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. There are few injuries that announce themselves as clearly as this one. A sudden “pop,” immediate weakness, and a deep sense that something just…isn’t right in your arm. This article breaks down one of the more dramatic tendon injuries I treat — distal biceps tears — including how to recognize it, what function you actually lose, and why waiting even a few weeks can completely change your treatment options. If you’ve ever...

SUBSCRIBE | SHOP | ARCHIVE Written by Dr. Nick Golinvaux Good morning. A few weeks ago, we talked about how surgeons "force" bones to heal by compressing them together. This week flips that idea on its head. You’ll learn how broken bones can heal even when the pieces aren’t touching — why casts actually work, how surgeons decide when surgery is necessary, and how your body fills in gaps with a remarkable tissue called callus. If you’ve ever wondered why some fractures get plates, some get...

SUBSCRIBE | SHOP | ARCHIVE Written by Dr. Nick Golinvaux Good morning. There are few things more unsettling than waking up at 3 a.m. with your hand buzzing, burning, or completely numb — and wondering if this is just annoying…or something more serious. This article walks through what’s actually happening inside your wrist, why nighttime is when carpal tunnel loves to strike, and how to tell the difference between symptoms you can watch versus ones you absolutely shouldn’t ignore. If numb...

SUBSCRIBE | SHOP | ARCHIVE Written by Dr. Nick Golinvaux Good morning. Here’s a weird truth: despite how often people have orthopedic surgery, there’s no clean, official answer to the question everyone asks afterward — “When can I drive?” Not your surgeon. Not your insurance company. Not the DMV. Most of them essentially shrug. And that leaves patients doing what humans always do in a gray zone: guessing. This article explains what the research really says, why some “small” surgeries can...

SUBSCRIBE | SHOP | ARCHIVE Written by Dr. Nick Golinvaux Good morning. If you’ve ever seen an X-ray after a fracture and thought, How on earth does that actually heal? — You’re not alone. Plates, screws, compression, symmetry…to most patients, it looks more like a construction project than medicine. This article breaks down how orthopedic surgeons intentionally design stability to make bones heal faster and stronger — and why the hardware you see is doing far more than just “holding things...

SUBSCRIBE | SHOP | ARCHIVE Written by Dr. Nick Golinvaux Good morning. TV medicine has done us no favors. Becoming a doctor isn’t dramatic monologues and slow-motion saves — it’s a decade (or two) of relentless exams, high-stakes algorithms, and sleep deprivation. If you’ve ever been curious about how doctors are actually trained, why shortages are worsening, or what the system demands from trainees before they ever touch a patient, this article lays it out in full, honest detail. Read It...

SUBSCRIBE | SHOP | ARCHIVE Written by Dr. Nick Golinvaux Good morning. If you’ve ever crushed a fingernail, you know the pain is immediate — but the uncertainty lasts much longer. Will the nail fall off? Grow back crooked? Need surgery? This article builds off of last week's post and explains how nail injuries are evaluated, which parts of the nail actually matter for long-term appearance, and why even perfect treatment can’t guarantee a perfect result. Understanding this upfront can save...

SUBSCRIBE | SHOP | ARCHIVE Written by Dr. Nick Golinvaux Good morning. Well, all I can say is wow. Your response to my article last week on healthcare economics and the doctor-patient relationship blew my expectations out of the water. It is clear many of you are feeling and experiencing the same changes and are hungry for solutions. I received a flood of thoughtful replies and opinions (thank you!), and I wanted to share a selection of them so that everybody could benefit...together. Your...