In some ways, kidney stones are hard to miss. But if this particular ailment is new to you (or a loved one), you might not immediately recognize the cause of your symptoms.

Kidney stones are small pieces of minerals that bind together in your urinary tract. They can develop for a wide variety of reasons, but they almost universally cause significant discomfort. This pain usually starts in the back and works its way into the groin as the kidney stones work through the urinary tract. For many patients, passing kidney stones is the most painful part of this condition.

Physicians have long looked for practical ways to address pain and discomfort. For many years, managing pain relied on the frequent use of opioid-based medications. But given that the downsides of long-term opioid use have been well documented, physicians are now much more reluctant to prescribe these powerful drugs.

That’s why pain management provided at an ambulatory surgery center has become a critical service for many patients. An ASC is able to provide injections and minimally invasive outpatient procedures designed to help patients manage acute and chronic pain.

Is hockey the most dangerous sport? What about skiing or snowboarding? There’s something about a winter sports injury, where speed is often coupled with cold weather, that can make athletes (and their parents) particularly nervous.

It’s easy to underestimate the importance of sleep. Maybe that’s because nearly 70% of Americans report that they aren’t getting the sleep they need anyway. For many, this means night after night of tossing and turning. Others might simply wake up feeling groggy and exhausted.

Sleep deficits and disruptions such as these can lead to significant health problems over the long term. So if you’re having sleep trouble, it’s a good idea to find out why!

For many people, back pain is a complete mystery. Even when the cause is pretty obvious–you were carrying something that was too heavy–the precise location of the injury can be rather opaque. Yes, you hurt your back, but… what part of your back? In other cases, back pain can be more subtle: a constant ache or aggravation that’s with you day in and day out.

Often, the cause of back pain can be traced back to your spinal health. And because September is National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month, now is a great time to clear up some of the mysteries surrounding the spine, the back, and the best way to avoid spine injuries.

For most women, seeing an OBGYN on a regular basis is critical to your long term wellness. That’s because this medical specialty is dedicated to women’s health. An OBGYN (which stands for obstetrician-gynecologist) will offer a wide range of reproductive and general wellness services.

In this way, regular visits to your OBGYN can help keep you healthy and thriving!

Iowa City, Iowa, May 18, 2021 — Iowa City Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) is honored to announce that it has received the 2020 National APEX Quality Award. The award recognizes the Iowa City ASC’s commitment to creating exceptional patient experiences.

For everyone at the Iowa City ASC, receiving this award for 2020 is especially meaningful, given how tumultuous and challenging the past year has been for healthcare facilities across the country. That Iowa City ASC was able to help patients feel welcomed, relieved, and cared for in such an environment is a humbling and rewarding confirmation that healthcare’s central mission must always place the patient’s comfort and wellness first.

You wouldn’t be the first person to take urination for granted. But that all changes once you start feeling the first symptoms of an enlarged prostate, especially if it means you have trouble peeing. Maybe you feel like you’re not able to fully empty your bladder or you begin to lose control of when (and how much) you urinate.

Urolift is a non-surgical solution to an enlarged prostate that does not trim or remove the prostate. Instead, Urolift simply nudges the enlarged organ out of the way.

Finding the right surgeon for your total knee replacement surgery is vital, and that’s why patients are encouraged to spend time selecting the right orthopedic surgeon for their needs. The problem is that many patients don’t know where to start.

Should they select a surgeon based on what they think life after a knee replacement may look like? Or should patients simply trust whatever referral they get from their general practitioner? In general, there are a few different strategies that patients can try.

Life after a knee replacement is expected to be less painful and more mobile. At the same time, total knee replacement isn’t a procedure that most surgeons recommend rushing into. It’s hard for patients to know when the ideal moment to undergo joint replacement surgery might be. Usually, total knee replacement is recommended for those between the ages of 50-80. But even within that age bracket, it’s natural to wonder: when is the right age for a knee replacement?