Your sciatic nerve is the main nerve supplying your leg. This large nerve leaves your spinal cord in your lower back and passes between the bones (vertebrae) of your spine. Pinching (compression) of the nerve where it passes between the spinal vertebrae is the usual cause of sciatica. Compression is … Read More
If you have been to a doctor’s office or hospital in the last 30 years, you probably have had a pulse oximeter put on your fingertip to measure your pulse and the amount of oxygen being carried by your red blood cells, called your oxygen saturation. Pulse has always been … Read More
Atherosclerosis is a clogged artery due to plaque formation. Arteries are the blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from your heart to your body. A plaque starts as an injury to the inside of an artery. At the injury site, cholesterol, fat, and other substances start to collect and form … Read More
COVID-19 is a new version of an old virus called coronavirus. Most of the effects of COVID have been on people's lungs, but there have also been effects on the brain and nerves (neurological effects). For now, doctors and researchers have been busy creating a vaccine and finding the best … Read More
What is a "mild heart attack"? You may have heard the expression and wondered exactly what it means. A bone can have a hairline fracture or a major break. A stroke can have relatively minor consequences or be severely debilitating. So can a heart attack be mild or major? The … Read More
Sometimes what to do about a swollen foot is an easy call. If you sprain your ankle or your foot is suddenly painful and swollen, calling your doctor is the way to go. [1] But what if you look down at your feet and ankles at the end of the … Read More
If you often experience tired legs when the rest of you is wide awake, it could be time to have your cardiovascular health checked and to evaluate your muscular fitness. Tired legs can actually be a symptom of several conditions, but typically the feeling is caused by decreased blood flow … Read More
Pain behind knee can be caused by a variety of conditions, the vast majority of which are injury-related. Some systemic diseases, however, can cause pain-behind-knee symptoms, and some life-threatening diseases also can be a source. Here, we take a closer look at injuries as well as diseases that might lead … Read More
With literally billions of people traveling by air every year now, researchers are finally starting to gather and publish more data about the health risks associated with airplane travel. In terms of the common cold, it is now well-accepted that acute respiratory infections are frequently experienced after air travel. So … Read More
It may be a classic heart-attack symptom, but pressure or discomfort or tightness in your chest doesn’t always accompany a heart attack. For some people, particularly women, pain in other places may be their main symptoms. For others, chest discomfort comes and goes—the result of a condition called angina, which … Read More
