Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. John Foley to be Featured on Close Up Radio

RENO, NV, UNITED STATES, October 7, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In 2023, the U.S. Pain Foundation reported that, “Almost 21% of the U.S. population—51.6 million adults—lives with chronic pain.” Orthopedic surgeon Dr. John Foley is shedding light on the causes and what everyone can do to prevent, lessen, or eliminate chronic musculoskeletal pain. Known for his expertise in orthopedic surgery and multi-disciplinary approach to patient care, Dr. Foley offers invaluable insights into the bio-psychosocial aspects of chronic pain management, especially among the aging population.

Chronic Pain: A Bio-psychosocial Disease

Dr. Foley emphasizes that chronic pain is not merely a physiological issue. Chronic pain has biologic, psychologic, and social aspects and is referred to as a bio-psychosocial disease. “Just like someone’s risk for a heart attack or heart disease can be predicted by one’s age, blood pressure, cholesterol level, obesity, diabetes tobacco tobacco use, and family history; chronic pain can be anticipated based on multiple factors such as anxiety, depression, obesity, de-conditioning, tobacco use, drug use, job dissatisfaction, childhood trauma, litigation, personality disorder or secondary gain” Dr. Foley explains.

Chronic pain is notably prevalent among the aging population, with musculoskeletal conditions being a predominant cause. Dr. Foley highlights that aging, the most significant risk factor, exacerbates the likelihood of developing chronic pain. The treatment of chronic pain, therefore, necessitates a comprehensive approach addressing biological, psychological, and social components.

The Biological Aspect: Musculoskeletal Pain in the Elderly

As an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Foley delineates the chronic pain issues most commonly seen in older adults:

Shoulder Pain: “Many aging individuals suffer from degenerative rotator cuff tears, a condition where the tendons in their shoulder deteriorate with aging.” . He shares alarming statistics— MRI studies show 50% of 50-year-olds have partial thickness rotator cuff tears, increasing to 80% of 80-year-olds have full rotator cuff tears. While not all are symptomatic, there is a growing epidemic of joint-related pain in the elderly.

Knee Pain: Knee arthritis is another prevalent issue among older adults, particularly those with previous traumatic events or long-term obesity overload. “The overload on joints due to obesity significantly increases the risk of degenerative conditions,” Dr. Foley explains. He often contends with cardiologists who recommend walking for heart health, as many of their patients also experience knee, hip, or back pain. Dr. Foley advises low-impact exercises such as stationary biking or aqua therapy to mitigate pain while maintaining fitness. Putting your foot on some type of pedal for your exercise will minimize impact across weight-bearing joints and relieve pain.

Lower Back Pain: Lower back problems become ubiquitous with aging due to the neck and lower back curvatures creating degenerative conditions in the lumbar spine. “The forward flexed, shuffling posture in elderly individuals is often due to arthritis,” Dr. Foley states. He recommends modifying body positions and activities to alleviate pressure on the lower back. Lower back braces can support the area and allow more activity. Dr. Foley concentrates on core strengthening exercises as mainstay of preventative lower back program. Core strengthening helps maintain a more balanced posture and reduce pain. Finally, he reminds patients to "do which mother told you," pull your shoulders back and stand up straight.

Comprehensive Care: Combining Biology, Psychology, and Social Factors

Dr. Foley emphasizes the futility of solely relying on orthopedic or shot-based Pain Management interventions for chronic pain relief. “Orthopedic surgery has some great cures for certain arthritic conditions. Joint replacement procedures can be life-changing for many with advanced arthritic conditions of larger joints. However, many aging degenerative conditions do not have good surgical options. Most treatments offered for chronic pain from degenerative conditions offer only temporary relief. Dr. Foley finds that most "Pain Management Doctors" often only want to perform injections or write prescriptions. Few Pain doctors look past the site of where they want to inject to evaluate the deeper psychosocial aspects that are highly intertwined into a patient’s pain complaint.

Effective management of chronic pain requires a multi-disciplinary approach,” Dr. Foley asserts. This holistic approach should include:

Dietary Modifications: Reducing consumption of inflammatory foods such as sugar, processed foods, and dairy products can significantly alleviate pain symptoms. Dr. Foley underscores the importance of reading food labels and avoiding items with high added sugar content. Eat less! Eliminating bread and pastas; spiralize zucchini for your pasta. Eliminate beer for wine; eliminate sugar-based alcohols are a good start.

Exercise and Physical Therapy: Non-impact exercises like Pilates, yoga, stationary cycling or water-based programs are vital to prevent worsening of chronic pain. Think of your foot on a peddle of some type for your exercise. Walking for exercise, if tolerated, is just fine. However, as we age, body weighted activities become more challenging and often painful. Removed impact from exercise if at all possible we will decreased risk that pain will occur from exercise activities.

Exercise and Physical Therapy: Dr. Foley advocates a total body strength program using resistive band. As we age, stretchy cords become much better tolerated than free weights. The main upper body exercise would be scapular strengthening rowing machine activities. Dr. Foley advocates for connecting upper and lower body strength through core and glute exercises. Core strength helps to maintain overall stability and reduce pain.

Psychological Support: Addressing psychological factors is essential. Mindfulness, meditation, stress management, and mental health interventions like antidepressants for those dealing with depression can play a critical role in pain management. Antianxiety and relaxation measures are helpful, along with verbal interactive support of friends, family, and providers.

Social Support: Aging individuals are at risk for isolation and decreasing social interaction. Ongoing interpersonal engagements and friendships are directly linked to health and pain relief. Improving social support and home social environment has a positive effect on decreasing chronic pain.

Future Endeavors and Online Presence

Although Dr. Foley is currently focused on providing expert orthopedic care and legal consulting for medical cases, he recognizes the need for broader outreach. “I am planning to launch a website in the near future to share my insights and solutions for aging individuals coping with chronic pain,” he reveals. His goal is to bridge the gap in understanding and managing musculoskeletal health issues in the aging population, offering resources that are both informative and practical.

Dr. Foley emphasizes that managing chronic pain, especially in the elderly, requires a holistic and multidisciplinary approach. By addressing the biological, psychological, and social facets of chronic pain, individuals can achieve a better quality of life. Dr. Foley’s dedication to patient education and comprehensive care makes him a leading voice in orthopedic health and chronic pain management.

For more information on Dr. John Foley’s approach to chronic pain management or to inquire about his upcoming website, please email jay@jvfoleymd.com.

Close Up Radio will feature Dr. John Foley in an interview with Jim Masters on Wednesday, October 9th at 12pm EST

Listen to the show on BlogTalkRadio

If you have any questions for our guest, please call (347) 996-3389

For more information about Dr. Foley, please email jay@jvfoleymd.com

Lou Ceparano
Close Up Television & Radio
+1 631-850-3314
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