The American health industry is a big one, and that’s hardly surprising. Americans of all ages and walks of life may sometimes become ill, get injured, or decide that they should lose some weight. Pain management may be necessary if someone has chronic back pain or if they are recovering from an injury, and someone who needs pain management can visit a pain clinic or a family practice doctor of theirs. Meanwhile, other Americans, after visiting their family practice doctor, may be told that they are obese and should lose weight to improve their health. Your primary care physician may recommend a new diet and exercise routine, and this may double as pain management since a lower body weight relieves stress on the ankles and knees. Finally, urgent care centers are a fine option for pain management or for minor medical cases such as a cut or catching the flu.
Pain Management for the Back
Unlike even our closest primate relatives, we human beings are a purely bipedal species, adapted for a lifetime of walking upright. The human skeleton is designed to reflect this lifestyle, complete with long and tough leg bones, an S-shaped spine, and arched feet. But many Americans need pain management for their back, and around half of all working-class Americans admit that they sometimes get back pain. Such pain may be caused by an accident such as when playing sports, or after years of hard manual labor or from sheer old age. If someone is suffering back issues with their spine or their back muscles or pinched nerves, they may have their doctor refer them to pain management specialists.
Major back problems call for surgery, but many other cases only need non-invasive methods. A patient may visit a chiropractor, who can use their bare hands and simple tools to readjust the patient’s bones and back muscles to relieve pressure and strain. A patient may also visit a yoga expert, who, in private sessions, will show the patient how to stretch and bend to relieve pressure on nerves, joints, and muscles. A patient may also be in a hospital after an injury and get physical therapy to restore mobility and strength, and arcs of motion.
Weight Loss
Many American adults and children alike are overweight or even obese, and this is often caused by bad diets loaded with fatty and sugary fast food and/or from a lack of exercise. The human body is designed for daily exercise, but many people are sedentary and use electronic screens for hours per day. But nearly anyone can change their diet and activity level, and they may visit their doctor and a nutritionist to get some safe guidelines on how to do this. Conditions such as diabetes, asthma, food allergies, heart problems, or recent surgery may mandate some restrictions.
A person can start by eliminating fast food from their diet to cut out bad calories and fat and sugars, and eat more wholesome foods and start an exercise regimen. Exercise methods vary widely, but they all involve the healthy burning of calories and getting the heart rate elevated and working out muscles. Cardio such as jogging, bicycle riding, and swimming are fine options, as are sports like soccer or basketball or martial arts or weight lifting.
Urgent Care
Many non life-threatening wounds or illnesses call for urgent care, and a person may find many urgent care centers in their area, especially urban ones. Thousands of these clinics are in operation today, and are typically built into strip malls or may even be found inside larger retailers (known as retail clinics). These clinics are staffed by nurse practitioners, physicians, and pharmacists. A clinic that’s running smoothly may see three patients per hour on average and a guest may expect a wait time of around 15 minutes.
A person may visit these urgent care clinics because they suffered a cut that can be treated with bandages and stitches, and patients may also get wrist or ankle braces for a sprained ankle or wrist. Four in five such clinics can also treat bone fractures, and they may offer medicinal relief for the common cold, flu, and other influenza. Patients may also visit for lotion and cream for sunburns or rashes, such as from poison ivy contact.