November 15, 2006

Initial treatment of acute ankle injury should focus on reducing swelling and pain and preventing further ligament injury. Functional rehabilitation with range-of motion and strengthening exercises is preferred over immobilization.

This papular eruption is asymptomatic but can have a dramatic appearance. The localized form usually is self-limited and resolves within one to two years, whereas the generalized formcan last for three to four years or longer. Although treatment is not always necessary, several…

Testicular torsion must be diagnosed quickly and accurately to avoid testicular loss. Treatment involves rapid restoration of blood flow to the affected testis, optimally within six hours after the onset of symptoms.

Exercise stress testing is an important diagnostic tool for evaluating suspected or known cardiac disease. This article discusses the 2002 revision of the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines on exercise stress testing.

A 46-year-old woman comes to your office to discuss breast cancer screening. She heard a physician on television who mentioned a genetic test that can tell if a woman will get breast cancer. She asks if she should have that test. She has no family history of breast or ovarian…

Reader feedback shows that many of you like the patient education handouts that accompany some AFP review articles. A recent survey shows that 60 percent of readers use AFP patient education material several times a month. The quality of the handouts (i.e., level of writing…

AAFP Adopts New Physician Workforce Policy to Counter FP Shortage | CMS Proposes Allowing Use of Part D Data for Research Initiatives | AAFP Speaker Testifies on Payment System Reform, Medical Homes | Code Change for Fecal Occult Blood Tests Takes Effect January 2007 | CMS…

A glass of carrot juice each day may keep Alzheimer's disease away! According to a study in the American Journal of Medicine, consuming fruit and vegetable juices may delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease, particularly in patients at high risk for the disease. Researchers…

For older adults, burns and fire-related injuries are the second leading cause of death from accidental injury in the home.1 Cigarette smoking and alcohol use contribute to many of these injuries. However, the role of dementia as a risk factor for burns and fires is not clear…

Two scoring systems are widely used to predict prognosis in patients with end-stage liver disease: the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) and the Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score.

Photo Quiz presents readers with a clinical challenge based on a photograph or other image.

MCV4 is as effective and as safe as the older MPSV4. It is recommended by the ACIP for children 11 to 12 years of age, college freshmen living in dormitories, and other high-risk populations. MCV4 should provide effective and longer-lasting immunity, but at significant expense…

The Partnership for Prevention conducted a study to accurately rank 25 preventive health care services. These rankings represent the most valuable preventive services and should be used to help physicians prioritize which services to emphasize with patients.

ACIP Updates Mumps Vaccination Schedule

Noncontraceptive Uses of the Levonorgestrel Intrauterine System

Ligaments connect bones in your ankle. If you turn or twist your ankle in an unusual way, the ligaments can stretch or tear. This is called an ankle sprain (see drawing).

Exercising can help make it stronger and move better.

Testicular torsion (tess-TICK-you-ler TOR-shun) is when a testicle gets twisted and the blood supply to the stalk is blocked (see drawing).