center. "Be sure to stretch before and after exercising. Give yourself periodic days off to recover; rest is also the most important factor in getting over an overuse injury if one occurs." If possible, invest in professional instruction to learn how to play your favorite sport correctly—it could help you enjoy the game for years to come. IF A NAGGING OVERUSE INJURY HAS YOU SIDELINED, VISIT WWW.HEALTHQUEST.ORG/ORTHO TO LEARN HOW WE CAN HELP. Where There's a Will… Breaking free from any habit is never easy— especially when it comes to quitting smoking. For the nearly 46 million Americans who smoke and struggle with nicotine addiction, serious health risks—such as lung cancer, heart disease and stroke, combined with reduced life expectancy—make stopping smoking a real matter of life or death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 69 percent of all smokers want to stop. The American Lung Association encourages smokers to think about the reasons they want to quit before going cold turkey. Establishing a support system and creating a well-thought-out, step-by-step plan for quitting, can help make the transition to a smoke-free life easier. CELEBRATE THE GREAT AMERICAN SMOKEOUTTHURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21BY IMPLEMENTING OR FORMULATING YOUR PLAN TO QUIT SMOKING. FOR MORE RESOURCES TO HELP YOU STOP SMOKING, CALL THE NEW YORK STATE SMOKERS' QUITLINE AT 1866NYQUITS. 14 Health Quest MAKING THE TEEN HEALTHCARE TRANSITION By the time your teenager enters high school, you might wish to help him or her form a relationship with a family medicine or internal medicine physician. Encouraging your child to take charge of his or her unique health needs will, hopefully, create an empowered patient for life. Parents should think about transitioning their teens from seeing a pediatrician to an adult medicine physician—likely the individual you visit— at approximately ages 16–18. "A teen needs to trust his or her physician," says Hang Kyu Park, MD, board-certified Internal Medicine Physician at Health Quest Medical Practice (HQMP) Lagrangeville. "If your teen isn't comfortable talking with the physician, the clinician can't perform the most important task: educating your teen about risky behaviors that could affect the rest of his or her life." An adult primary care physician can help teens prepare for college by providing immunizations and discussing health concerns related to going away to school. If given responsibility about health care in their teens, young scholars will be prepared to be their own health advocates when they step on campus. TO FIND AN INTERNAL MEDICINE PHYSICIAN WITH HQMP, VISIT WWW.HEALTHQUEST.ORG/HQMP OR CALL 888 525HQMP 4767. MEET HQMP PHYSICIANS AT WWW.HEALTHQUEST.ORG/MYHQMPDOC.

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