Waking up after a night of tossing and turning, only to feel a crick in your neck, is an all-too-common experience for many adults. There are a host of reasons why this happens, but one main culprit is sleeping in a position that puts strain on your neck, or using a pillow (or even a mattress) that messes with your alignment.

When you’re sleeping, your neck alignment should be similar to when you’re standing up with good posture, Dr. Nguyen said — “everything should kind of be aligned neutrally, head on top of your shoulders, try to avoid flexing or bending the neck forward, backwards or to the side for extended periods of time.”

Keeping your neck in a flexed or bent position over many hours overnight can “stretch the neck muscles or compress certain spinal elements, such as the discs or nerves, and this chronically poor sleep alignment over many weeks to months can eventually lead to pain,” Dr. Nguyen explained.

Read the full article at huffpost.com.

"It's not uncommon for joints to make a cracking noise, and it can occur in ages across the board," said Dr.  Nguyen. On the other hand, cracking that hits with pain isn't normal and tends to be something that happens more often in older adults," she added.

According to Dr. Nguyen, there are several reasons why your bones and joints crack frequently, one of which is the release of pressure from your joints.

This pressure release usually feels pretty good. “You're stretching the joint, which could be because the joint hasn't moved in a while and it starts to get tight or stiff.” Dr. Nguyen said. 

Read the full article at wellandgood.com. 

There are tons of high end mattresses out there, but just because they’re expensive doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re the best. If you’re healthy and without pain, you can probably get away with spending less. “If a person has no musculoskeletal or back issues, they can probably get away with spending between $500 and $1,000 on a decent mattress,” said Dr. Nguyen. “If you have chronic pain issues, it may be worth spending $1,000 or more to make sure you’re getting additional features to address your specific needs.”

“A larger person will tend to sink into a mattress more, so if you’re on the bigger side, look The heavier you are, the more likely you are to sink into your mattress and fall out of alignment. “If you’re on the bigger side, look for a mattress that’s a bit firmer and look for a slightly softer mattress if you’re on the lighter, more petite side,” said Dr. Nguyen. “This will help make sure you sleep in the proper position.” Extra tall? Consider a Twin XL or a California King. Both beds provide extra length. Combination sleepers may also want to size up to a King or Queen to give themselves extra room to move around.

Read the full article at wsj.com. 

HSS physiatrist Elizabeth T. Nguyen, MD explained what causes knee pain in older adults and what you can do to decrease discomfort. 

Over the course of your lifetime, cartilage tends to deteriorate due to normal wear and tear. When this happens, "there is less shock absorption and increased stress along the joint, which can potentially lead to knee pain," said Dr. Nguyen 

Strengthening exercises offer the best form of prevention and management for knee pain related to cartilage deterioration, noted Dr. Nguyen. Specifically, you can support your knees by focusing on muscle groups that move and protect the knee joint. For example, strong quads are crucial for knee health. In fact, "studies have demonstrated the relationship between quadriceps weakness with [knee] pain," she cited. So, building up your quads will play a big part in preventing knee problems down the line.

Age-related weight gain is common thanks to things like a slower metabolism and a more sedentary lifestyle. But being overweight is a risk factor for developing knee pain, Dr. Nguyen continued. 

Losing one pound of body weight can reduce the stress across the knee joint by approximately four-fold," said Dr. Nguyen. "For example, a weight loss of 10 pounds can lead to a reduced load of around 40 pounds across the knee joint."

Read the full article at livestrong.com.

Dr. Nguyen explained that cracking fingers does not cause arthritis, a common claim that was proven false.

She said feeling regular pressure, tightness, or pain in a certain area of the body and especially if it starts to interference with daily activities, then consider getting evaluated by a medical professional. “In those situations, there may be an underlying issue,” she added.

She noted, “Cracking [the joints] too aggressively might contribute to muscle, tendon, or ligament injuries, but those are very rare scenarios.”

Dr. Nguyen said pain is the main indicator that something is wrong, otherwise continuing to crack joints shouldn’t necessarily prompt a doctor’s visit unless it starts to feel bad instead of good.

Read the full article at Self.com.