DEAR DR. DONOHUE: When I was a young girl, I was taught that stretching is important in any exercise program. My teenage daughters, both athletes, never stretch and were never told to do so. Why not? Doesn’t stretching prevent injuries? Would you indicate the best way to stretch? – A.M.
ANSWER: Stretching was once highly promoted to prevent injuries, but no evidence supports that claim. It was also sold as a way to enhance athletic performance. Evidence for that is also lacking. In fact, stretching immediately before athletic performance slightly decreases muscle power.
Stretching has good points. It increases a joint’s range of motion, something that is important in some athletic endeavors. Gymnasts, for example, need a great deal of flexibility. So do dancers, and I consider dancing a sport. Stretching should be incorporated into a conditioning program for these athletes. It’s not something that ought to be done prior to participating in an event.
A safe stretch is to stretch the muscle to the point of minor discomfort and hold that position for 15 to 30 seconds. Relax and then repeat the stretch 10 times. Don’t stretch to the point of pain; you can tear muscle fibers.
A partner can help you improve stretches so long as the rule not to ignore pain is enforced. When the point of discomfort in a stretch is reached, the exerciser holds that position while the partner tries to push the exerciser back to his or her original position. This must be done gently. It’s not a wrestling contest, and the partner should immediately stop pushing if it causes pain.
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My 10-year-old son goes without a shirt much of the summer. He is quite tanned, but he has developed white blotches on his back. He says they don’t hurt or itch.
My sister says that they’re sun spots and that he should start wearing a shirt again. What are sun spots, and what can be done for them? – V.V.
ANSWER: What people call sun spots is usually a harmless yeast infection of the skin – tinea versicolor. High temperatures and high humidity cause growth of the yeast – a common inhabitant of normal skin. Sunlight transforms the yeast into an active form that produces substances that can depigment patches of skin – usually small ones. The depigmented skin stands out in sharp contrast to the adjacent tanned skin.
Most of the time, the skin patches produce no symptoms. In a few, they itch and are scaly.
Usually this happens on the back, the chest, the upper arms or the upper legs – or all those places. Blacks who pick up the infection often mistakenly think they have vitiligo, a different process where skin pigment is permanently lost.
Many lotions and creams can cure tinea versicolor. Lamisil and Nizoral are two examples. A 2 percent solution of selenium sulfide also works. In resistant cases, oral medicines are available.
Pigment doesn’t return quickly, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t see the patches disappear soon. It takes months before the patches regain their pigmentation, even though the yeast has been killed.
This condition has a habit of returning, and when that happens, prolonged treatment is called for. If there is the slightest doubt in your mind about this diagnosis of your son’s skin condition, take the boy to the family doctor. The doctor can verify the diagnosis by scraping the involved skin and examining the scrapings with a microscope. He or she can spot the yeast.
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: When I throw a baseball, I get a tingling sensation in my little and ring fingers. It goes away fast. What is this? – V.L.
ANSWER: It could be an irritation of the ulnar nerve at the elbow. It passes under a bony prominence there on its way to the little and ring fingers. Bone spurs can press on it to produce symptoms like the ones you describe.
If the condition persists or intensifies, don’t rely on my guess. Have the arm examined. Other condition can cause the same symptoms.
Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.
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