Page 15 - Lifestyles in Palm Beach Gardens - January '24

Lifestyles in Palm Beach Gardens, Page 15
Are You Bothered By Hip Pain?

If you’re a younger where the shape of the hip causes abnormal contact between to alleviate the pain. These options include:
or middle-aged adult the ball and socket of the joint. The most common root cause • Taking a break from activities that cause the pain
bothered by hip pain, your of a labral tear is onset over time due to physical activity • Using anti-inflammatory medication
first thought is likely not combined with a bony abnormality. • Receiving a guided injection of cortisone into the hip joint
about hip surgery – but you Question: Are Certain Groups More Likely To Have A • Using physical therapy which unloads some of the pressure
may need it. Many young, Labral Tear? from the hip joint
athletic people are having Answer: Women are about twice as likely to experience • Modifying activities to a lower, less painful level
hip surgery after finding out a labral tear, and it often happens in younger, active patients. Question: What If Conservative Treatment Doesn’t Help?
that a deep cartilage tear is Question: What Are The Symptoms? Answer: If the treatments listed above aren’t working, your
causing their mysterious, Answer: Many people can have a tear and not have any doctor may order an MRI to get a better idea of the pathology
nagging pain. symptoms at all. If you do notice a symptom, though, it’s of the injury. This shows whether there is cartilage damage,
Question: What Is A typically pain deep in the hip joint that doesn’t get worse arthritis in the joint or injury to other muscles that might cause
Labral Tear? Evan Peck, M.D., Sports when you push on the area. It often comes with certain problems. Depending on how severe the symptoms are, your
Answer: It is a tear in the Medicine activities (movement in a particular direction, for instance). doctor might recommend surgery to fix it.
ring of cartilage (labrum) in Question: How Do Doctors Diagnose A Labral Tear? If you are having hip pain deep in the joint that lasts for more
your hip that cushions and seals the joint. Answer: Doctors can get most of the information needed than a month and occurs with particular movements, check with
Question: What Causes It? to diagnose a labral tear from a health history, examination your doctor to see if you might have a labral tear. The sooner
Answer: Trauma (from a car accident, for instance) can and a good set of X-rays. An MRI is often needed in order you pinpoint and address the problem, the sooner you can get
cause a labral tear. But it’s seen more frequently among to confirm the diagnosis. back to your normal activities with less pain.
athletes whose activities flex the hip while twisting – Question: What Are The Treatment Options? To make an appointment with an orthopaedic specialist at
including yoga and Pilates. A variation of normal anatomy Answer: There are a few conservative treatments for a labral Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital, call (877) 463-2010 or visit
can cause a labral tear, as well. Often this is hip impingement, tear, which are typically attempted for three to six months to try ClevelandClinicFlorida.org/ortho for more information.
Northern Notes

Feral Hogs – A Growing between escaped domestic pigs and boars has created
hybrids with the most robust characteristics of each. Wild
Problem hogs are found in all 67 Florida counties and at least 35
states today. Over 500,000 are estimated in Florida, with
By Katie Roundtree, approximately 6 million nationwide.
Director of Finance and The wild hog population continues to expand as they
Administration Northern become used to different climates. They are found in various
Palm Beach County habitats but prefer oak-cabbage palm hammocks, freshwater
Improvement District marshes and sloughs, pine flatwoods, and open agricultural
Feral hogs have been areas. In addition, they have few natural predators. Bobcats,
in Florida since the 1500s, coyotes and panthers can prey on smaller hogs, but man is
when they were initially the most significant predator of wild hogs.
brought to North America They are a destructive, invasive species, called by many
by European explorers and settlers on ships as a food source in the New World. Over the names, including wild hogs, wild boars, feral swine, or
settlers who sailed here years, some domesticated hogs got loose and became wild/ razorbacks. Wild hogs grow to about 3 to 5 feet long and
looking for gold and a feral. Additionally, Russian boars were introduced to the weigh 75 to 250 pounds, but some can be twice as large.
western passage to China. They were brought with the United States in the 1900s for sport hunting. Interbreeding Living in groups called sounders, they damage crops,
commercial and personal property and environmentally
sensitive land. They have litters of four to eight young and
can reproduce twice yearly. Feral swine are muscular and
strong and can run up to 30 miles per hour. Like deer and
domestic pigs, feral swine have cloven hooves. Although
wild swine tracks look similar to deer tracks, they have
a blunter tipped toe, and their tracks have a square shape
compared to the pointed heart-shaped tracks of deer.
Hogs are omnivores, meaning they feed on plants and
animals. To feed, they root up the earth with their snouts
and feet to find plants, grubs and small animals. If the soil
is soft, depending on the size of the group of hogs, they can
dig down almost 2 feet and clear one to two acres per night.
Because they are usually active at night, feral swine are less
frequently seen during daylight hours, particularly in hot,
humid climates. It may be easiest to identify feral swine in
your area by looking for signs of damage.
Wild hogs can destroy environmentally sensitive
land and prey on native wildlife, competing with native
species for food and resources. Severe hog-rooting can
cause erosion along lakes and canals, leading to sediment
buildup and increased nutrients that deteriorate water
quality and increase algae growth. They assist in spreading
invasive plant species with their droppings and providing
germination sites through rooting.
Feral pigs are known to be dangerous to people,
particularly when they travel in herds with their young.
They have also been known to be aggressive toward dogs
and other pets.
The enormous tusks that protrude from the boar’s lower
jaw are the trademark of the wild boar. Boars use these tusks
– which are actually canine teeth – to dig and root for food,
but they also can and will use them for defense.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture also writes that
feral swine can carry diseases and parasites that may affect
people, pets, livestock and wildlife. Some diseases, such as
pseudorabies, are fatal to cats and dogs that may be exposed
to direct contact with a feral swine carcass.
The only way to control the population of wild hogs is
through trapping and hunting. Adequate fencing will keep
them out of yards and gardens. Wild Hog Scram can be spread
on the ground to repel hogs and minimize property damage
in areas that cannot be fenced. If you have a problem with
feral hogs near your property, you will want to contact a
wildlife trapper for immediate removal.
NPDES tip: Do not pile garbage, trash, leaves, limbs
or garden debris in swales – this adds pollutants which can
wash into downstream waters. Do not park vehicles in the
swale – this compacts the soil so less runoff soaks in.