The two ends of a ruptured Achilles tendon are often stitched together before the leg is put in plaster, in order to reduce the risk of the tendon rupturing again. However, a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, now suggests that surgery may be unnecessary. Patients who do not undergo surgery have just as good a chance of recovery. The Achilles tendon, which attaches the calf muscle to the heel, is the body’s strongest tendon.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the world’s largest sports medicine and exercise organization, rang the closing bell at the NASDAQ stock market last week (Wednesday, May 6), using the international platform to promote the health benefits of physical activity, especially for businesses and employers in the U.S. and worldwide.

A home-based diet and exercise program reduced the rate of functional decline among older, overweight long-term survivors of colorectal, breast and prostate cancer, according to a study in the May 13 issue of JAMA. “In 2008, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services declared mobility maintenance and functional independence among at-risk older individuals as the sole priority in aging research.

Courtesy Colorado State UniversityResearch is showing that nearly every adult has little blobs of brown fat that can burn huge numbers of calories when activated by the cold, like sitting in a chilly room that is between 61 and 66…

Jupiter Unlimited A new brain imaging study illustrates what happens to memories as time goes by. The study, in the January 28 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, shows that distinct brain structures are involved in recalling recent and older…

Jupiter Unlimited The British media is splashing headlines about a possible virus that leads to obesity. An interesting concept, right? Because it would sort of let us off the hook. But is it true? Well…. there’s research out there –…

Courtesy Upstate Medical UniversityMichael Ezra Zuber, Ph.D., assistant professor of ophthalmology at SUNY Upstate Medical University Pluripotent stem cells — those, like embryonic stem cells, that give rise to almost every type of cell in the body — can be…

Jupiter Unlimited The makers of REV.Trainer’s Epsom Formula have sent me three cannisters of the stuff. I’m looking for three Central New Yorkers who are willing to try it, and report back for a story that would appear on the…

The excitement of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs will inspire young players and weekend warriors to hit the ice. But, traveling up to 30 miles an hour on a quarter inch blade of steel and stopping instantly will put anyone at risk for injury.

Whether on the trail, at the gym, or even on the front-porch steps, what happens inside your ankle in the milliseconds following a single misstep could sentence you to a lifetime of ankle trouble. And it’s not just the ligaments left with lasting damage, finds Brigham Young University researcher Ty Hopkins and collaborators from the University of Michigan.