Many households with adolescents have heard complaints like, “Mom my leg is tingling and hurts again.” After taking them to the hospital and finding no cause it is usually chalked up to “growing pains.” Hsieh Kuo-hsiung, an orthopedic surgeon at Catholic Mercy Hospital, says that there is no medical term for growing pains, and that the pains are merely caused by too much exercise.
Hsieh says that many parents with children going through puberty ask him what growing pains are and where the pains usually occur. He usually replies that unless the child’s leg pains are from frequently falling or other abnormal incidents, the pains are most likely because the child has hit puberty and their muscles, tendons, joints and ligaments are being overworked by an increase in physical activity and excessive exercise. This type of pain can occur regardless of age, he says.
After talking with one parent who brought her eighth-grade son to the hospital, Hsieh soon discovered that the boy had been playing basketball obsessively, often going with classmates after school. Another patient, a fourth grade girl, who came in because of extreme pain in her heels, had been immoderately practicing ballet for an upcoming recital — over-exercising the muscles.
Photo: Huang Mei-chu, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者黃美珠
He says that it is easiest to discover pains that a child is having during puberty, and people simply sustain the myth that pain felt during that period is some sort of “growing pain,” mistakenly assuming that after the pain subsides the child will be taller than before. Hsieh says that it is a bittersweet way of dealing with the pain, and that there is no reason to worry too much or take unnecessary medication because of the pains.
The situation can be improved simply by controlling the amount of physical activity one gets, Hsieh says, adding that resting, putting heat on the troubled area, taking a hot bath or raising the hurting leg can all help alleviate the discomfort. (Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
不少家有青少年的家長都聽過類似「媽媽,我的腳又麻麻、痛痛」等抱怨,帶去醫院又查不出原因,久了就認為是所謂的「成長痛」。仁慈醫院骨科醫師謝國雄說,醫學並沒有成長痛這名詞,只是孩子運動過了頭。
謝國雄說,很多有青春期孩子的家長們,常會問他什麼是成長痛?痛在哪些部位上?但除非孩子的腿部疼痛伴隨有經常性跌倒等異狀,不然應該都是單純孩子邁入青春期後,因為活動量增加、過度運動所造成的肌肉、肌腱、關節韌帶乃至牽動關節部位的痠疼;這種不舒服,不管多大年紀都會發生。
一名家長曾帶國二兒子來求診,經謝國雄詢問後發現,原來孩子最近半個月瘋籃球,課後常跟同學一起打球。一名小四的女生也說腳後跟等痛得不得了,原來這個小女生在跳芭蕾,那陣子為了公演拚命排練,運動過量了。
他說,由於青春期孩子的不舒服最容易被發現,大家以訛傳訛,就說這是一種成長痛,還誤以為痛過就會再抽高,以致讓家長和小朋友面對這種疼痛總是「苦樂參半」。但不必太過擔憂或因此誤用不必要的藥品偏方。
謝國雄說,其實只要稍微節制一下活動量就會改善,如果發生了就多休息、給予熱敷、或泡熱水澡,甚至是把疼痛的腿舉高,都有助緩解不適。(自由時報記者黃美珠)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
On Tuesday last week, the flame for this summer’s Paris Olympics was lit at the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games in southern Greece in a meticulously choreographed ceremony. It will then be carried through Greece for more than 5,000km before being handed over to French organizers at the Athens venue used for the first modern Olympics in 1896. The pageantry at Olympia has been an essential part of every Olympics for nearly 90 years since the Games in Berlin. It’s meant to provide an ineluctable link between the modern event and the ancient Greek original on which it was initially modelled. Once
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too