Best New York Physical Medicine Specialists

Overweight
Being overweight or obese means your weight is above an ideal weight range. Excess weight creates increased risk of heart disease, certain cancers, and other serious illnesses like diabetes. One tool used to estimate ideal and overweight ranges is called the body mass index (BMI). This scale determines weight ranges based on height. BMI levels include: Ideal weight range: 18.5-24.9Overweight: 25.0-29.9Obese: 30.0 or aboveMorbid obesity: 40 or above (35 and above with current health condition like diabetes or high blood pressure) There are slightly different categories for teens and children.

Muscular Dystrophy
Muscular dystrophy is a group of inherited, progressive muscle disorders. All forms cause progressive weakness and degeneration of the muscles that control movement. Some also affect the heart or other organs. Age of onset is between infancy to adulthood. The different forms include: Duchenne dystrophy (the most common)Becker (a milder form than Duchenne)Myotonic muscular dystrophy (can have its onset in late adulthood)

Groin Strain
A groin strain is a partial tear of the small fibers of the adductor muscles. The adductors are a group of three muscles located on the inner side of the thigh. They start in the groin area and run down the inner thigh to attach to the inner side of the knee.

Nutritional Anemia
Anemia is a condition characterized by an inadequate amount of red blood cells, which are produced in your bone marrow. Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, a substance that picks up oxygen from your lungs, carries it throughout your body, and gives it to your cells. Your cells need oxygen to perform the basic functions that generate energy and keep you alive. In addition, hemoglobin picks up some of the carbon dioxide given off by your cells and returns it to the lungs, where it is exhaled when you breathe out. Without enough red blood cells to transport oxygen to your cells and carbon dioxide away from your cells, your body functions at a less than optimal level.

Obesity
Overweight and obesity are defined as having a body mass index [BMI] greater than or equal to 25 and 30, respectively. In children, the BMI is based on growth charts. Being overweight and obese occur when calorie intake is consistently greater than the number of calories burned through activity and basic metabolic processes.

Multiple Sclerosis MS
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, disabling disease of the central nervous system. The disease causes inflammation, destruction, and scarring of the nerve sheath (called myelin) that covers nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. There can also be damage to the underlying nerve itself (called the axon). As a result, electrical signals from the brain are slowed or blocked from reaching the eyes, muscles, and other parts of the body.

Trauma
Trauma is a serious injury or Shock to the body. It is caused by a physical force such as violence or an accident. The injury may be complicated by psychiatric, behavioral, and social factors. This can cause the disability to be greater than just physical injuries. This condition almost always requires care from healthcare professionals.

Multiple System Atrophy
Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare disease. It causes progressive damage to the nervous system. MSA is sometimes called a Parkinson's plus syndrome because many of the symptoms are similar. MSA has debilitating effects on the body. Once symptoms develop the average life expectancy is ten years or less.

Mutilating Hand Injuries
A mutilating hand injury is severe damage to the hand. The injury may include damage to bones, tendons, soft tissues, nerves, and skin. It is caused by a Trauma. It can become a life-threatening condition.

Obesity-Children and Teens
Being overweight or obese means your weight is above an ideal weight range. Appropriate weight ranges are calculated using the body mass index (BMI). For anyone under 20 years of age, these scales are based on height, weight, sex, and date of birth. Child and teen BMI results differ from adult BMI. This is because they are compared to the results of other children and teens in the same age range. This extra step takes into account that children and teens are still growing. BMI levels for anyone under age 20 are as follows:Underweight-BMI at or below the 5th percentile for the age groupDesired weight-BMI between the 5th-84th percentiles for the age groupOverweight-BMI between the 85th-94th percentiles for the age groupObese-BMI at or above the 95th percentile for the age group