Patrick J. McDaid, M.D.

Hand cramps can be extremely uncomfortable and either sporadic or chronic. When your hand cramps up, you may have difficulty making a fist or bringing your fingers together. You might experience cramping in other parts of your body as well. While hand cramping isn’t da...

Despite how common knuckle cracking is, there has been considerable debate regarding where the noise comes from, and whether it cause long term effects to your joints. Knuckle cracking is a common behavior that many people perform on a daily basis. It can become a habi...

Sunburn is skin damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) rays. Any exposed part of your body can burn. Signs and symptoms of sunburn usually appear within a few hours after sun exposure. But it may take a day or longer to know the full extent of your sunburn.

It usually causes...

Summertime means enjoying beautiful hikes outdoors, weeding your garden, or just taking the dog for leisurely walk. But these activities, while seemingly sounding serene and relaxing, can lead to another summer pastime…battling a bad case of poison ivy.

Poison ivy is a...

Fever, tiredness, dry cough and shortness of breath are common symptoms of COVID-19, but not everyone who develops the disease has the same symptoms. Symptoms may manifest in other ways in some people; particularly children. Doctors are seeing skin rashes and purple sp...

By now, the majority of us have transitioned from working in an office to working at home. For some, a home office may already be something you have set up. For others, it means sitting at the kitchen table or on the couch with a laptop propped up on a pillow. 

As we na...

Respiratory viruses like coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can be spread when mucus or droplets containing the virus get into your body through your eyes, nose or throat. Most often, this happens through your hands. Hands are also one of the most common ways that the viru...

Arthritis can be a painful and debilitating condition, one that makes your regular routine difficult because it affects your hand joints, along with other areas of your body. It can make even the simplest tasks difficult. A little help from some assistive devices — and...

Texting has become one of the most popular forms of communication, and statistics show just how staggering the usage is:

• Over 6 billion text messages are sent each day in the US

• The average adult spends a total of 23 hours a week texting

• Americans send 69,...

The winter months can be a festive and fun time of year. However, they can also bring many hazards that lead to hand, wrist, elbow or shoulder injuries. Snow shoveling and removal are strenuous and sometimes risky activities that can lead to injury.

According to the U.S...