Safety/injury prevention Archive

In a 2023 study, people who did bouts of daily activities, such as taking stairs, mopping the floor, and gardening, that lasted from one to 10 minutes had a lower risk for heart attacks and strokes compared with those who were active for less than a minute.

If you're choosing gifts to give or donate to children this year, be sure safety is on the list. Here are tips for toys to consider — those that encourage creativity, imagination, and movement  — and toys to try to avoid, due to safety concerns or for other reasons.

A 2023 study found that people who exercise in the morning, specifically between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., have a lower risk of obesity than those who are most active in the midday or evening.

Pickleball continues to soar in popularity, especially among older adults. Unfortunately, more playing can lead to court-related injuries, the most common being strains and sprains in the legs and knees, and wrist sprains and fractures from falls. Pickleball injury prevention is threefold: performing lower-body strength exercises, such as lunges, squats, and heel raises, at least twice a week; doing a dynamic warm-up before playing; and working on agility and balance, which can help improve footwork and reduce the risk of falling.

Abruptly stopping a medication can be risky and even life-threatening. For example, suddenly discontinuing certain drugs can cause a rebound effect, meaning that symptoms or problems that were controlled—such as high blood pressure or heartburn—can return with a vengeance. Stopping some medications, such as prescription painkillers or antidepressants, might result in withdrawal symptoms. Before quitting any drug cold turkey, it's important to consult with a doctor to make sure that it's safe.

When a shoulder workout seems time-consuming or challenging, it might help to make the exercises easier or more appealing. One approach is doing shoulder exercises with a resistance band instead of fancy weight machines. Another strategy is doing a few occasional shoulder exercises, such as making arm circles, while seated. And it might be fun to dance and move the arms in time to music, which works the shoulder muscles; or to place a ball against a wall and roll the ball in small letter shapes from A to Z, which works all of the muscles in the shoulders.

Isometric exercises that engage the muscles without movement—such as wall squats and planks—may help lower blood pressure more than other types of strength training. Experts have speculated about a possible mechanism: During isometric exercise, clenched muscles temporarily constrain blood flow. The following surge of blood may stimulate the release of factors that help relax the vessels and ultimately contribute to a reduction in blood pressure.

Two kinds of services help people remain in their homes longer. Home health care is covered by Medicare and brings professional nurses and therapists into the home to provide treatment. It's intended for people who are recovering from illness, injury, or surgery. Private duty care is not covered by Medicare. It provides the day-to-day help most people need for the activities of daily living, such as housekeeping and meal preparation. Care is available for a few hours or 24 hours per day.

A side lunge with a knee lift works the inner and outer thigh muscles and helps improve balance.