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We are always looking for a reason to start the week off with Cake!

Happy Nurses Week to all the nurses out there! Your hard work, skill, and compassion make the world a better place.

MLB history beckons for Tampa Bay Rays with eyes on 139-year-old record!!!!

The Tampa Bay Rays are on the brink of history following their unbeaten start to the MLB season.

Randy Arozarena hit a three-run homer as they clinched a 9-7 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night. The victory marked the Rays’ 12th straight win to start the season, one short of the best major league start since 1900. The team’s 12-game winning streak matches the team record set in June 2004.

Tampa Bay can match the 13-0 mark at home against the Red Sox tonight, who have lost their last 12 away games to the Rays. Taj Bradley (1-0) won his major league debut for the Rays. The 22-year-old pitcher, recalled from Triple-A Durham as a replacement for the injured Zach Eflin, allowed three runs and struck out eight over five innings.

“Taj did a great job,” Rays catcher Christian Bethancourt said. “I think he did amazing. I had fun. It was very enjoyable. He was everything I expected.” During the game, Red Sox reliever Zack Kelly left the game early due to some discomfort in his right elbow. After throwing a pitch that hit Yandy Díaz, Kelly dropped to the ground in agony as he covered his face.

“He’ll fly with us tomorrow, and we’ll do all the stuff, the imaging, all that in Boston,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said post-game. “It’s the elbow he had surgery (on) a few years ago. Tough, tough to see. Hopefully there’s nothing wrong.” Boston’s pitcher Chris Sale gave up six runs, five earned, in four innings. His ERA remained at 11.25.

“Tough, you know,” Sale said. “If we had a better starting pitcher we’d have a better chance to win. I think if you look at any of my outings, I had to get bailed out. I’m not going to sit here and make excuses. I’ve just got to be better.”

ampa Bay leads the majors with 30 home runs, joining the 2019 Seattle Mariners (32) and the 2000 St. Louis Cardinals (31) as the only teams to hit at least 30 homers in their opening 12 games of a season.

Furthermore, the Rays have homered in each of their first dozen games, becoming the first team to do since the New York Yankees three years ago.

If the Rays defeat the Red Sox again, they will equal a tally achieved by the 1987 Brewers and 1982 Braves. Then, it’d be up to the Toronto Blue Jays to stop Tampa from achieving the best win streak to start a season since the beginning of the 20th century. “We’re doing something that’s pretty meaningful, impactful,” says manager Kevin Cash. “The guys should be proud of that.”

Story by Liam Llewellyn

5 tips to preventing aches and pains

Many people find gardening to be a peaceful and therapeutic activity, but it’s hard work for your body — especially if you struggle with chronic pain. That’s why it’s important to take the smart approach and use all of the tricks and tools available to help you.

Pain management specialist Hong Shen, MD, shares five tips for avoiding injuries and minimizing the impact of gardening on your body.

1. Start with the best medicine — prevention

Gardening works a lot of muscles and joints. It involves a range of motions, including standing, leaning, kneeling, crouching, bending over, squatting, twisting and lifting.

Strong core muscles and flexibility are key to preventing injuries that may happen during gardening, such as lower back pain, strained shoulders or pulled leg muscles.

A sedentary lifestyle, including sitting for long periods of time, can weaken core muscles and gluteal muscles (the large muscle at the buttocks) and shorten the hip flexor muscle (the large muscle at the front of the thigh), Dr. Shen says. Shortening of the hip flexor muscle can lead to potential hip joint complications and increase low back pain. Sitting also puts about 40% to 90% more pressure on your back, compared to standing, she adds.

Becoming more active is a good idea, though Dr. Shen says it’s important to condition muscles in the lower back before you start any type of physical activity, including gardening.

“Activities such as yoga, which focuses on stretching exercises that can increase flexibility, and brisk walking, which can get your heart pumping and your muscles warmed up, are excellent exercises for gardeners,” she says.

2. Pay attention to technique when you’re bending and lifting

In addition to warming up, use the proper techniques to bend and lift to help minimize the impact of gardening on your body.

Try these basic body-mechanic tips for gardeners to help avoid injury and minimize pain:

• Keep objects close to your body when lifting.
• Maintain the natural curves of the spine as you work.
• Bend your knees and squat or kneel to get to ground level instead of bending over.
• When you are kneeling, be mindful of your position. Try kneeling with one knee on the ground and the other up, and switch knees as needed to alleviate pressure.
• Keep your movements smooth and avoid any sudden twisting or reaching motions.
• Switch activities and adjust your posture frequently to reduce the risk of repetitive-motion injuries.

3. Let tools ease your burden

Gardening tools and accessories can make things easier, especially if you have chronic pain. Dr. Shen’s favorite tools for gardening include:

• Wheelbarrows and garden carts. These make it easier to carry heavy objects if you have back pain or difficulty bending your knees.
• Vertical, elevated and raised-beds. They come in many varieties and can make gardening much more enjoyable if you have knee pain.
• Garden stools/benches. These are helpful for planting and weeding, as they reduce the need for squatting down.
• Cushioned kneelers with handles. These help minimize pressure on your knees and make it easier to stand up.
• Ergonomic tools. Investing in larger or curved-handled tools is helpful if you have arthritis in your hands.

4. Don’t tackle too much at once

While it may be tempting to tackle a gardening project in as little time as possible, Dr. Shen advises against it. Instead, she suggests learning to pace yourself, taking breaks, staying hydrated and asking for help when needed.

“Listen to your body. It will let you know if you are overworking it. Significantly increasing pain indicates that you need to modify your activity or movement,” she says.

Remembering to stretch after you work is important too, as it can reduce swelling and ward off stiffness and soreness.

5. Find healing through gardening

While gardening is hard work, it can also promote healing. Dr. Shen says it can actually help ease chronic pain in some cases because it’s good exercise and helps relieve stress.

“Gardening reconnects us to the cycles of nature. These cycles are the rhythm of life itself. When we spend time in the garden, we learn to slow down and forget our daily worries,” she says.

“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”……………………Albert Einstein

Warm wishes on Doctor’s Day to all the doctors who work so hard to restore the health of their patients and bring back lost smiles. We want to thank our Network of Primary Care Physicians and Specialists for the hard work and dedication they give to others. It is a privilege to work with and support them each day.

Published November 14, 2022

Get Back to a Healthy Back

(BPT) – Do you ever have pain, numbness or tingling in your lower back, legs, or buttocks? Do you often find yourself seeking a place to sit to relieve the pain? Or have you ever leaned over a shopping cart while grocery shopping to alleviate the pain? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are not alone. You are one in over 72.3 million Americans who are suffering with chronic low back pain (CLBP), which can be a debilitating physical condition[1].

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a condition in which the lower spinal canal narrows and compresses the nerves causing chronic low back pain (CLBP). This compression, which, is often caused by an enlarged ligament, looks like a “kink in a drinking straw,” contributing to pain and mobility issues.

This age-related condition is the leading cause of disability and physical and emotional stress amongst those who have CLBP[2]. Often, people suffering with LSS are limited by their ability to stand or walk, often stopping them from participating in their work, hobbies and activities of daily living.

If you ever notice that you find relief by bending over, or leaning on an object, such as a shopping cart, this is a tell-tale sign that you may be suffering with LSS. The most common reason for LSS is due to an enlarged ligament and up to 78% of patients with CLBP do not know the cause of their pain could be related to an enlarged ligament[1]. To confirm the source of your CLBP, you need to speak to a spine health doctor who can assess your symptoms and order the proper diagnostic imaging tests (such as an MRI).

While there are many treatments for chronic low back pain, often these improvements are temporary. If you have tried NSAIDs, physical therapy, or even an epidural steroid injection (ESI) and find that the pain continues to return, you should speak to a spine health doctor to diagnose if you are one of the millions of people with LSS due to an enlarged ligament.

If an enlarged ligament is causing your pain, your doctor can also let you know if you are a candidate for a short, outpatient, minimally invasive lumbar decompression procedure, known as the mild® Procedure. This FDA-cleared procedure restores space in the spinal canal through a tiny incision smaller than the size of a baby aspirin to provide mobility and pain improvement. The procedure does not require general anesthesia, implants, stitches, steroids, or opioids, and patients typically resume normal activity within 24 hours with no restrictions [3]. The mild® Procedure is covered nationwide by Medicare (all ages, all plan types, including Medicare Advantage) the VA, U.S. Military & IHS. Commercial coverage varies. The procedure has an 85% patient satisfaction rate[4] and studies show that mild® continues to improve patient functionality over time[3]. Patients may be able to stand 7 times longer and walk 16 times farther after having this procedure[5]. Over one-year, the average standing time increased from 8 to 56 minutes with less pain, and the average walking distance increased from 246 to 3,956 ft with less pain[5].

When should you speak to a spine health doctor? If you can relate to the mobility issues below based on your age range, you should visit https://KnowYourBackStory.com/find-a-doctor/ to learn more about your options.

• If you are in your 50s and have trouble standing for more than 30 minutes, are unable to walk more than a mile, or have pain daily[1]
• If you are in your 60s with the same mobility issues above, or you are unable to jog[1]
• If you are in your 70s, and have trouble standing for 30 minutes, going up and down stairs, have problem getting in and out of a chair, or have pain daily[1]

To learn more about lumbar spinal stenosis, or to find a spine health doctor near you, you can visit http://www.KnowYourBackStory.com

The mild® Procedure has a strong safety profile and has been performed on thousands of patients. Although the complication rate for the mild® Procedure is low, as with most surgical procedures, serious adverse events, some of which can occur[6]. Individual results may vary. Please learn more and view safety information at vertosmed.com/patients.