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Read Time: Four Minutes Raised as a farm girl and always involved in athletics, 70-year-old Rolla, Missouri, resident Sandra Exon has always led an active life. In fact, she was recently playing beach volleyball when she hyperextended her right knee, causing it to tear. This unexpected injury led Sandra to seek treatment from Alan Heincker, DO, an orthopedic surgeon with ...

Read Time: 5 Minutes Summertime is a great time to get out and enjoy our beautiful surroundings. In the densely-wooded Ozarks, however, ticks are numerous and can present serious health risks. Phelps Health ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) and Allergy Physician Brian Kriete, MD, routinely diagnoses two to three patients per week with alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) or allergy, also known ...

Read Time: 3 Minutes How do men know if a vasectomy is right for them? Men should ask themselves and their doctor this question when considering this form of birth control. Having a vasectomy is a personal choice, and men should take into account many factors when deciding whether or not to have this procedure. Phelps Health Urologists Joel Leon ...

Read Time: 4 Minutes Nathan Ratchford, MD, a gynecologist with Phelps Health, defines menopause as the natural end of menstrual periods and ovulation. Typically, this is clinically defined as no menstrual cycles for 12 months in a patient with no other cause. Most women experience menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, with the average being age 51. Women ...

Read Time: 3 Minutes As you age, the cartilage in your joints that cushion the end of your bones can “wear down,” which leads to your bones rubbing together. This condition is known as osteoarthritis and can occur in your knees, among other joints. Some people with osteoarthritis may be eligible for a partial knee replacement surgery instead of a ...

Read Time: 4 Minutes One evening in February, as Laurie and Jason Corey were getting ready for bed, their teenage daughter, Callie, came to them crying after she accidentally swallowed a battery from an LED remote. “She was panicked,” Laurie said. “We immediately knew that something was wrong because she was in tears.” Jason, a nurse anesthetist at Phelps Health ...

Read Time: 5 Minutes Brett Clayton, PA-C, MHS, a physician assistant with the Phelps Health Orthopedics team, answers 10 frequently asked questions about orthopedic surgeries. What kinds of orthopedic surgeries are performed at Phelps Health? We do everything from hand surgery to hip and knee, and down to foot and ankle surgery. Our Orthopedics team can perform most orthopedic surgeries ...

Read Time: 6 Minutes If you suffer from chronic knee pain, you may feel like you’re unable to enjoy the things you love doing. While a knee replacement surgery is one option to help relieve joint pain, you may feel like you’re either too young or not ready for a knee replacement surgery. Many nonsurgical treatment options exist to help ...

Read Time: 2 Minutes For about 5 years, Dixon-area resident Cindy Dack simply dealt with edema, a condition that causes swelling due to excess fluid trapped in a person’s body tissues. “I lived thinking that this was going to be the way it was forever,” she said. The edema, which caused swelling in her thighs, made her feel uncomfortable. Even ...

Read Time: 2 Minutes If you have ever visited Phelps Health Hospital and walked through the North Entrance or shopped at the Repeat Boutique, you may have met Jeanette Birdsall. A volunteer with the Phelps Health Auxiliary and Volunteer Services for the past 7 years, Jeanette helps people at the North Entrance information desk 2 days a week and assists ...