In an interview with the Health Channel, Dr. Ronald Tolchin, Medical Director of the Baptist Health Center for Spine Care, goes over how weight and back pain correlate. Dr. Tolchin states that if you are overweight, you have an increased risk of back pain. The spine is designed to carry your weight, but when your…...

In an interview with the Health Channel, Fernando Vega, Physical Therapist at Miami Orthopedics and Sport Institute, explains that by reducing inflammation in the body you can reduce back pain.  Inflammation is a naturally occurring process meant to help with healing injuries. Problems can arise though when the injury is healed but the inflammation continues.…...

Although thoracic back pain, or upper back pain, is usually benign, it can also be a sign of other, more serious, health concerns. In an interview with the Health Channel, Dr. Georgiy Brosuvanik, a Spine Surgeon with Baptist Health South Florida, describes other possible causes of thoracic back pain.  Dr. Brosuvanik explains that problems with…...

During a discussion on the Health Channel, Joann Santiago-Charles, Oncological Exercise Physiologist with Miami Cancer Institute, comments on some exercise guidelines published by the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Cancer Society. The guidelines state that adults should be doing moderately intense exercise for 150 minutes per week or 60 minutes of vigorous…...

During an interview with the Health Channel, Carla Duenas, a registered dietitian with Baptist Health South Florida, talks about why diet is just as important as exercise. Carla explains that being mindful of both diet and exercise is essential for reaching specific health goals. “If you’ve ever seen an overweight marathoner, you’ll realize that it’s…...

In an interview with the Health Channel, Dr. Andrew Forster, an Internal Medicine Physician with Baptist Health Primary Care, talks about the health benefits of exercising for seniors.  Dr. Forster states that exercise helps you live longer. Exercise helps prevent many common causes of mortality such as pneumonia, depression, and heart attacks. “People who exercise,…...

In an interview with the Health Channel, Brian Betancourt, Exercise Physiologist at Baptist Health South Florida, discusses exercises that can help with high blood pressure and hypertension. Brian points out that exercise only helps with blood pressure when you exercise consistently. One workout session will not help your blood pressure.  Consistent exercise helps because it…...

In an interview with the Health Channel, Noel Gressner, Physical Therapist at Miami Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute, talks about how to strengthen your back through exercise and manual physical therapy when you have stress fractures. Stress fractures are tiny cracks in a bone, usually from overuse such as excessive running or jumping.  Noel says…...