SAN ANTONIO — This extended extreme heat of summer is hitting many of us hard in many ways including our health, and that is especially the case when it comes to our joints.
"I had some surgery in January, and then they sent home help for me because it was a serious, pretty serious surgery and it was hard to get out," said Sharon McDonald, who following surgery said she felt a twinge in her hip. She told us, "I went and got two shots in my knees for the cartilage. And it still didn't work. And so they decided I needed physical therapy."
She says unless she's hydrated the heat does a number on her recovery. McDonald added, "When you're out in the heat, you feel it. You need to drink lots of electrolytes."
Dr. Marcos Lopez, a physical therapist with Texas Physical Therapy Specialists told us, "Some pain conditions are hypersensitive to cold. And it could be that that's the reason why they think that cold is more of the the problematic factor versus versus heat."
Nearly half of American adults live with conditions that cause chronic pain. Warm weather is one factor that increases swelling and pain. Increased pressure and humidity can cause expansion of joins, tendons, and muscles. When the barometric pressure drops, which is typical in summer storms, more pressure on joints causes pain. So what does Dr. Lopez recommend? Dr. Lopez said, "Probably the number one thing is to make sure you probably over hydrate and people think that hydration is all about water, but it's really about electrolyte balance."
He says drink plenty of water, ideally half your body weight in ounces, sprinkle in a little sea salt or table salt, and a little bit of lemon. Dr. Lopez added, "If you can maybe just make sure you've got a cool change of clothes that you can easily change into when you're all hot and sweaty, that will get you to calm your temperature down a little bit more.