Better Health. At Your Fingertips.

NICK GOLINVAUX, MD March 9, 2024 Hi Reader, How is your week going? So far, I've had a productive one: I learned that Taylor Swift and poet Emily Dickinson are related. I accepted a generous invitation to be on an upcoming episode of an orthopedic surgery podcast (more details soon!). Due to popular demand, I wrote about upper extremity safety in the gym. If you workout regularly, you've surely had a hand or upper extremity twinge from time to time. It can be difficult to know...was that just...

SUBSCRIBE | SHOP | ARCHIVE Written by Dr. Nick Golinvaux Good morning. If you’ve seen About Time, Love Actually, or Pirates of the Caribbean, you’ve seen Dupuytren’s. Actor Bill Nighy has it in both hands — his ring and small fingers are stuck in a flexed position, and his palms show the telltale cords of the disease. It’s a striking, even bizarre condition, and it’s far more common than you might think. Credit: Martin Smith, Creative Commons license About 1 in 20 people will develop some...

SUBSCRIBE | SHOP | ARCHIVE Written by Dr. Nick Golinvaux Good morning. Carpal tunnel syndrome is the second most common condition I treat — but the list of non-surgical options that actually work is surprisingly short. So far this year, I’ve performed 57 carpal tunnel release surgeries. But there’s another group of patients who avoided my scalpel entirely — not because their symptoms weren’t real, but because they found success with a few simple, proven at-home strategies. This week’s article...

SUBSCRIBE | SHOP | ARCHIVE Written by Dr. Nick Golinvaux Good morning. Inflammation is one of the body’s oldest survival tools — a rapid-fire defense system that heals wounds and fights invaders. But in modern life, that same system can easily get stuck in overdrive. Stress, processed foods, and sleepless nights keep it firing even when there’s no real threat, slowly wearing down our joints, tendons, and overall health. This week’s article explains how inflammation works, why it’s both friend...

SUBSCRIBE | SHOP | ARCHIVE Written by Dr. Nick Golinvaux Good morning. Halloween is supposed to be scary for the right reasons — ghosts, goblins, and haunted houses. Not because you ended up in the ER with a knife in your palm. Every October, hand surgeons like me see a wave of pumpkin carving injuries. Pumpkins are awkward: slippery on the inside, tough on the outside, and just about a perfect recipe for that knife slip. Here’s how to keep your Halloween festive — and hospital-free. Read It...

SUBSCRIBE | SHOP | ARCHIVE Written by Dr. Nick Golinvaux Good morning. Just about every week, I’m asked the same question: What’s the difference between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis? If you’ve ever wondered why your joints ache — and whether it’s simply “getting older” or something entirely different — you’re not alone. These two conditions may both wear down cartilage, but their causes, treatments, and long-term outlooks couldn’t be more different. Read It Here ↗ **This newsletter...

SUBSCRIBE | SHOP | ARCHIVE Written by Dr. Nick Golinvaux Good morning. I’ll never forget one of the longest nights of my residency. Helicopters were lining up to land all night, unloading the worst orthopedic trauma from across the region — and it was just me, stabilizing and triaging until the team arrived in the morning. One patient came in with a smashed pelvis — the kind of life-threatening injury that forces you to start difficult conversations about recovery right after "Nice to meet...

SUBSCRIBE | SHOP | ARCHIVE Written by Dr. Nick Golinvaux Good morning. It's one of those bluebird days on the mountain. You’re carving turns, feeling great — and then one patch of ice sends you down hard. Your wrist aches, your thumb throbs, and you’re left wondering: Is this just a sprain…or did I break something important? Most ski and snowboard injuries are harmless, but a few can quietly turn into lifelong problems if missed. This week’s pocket guide walks you through how to examine your...

SUBSCRIBE | SHOP | ARCHIVE Written by Dr. Nick Golinvaux Good morning. You've bent your fingers without issue your whole life. But one day, when you try to straighten one, something catches — and for a split second, it’s stuck. That sudden click or pop isn’t “just getting older.” It’s a mechanical square peg in a round hole problem inside your hand. In this week’s article, I’ll break down exactly what’s happening when you have a trigger finger or trigger thumb, why it happens, and the simple...