2017 Editions

Ask the Orthopedist

Not Very Handy

Carpal Tunnel and Arthritis Pain

By Scott M. Zimmer, MD

QUESTION

Is the pain in my hand and wrist carpal tunnel or arthritis?

ANSWER

Carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritis of the hand and wrist are two of the most common complaints I see as a hand and upper extremity surgeon. There are some common overlapping symptoms — such as pain and aching with gripping — but the two conditions are vastly different.

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when there is increased pressure on the nerve that gives sensation to most of the hand except your small finger. Think of the nerve (median nerve) as an electrical wire carrying impulses that can be affected by external compression (such as crimping a wire). Symptoms include numbness, aching pain in the fingers and up the forearm, and pain that commonly wakes you up at night.

Arthritis, better known as osteoarthritis, is simply the loss of cartilage between the two bones that make up a joint (a joint is where motion occurs). Our joints rely on this layer of cartilage to create fluid motion and absorb shock stresses. As the cartilage wears out, increased friction triggers pain, swelling and decreased motion. It is exactly like brake pads wearing out on a car.

Differentiating these two conditions is obtained by getting a symptom history, an examination and X-rays. Numbness, tingling and night pain are hallmarks of carpal tunnel. Arthritis usually can be localized to the base of the thumb where it attaches to the wrist or in the small joints of the fingers. Deformity and swelling of the joints occurs late in the arthritis process and may not be seen early on.

Treatment Options

Treatment of both conditions starts with making the correct diagnosis, followed with specialized supportive bracing.

Cool Jobs

For people like Ray Brown, work looks a lot like play. Here are a few honest-to-goodness jobs compiled by Wil Fulton from thrillist.com.

Ice Cream Taster — The ultimate “cool job,” these folks mix the magic concoctions of ice cream, candy and other goodies into frozen fantasies. Not great for the waistline, but good for morale.

Netflix Tagger — Have you binged on more episodes of “Fuller House” than you want to admit? Think about becoming a Netflix Tagger, and get paid to watch TV. These part-time employees watch shows and movies through Netflix streaming, then associate content with various tags, helping the service recommend shows to viewers based on what they have previously watched.

Private Island Caretaker — For those planning a retirement that includes sun and surf, consider being a private island caretaker. Those who do this love the tropical paradise life, but note that while there are obvious benefits, it helps to be handy — and in good shape — as property owners expect all to be in shipshape when they arrive for their holiday.

Fortune Cookie Writer — Like to give advice? Do you excel at choosing lucky numbers? Donald Lau, who has been crafting fortunes for Wonton Foods, manufacturer of fortune cookies (among other Chinese cuisine) is stepping down after 30 years because he says he has run out of ideas. So if you have some creative writing ability, this could be the way the cookie crumbles.

Google Trike/Street View Team — Like to cycle? Want to travel? Maybe joining the Google Street View Trike Team is up your alley. This job involves pulling a Google Maps camera behind a three-wheeler through cities all over the world. There are also positions for folks who feel hoofing it is more their speed.

Panda Nanny — If you have experience babysitting the grandchildren, you may have what it takes to become a Panda Nanny.

Fitness

Rejuvenate Yourself

Get an Energy and Productivity Jumpstart

By Jeff Tomaszewski

Four hundred and thirty-eight million: That is the number of vacation days Americans failed to take last year, more than any other industrialized nation, according to Harris Interactive Research Group.

Here’s the result: America ranks first in both depression and mental health issues.

Americans are burned out. Our productivity and creativity are dropping, relationships are failing and our rising stress is leading to record levels of heart disease, stomach ulcers and depression.

All Work, No Play

We’re judged by how much we work. We’re afraid of being replaced or left behind, and we’re addicted to busyness. It’s not only destroying our mental and physical health but also our creative productivity.

This is especially true in our global economy, where our future lies with our ability to think creatively, innovatively and productively.

Rest and recovery are vital to looking and feeling your best. Unfortunately, it’s viewed as a weakness rather than as an integral aspect of growth and sustained performance.

We become flatliners mentally, emotionally and physically by endlessly spending sufficient energy without recovery. We slowly wear down and become ineffective.

Taking a break might be difficult for some of us. Consider these tips:

Reframe it: Instead of calling it time off and thinking we are slackers, reframe it as “rejuvenation time.” This sounds more purposeful and meaningful, doesn’t it? This might be mental manipulation, but we’ll take whatever works.

Schedule it: What gets scheduled gets done. Like any critical appointment, you have to plant your time-off flag on your calendar and defend it. Take a break from email. Put your phone and other electronic devices aside.

Declare it: Don’t feel guilty or try to keep it a secret. Lead by example and show others how to make rejuvenation part of an overall health plan.

Happy Glampers

Style Under the Stars

By Traci McBride

If you haven’t stepped foot in a campground lately, you’re in for a surprise.

Elaborate tents with strings of solar lights. Fanciful campers with flowerpots and outdoor rugs at the doorways. Extravagant treehouses. Funky yurts.

You may drag along musty, stained sleeping bags and a package of hot dogs for a few nights under the stars, but your neighbors have upped the camping game: They’re glamping.

Outdoor Style

Camping lost its novelty for many of us with memories of miserable nights, too many bugs and ash-sprinkled food. The bugs are still there, but the rest has undergone a stylish transformation.

Glamping is getting away from it all while enjoying the luxuries of home. Are you a tent, RV or Airstream camper? Spice things up with practical, traditional yet supremely comfortable details that introduce color, patterns and simple amenities to your campsite. You’re a glamper.

Details Matter

You’ll sleep better and have more enthusiasm for hiking when you’ve rested on a queen-size blow-up mattress, having spent the evening listening to a waterproof battery-operated sound system after cooking a gourmet meal.

A portable kitchenette that includes a spice rack, paper towel holder and lantern pole makes food prep easy. You are more likely to get the grandkids to join you if they don’t have to lie on the hard ground and are still able to earn some tablet or cellphone time with a solar-powered charger. Download outdoor apps (such as SkyView and the Audubon Bird Guide) to enhance your hikes. Beautiful design plus practical functionality equals the ultimate glamping experience.

Products have certainly affected traditional camping. Battery-operated portable showers, solar chargers and battery-powered twinkle lights keep everyone clean and add a little romantic sparkle.

Getaway

Hocking Hills

Find Romance, an Adrenaline Buzz or a Family Connection

Andrea Coats and Chad Gordon made their first trip to Hocking Hills the year they met. Both divorced with teenaged children, they needed a romantic escape to focus on each other. A few days in the woods worked — the Medina couple has been together five years.

From time to time, the two return to Hocking Hills in the southeast part of the state, and plan to return again this summer to enjoy the romance of the picturesque region.

“We get a cabin by ourselves with a hot tub and grill. We grill steaks, sit in the hot tub and watch the hummingbirds around us,” Coats says. “It has beautiful woodland scenery, which makes it romantic. It’s a holding-hands, walking-around, being-alone kind of place. That’s my idea of romance. I like to be alone together.”

Gordon says, “We like it as a couple because the seclusion allows us to give full attention to each other. With immersion into nature and escape from urban, suburban and digital routines, it sounds cliché, but it’s like going back in time.”

Choose Your Own Adventure

Coats and Gordon found — and have nurtured — their romance in Hocking Hills. But there are plenty of other things to discover just a short car ride from Northeast Ohio.

With only two hotels in the area — a Holiday Inn Express and a Baymont — most of the accommodations are cabins and lodges. These are convenient for anything from couples’ getaways to family gatherings. While most options include hot tubs, some larger properties offer in-ground pools for swimming or ponds for fishing.

When visitors venture into public, it’s usually to one of the six separate areas that make up the 2,356 acres of Hocking Hills State Park.