Your Health | Mount Sinai Today

My Heel Hurts. Is It Plantar Fasciitis?

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Orthopedics, Your Health

cropped shot of man sitting on bed and suffering from foot pain

Each year, approximately two million patients in the United States are treated for an irritating heel pain caused by a condition with a difficult-to-pronounce name. Plantar fasciitis (pronounced PLAN-taar-fa-shee-AY-tus) is an inflammation of the plantar fascia—a thick band of tissue at the bottom of the foot—which connects your heel bone to your toes and helps support your arch.

This very common condition is the most frequent cause of heel pain and can affect just about anyone, though it’s pretty rare among kids. If left untreated, the pain can last for weeks, months, or even years.

Meghan Kelly, MD, Assistant Professor of Orthopedics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, explains why we experience this condition and when you should see a doctor.

What does it feel like to have plantar fasciitis?

You will probably feel pain in your heel, though it may also spread to your arch and along the bottom of your foot, all the way across to where your toes begin. Sometimes you’ll experience a slow burn, sometimes it really fires up. It’s usually most tender on the inside of the heel.

The pain usually starts first thing in the morning. You get out of bed, put your foot on the floor, and you feel pain on the bottom of the foot when you try to put your heel down. You may find you want to tiptoe around a little bit until things start to settle. Once your plantar fascia stretches out, it becomes more tolerable to walk on your whole foot.

Plantar fasciitis pain usually comes and goes throughout the day. It might feel better after walking a bit, then painful again if you’ve been sitting then stand up to walk, or if you’ve been on your feet for an extended period. That’s the unusual part about plantar fasciitis. While other conditions, like arthritis and Achilles tendonitis, get progressively worse throughout the day, the pain with plantar fasciitis waxes and wanes.

What causes plantar fasciitis?

This condition can occur for a variety of reasons, but is usually due to a change in the way your foot hits the ground. It can also stem from tightness in your foot and ankle muscles.

Often, people experience plantar fasciitis after a change in activity. Personally, I had that experience a few years ago, when I started wearing a pair of shoes with a really hard insole. Plantar fasciitis can also affect athletes when they change up their exercise routine. Occasionally we don’t know what caused the pain.

I saw a lot of plantar fasciitis as the world began opening back up after the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020. All of a sudden, people traded in their flip flops and sneakers for hard-bottomed shoes and heels. They started going back to the gym, commuting to the office, and walking around the city after having not done so for more than a year. And, their feet were not happy about it.

How is the condition diagnosed? Is it chronic?

Most of the time, plantar fasciitis is diagnosed by taking a patient’s medical history, going over a list of their symptoms, and pressing on the “magic spot” that really hurts. Typically, for plantar fasciitis patients, that spot is on the bottom of the heel, close to the instep. Sometimes doctors take X-rays to rule out other issues, such as bone spurs or a foot shape that might make you more prone to problems.

Thankfully, if treated completely, plantar fasciitis goes away and does not come back. If it does come back, that means you never really got a hold of the condition the first time around.

Do I need to see a doctor?

There’s a good chance you can address plantar fasciitis on your own. But, if you find the condition is affecting your daily activities, you should consider going to the orthopedist. A doctor can make sure you do have plantar fasciitis, not something else, and can give you some simple stretches to treat it.

Make an appointment with Dr. Kelly

Learn more about Orthopedics at Mount Sinai

Is It Normal to Have Irregular Periods?

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | OB/GYN, Women's Health, Your Health

Young woman lies on sofa with stomach cramps

Most people know menstruation is normal vaginal bleeding that is part of the monthly cycle which prepares the body for a possible pregnancy. But you may have some questions about the regular—or irregular—ebb and flow of your cycle.

Tamara N. Kolev, MD, Assistant Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, explains how mundane activities can affect your cycle and why one or two irregular periods is nothing to worry about.

Is it normal to have irregular periods? When should I worry about them?

Your menstrual cycle tells us about your overall health and hormone balance. Most people find that the time from the first day of one period to the first day of the next is about the same every month. This time span, called a cycle, can be anywhere from 22 to 35 days. Women on birth control tend to have periods that are shorter, lighter, or—depending on the birth control—disappear altogether.

If you have an irregular period once or twice, that’s probably fine. But, if you notice that you’re continually having irregular periods, it’s better to get evaluated to diagnose the underlying reason and get your body back in balance.

Why am I bleeding in between periods?

There are several reasons why some women have minor bleeding (spotting) between periods. It could be as simple as too much stress, too little sleep or certain medications. The cause could also be a physical condition, such as fibroids, cervical or uterine polyps, or a chromosomal abnormality, all of which are generally non-cancerous (benign).If you’re at all concerned, you should check in with your primary care doctor or gynecologist.

If I exercise regularly, will my period be lighter–or will I even skip a period?

Exercise can help regulate your periods. When you exercise, your body releases hormones such as endorphins and serotonin, which can also help with menstrual pain, cramps, and mood disturbance. But if you exercise too much—especially if you also don’t eat enough—you may skip a period because your body needs a certain amount of body fat to produce estrogen and maintain the hormonal balance required to have normal periods.

What about diet and weight gain, will either—or both—affect my period?

Gaining or losing a few pounds shouldn’t affect your menstrual cycle. But if your weight changes dramatically, especially if it happens quickly, it can affect your periods. Along the same lines, if you’re not getting enough calories and nutrients to maintain a healthy hormonal balance and produce enough estrogen, your periods may become irregular or may skip a month altogether.

In terms of your daily eating habits, there is growing evidence that what you eat can affect premenstrual syndrome symptoms, such as mood swings, bloating, and fatigue. It can help to eat foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and calcium or take vitamin D or calcium supplements. Doctors also recommend reducing your intake of fat, salt, and caffeine. Additionally, not having enough iron in your system can make your periods shorter and less regular. And if you have heavy bleeding when you menstruate, that may lower your iron level.

Alcohol use and smoking can also affect your period. While a glass or two of wine shouldn’t cause fluctuations, heavy drinking can disrupt your hormones and lead to late or irregular periods. Heavy smoking can shorten your menstrual cycle and make periods heavier and more painful.

How will stress and lack of sleep affect my period?

When your body is under stress, it can go into fight-or-flight mode, which may signal the body to overproduce certain stress hormones. This could change your overall hormonal balance. Lack of sleep, in particular, affects both stress hormones and melatonin levels. Melatonin is a hormone that helps to regulate the start of your period and the length of your cycle. For this reason, changes in melatonin levels can affect your cycle. You may find your periods delayed, or they might skip a month altogether.

When should I see a doctor?

Typically, if you often have bleeding between periods or especially heavy bleeding, you should get it checked out. For premenopausal women, if you don’t have a regular cycle, or if you miss your periods regularly or for several months, you should be evaluated, even if you think the reason is excessive diet or exercise or not getting enough sleep. In general, if you’re at all concerned, make an appointment with your gynecologist for a check-up.

Can I get pregnant during my period?

If it’s truly your period, then no, you cannot get pregnant while menstruating. However, if you’ve been having irregular bleeding between periods, you may be unsure if the bleeding is a real period or if you are bleeding during ovulation. If you are bleeding while ovulating, then you could get pregnant.

Will my period change as I get older?

Yes. After menarche (onset of menses) your period may be irregular and unpredictable. But as you get older, certainly by your 20s, it should become more regular. As you get older, and you approach menopause, your periods will likely start to spread apart and become lighter and less regular. If, instead, they get heavier or more frequent, then it’s important to have that evaluated.

Make an appointment with Dr. Kolev

Learn more about OB/GYN Services at Mount Sinai

Going Blind In One Eye? You May Be Having an Eye Stroke

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Eye Health, Your Health

Sudden vision loss in one eye may be a sign of Central Retinal Artery Occlusion (CRAO), commonly referred to as eye stroke. Like a stroke in the brain, it is a medical emergency and must be diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible to prevent irreversible loss of vision.

It is estimated that about 12,000 people suffer an eye stroke every year. Risk factors include smoking, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and narrowing of the carotid or neck arteries, but it can affect anyone, particularly those over 60 years of age.

In this Q&A, Richard B. Rosen, MD, Chief of Retina Service at Mount Sinai Health System and Vice Chair and Director of Ophthalmology Research at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEE), explains Mount Sinai’s unique approach in this area, and how getting to a hospital as soon as possible can help doctors diagnose your problem and restore your vision.

“Eye stroke must be addressed immediately to prevent permanent vision loss. If you wake up with vision loss, get to the emergency room as quickly as possible, don’t put it off until after breakfast,” says Dr. Rosen, who is also Professor of Ophthalmology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “That will enable doctors at Mount Sinai to restore your vision if it’s an eye stroke and, if it’s something else, we can send you to an ophthalmologist. Not all hospital emergency departments have the specialized equipment and procedures we have in place to ensure patients get treatment in an expedited fashion.”

What is an eye stroke?

Blood vessels supply oxygen and nutrients to the retina, the light-sensitive tissue in the back of the eye. The retina transfers visual signals to the brain, which enable us to see images clearly. If an artery is blocked, it can deprive the retina of oxygen and can cause the retinal nerve cells to die unless blood flow is quickly restored.

What are the symptoms?

There are four key symptoms of eye stroke. They are:

Severe blurring or complete loss of vision may occur suddenly, and almost always only in one eye. It is often described as a curtain crossing over the vision, or it may appear totally black or white.
An eye stroke is painless, which often makes it different from other causes of vision loss.
Blurring may worsen over a few minutes and sometimes improve suddenly.
Painless vision loss may also be a sign of a stroke in the brain, and patients experiencing eye stroke are at risk for brain stroke.

Why is it so important to act quickly?

Anyone experiencing these symptoms must get immediate medical treatment, even if symptoms seem to improve. Even temporary vision loss might indicate an increased risk of stroke or future vision loss. The Emergency Departments at several Mount Sinai hospitals are equipped to diagnose (or rule out) and treat eye stroke quickly: NYEE, The Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai West, and Mount Sinai Queens. Treatment must be administered within 6-12 hours (ideally in less than six hours) to prevent irreversible vision loss. A team of Mount Sinai retina specialists is available 24/7 to make a diagnosis using non-invasive imaging. If a retinal artery occlusion is not the cause, doctors can address your problem or connect you with the appropriate eye doctor.

How is eye stroke treated?

To dissolve the clot, an interventional radiologist administers an injection of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), a clot-busting drug, directly into the blocked artery. There is a small window to intervene. To prevent permanent blindness, blood flow to the retina must be restored within six to 12 hours, and the sooner blood flow can be restored the more vision can be saved. TPA represents the latest advancement in eye stroke treatment, an area that NYEE has been actively researching.

How do doctors at Mount Sinai diagnose eye stroke?

NYEE, part of Mount Sinai Health System, has developed an eye stroke protocol, working with the Mount Sinai Stroke Center, that combines the expertise of ophthalmologists, neuroradiologists, neurologists, and emergency department faculty. Trained staff are available 24/7 to take images of the eye. The images are sent to one of NYEE’s retina specialists to make a rapid diagnosis. If an eye stroke is confirmed, the Mount Sinai Stroke Service begins treatment immediately to save the patient’s sight.

Mount Sinai doctors accurately diagnose eye stroke using advanced optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems, a technology that most hospitals do not have available at the point of care. The non-invasive system detects swelling by using infrared light to produce digital images of the retina at very high resolution. Using this system, what might take one or two hours in some facilities, can now be done in about 15 minutes at Mount Sinai, thereby saving valuable time.

Make an appointment with Dr. Rosen

Should I Tell My Doctor About My Cannabis Use?

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Featured, Mental Health, Psychiatry, Your Health

Now that New York and many other states around the country have decriminalized medicinal and recreational cannabis, some are interested in partaking. To those people, Yasmin Hurd, PhD, Director of the Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai, advises that marijuana is just like any other drug, even if it’s now legal.

Dr. Hurd is an internationally renowned expert on addiction and related psychiatric disorders who has been at the forefront of research into cannabinoid (CBD), a substance derived from the hemp plant that is now seen in many retail stores. In this Q & A, she explains what you need to know if you are heading to the cannabis dispensary and why disclosing marijuana use to your primary care physician is critical.

What advice do you have for those new to marijuana who are interested in partaking now that recreational use is legal?

You have to really be careful about where you obtain your cannabis. There are bad actors out there, and we have seen that some items which have been marketed as cannabis can actually contain products that are not. Recently, we have seen cannabis that has been laced with fentanyl, which is a highly potent and highly addictive opioid. So, the source from which you obtain your cannabis is critical. For now, the safest way to get marijuana in New York is to get a prescription from a physician and buy it in a state dispensary.

Should I tell my doctor that I am using marijuana? Why?

It is critical to tell your doctor if you are using any cannabis product. Like any drug, cannabis is broken down into various active chemicals that your body can use by liver enzymes. If you are taking any other pharmaceutical drugs, cannabis may interact with the same liver enzymes and either diminish or increase the activity beyond its intended use. So, your doctor absolutely has to know to avoid a potentially dangerous drug interaction.

One of the benefits of legalization is that there should not be any risk in being honest with your doctor about your cannabis use. The more honest that you can be, the better medical care you can receive.

Is it true that marijuana is non-addictive?

Many people don’t realize that you can become addicted to cannabis. In fact, the rate of diagnosis of “cannabis use disorder” is about 30 percent in people who frequently use the drug. That percentage is not much different from highly addictive drugs like cocaine and opioids even though cannabis is not as highly addictive.

The reason that we have such a high prevalence of cannabis use disorder being diagnosed is that a greater number of people use cannabis, so more people can convert into addiction. Often, the higher addiction is due to the higher potency of today’s cannabis.

What specifically is different about today’s marijuana?

Today’s recreational cannabis has a very high concentration of THC (short for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. It has gone from approximately four percent THC to, in some products, nearly 24 percent. And certain products, even those obtained from dispensaries, could have 70 percent THC. This is much higher than 10 or 20 years ago.

The greater the THC concentration, the greater the potential impact on a user’s mental health, and the greater the potential to become addicted. For a safer, higher-quality product, look for cannabis that has a verified certificate of analysis—this indicates that the product has been thoroughly checked for contaminants, pesticides, and other harmful materials, and it allows you to view its THC levels as well as other ingredients.

Is hemp-based THC safer than cannabis-based THC?

In short, no. THC is the same if purified in a safe manner for human use, whether it is derived from hemp or cannabis. However, the amount of THC that can be produced from hemp is low—the plant contains less than .3 percent THC—, so most THC is obtained from cannabis.

It is important to understand that even though marijuana may be legal for recreational and medicinal purposes in New York, on the federal level it is still a Schedule 1 drug which means that it is considered to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

However, CBD—which is derived from hemp—is federally legal. There are some who try to get around cannabis’ federal status by selling a hemp-based THC product under the name ‘delta-8-THC.’ In the cannabis plant, it is delta-9-THC that causes the ‘high’ and, large concentrations of the substance can cause mental health issues. While there is not a lot known about delta-8-THC, we do know that it can cause euphoria, though milder than delta-9-THC.

Many companies are marketing delta-8-THC as the safer—and legal—option, but that is not true. For example, since the amount of THC in the hemp plant is low, some manufacturers try to forego the natural process of deriving the substance and use chemicals to artificially increase the amount of delta-8-THC. Additionally, some bad actor companies are faking their certificate of analysis to say that their product is delta-8-THC, when it turns out that it contains delta-9-THC and harmful materials like lead and heavy metals.

Are there any other drawbacks to frequent cannabis use?

In addition to potentially developing an addiction to cannabis, with use of highly potent cannabis products, we see mental health related problems. For example, issues with attention, memory, and cognition. Those are a side effect of chronic cannabis use, and even occasional use can impair motor issues. We also see the risk for psychosis, especially in certain younger people, when they use cannabis.

And, for any drug that is being consumed by smoking, you also incur the risk of pulmonary issues as smoking which is not good for your lungs.

Has marijuana been proven to alleviate any medical conditions?

There are certain synthetic THC products that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for anti-nausea purposes to help increase the appetite of people going through chemotherapy. The FDA has also approved the use of CBD, in particular Epidiolex^®, for two rare childhood forms of epilepsy.

Other than that, neither cannabis nor CBD have been approved for anything else. But there are a lot of clinical trials currently being done. So we’ll see how those pan out in a few years.

How does legalizing marijuana benefit the medical community?

Legalizing marijuana is a double-edged sword for the medical community. We want to make sure that people are healthy, and any time you take a drug that you most likely do not need that can have negative effects on mental health, that’s not great. But the legalization of marijuana makes it easier for patients to be honest with their doctors about their cannabis use, which overall gives patients better outcomes because a physician will know exactly what their patient is taking and can, therefore, guide their care in a much better way.

Also, for my fellow researchers, the fact that cannabis is no longer illegal in some states makes it easier for us to investigate what may be the benefits and adverse effects of its use for certain disorders. It also allows us to better guide physicians and their patients about how to use cannabis, if they choose to use cannabis.

Yasmin Hurd, PhD, is the Ward-Coleman Chair of Translational Neuroscience and the Director of the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai. She is currently the principal investigator on a clinical trial of CBD for treating opioid use disorder, a neuroimaging study of CBD’s effects on the human brain, and a study looking at neurodevelopmental effects of cannabis and its epigenetic regulation.

Learn more about the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai

How Do I Know If My Wisdom Teeth Must Go?

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Dental and Oral Health, Your Health

The painful appearance of wisdom teeth is a rite of passage for many teenagers and young adults. These third molar teeth often present during the transitional period between childhood and adulthood, thus earning their name, “wisdom teeth.” Their presence can cause many issues, such as pain, swelling, crowding in the mouth, and even cysts and tumors. Many people who develop these problems need to have the teeth extracted, although there are some fortunate individuals who do not develop them or even need to have them removed.

To increase your wisdom about these molars, Michael D. Turner, DDS, MD, Chief of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at The Mount Sinai Hospital, answers patients’ most frequently asked questions.

Do we need wisdom teeth?

In our mouths, we typically develop three sets of molars, which are the wide teeth in the back of the upper and lower jaws. Your “wisdom teeth” are the third set of molars, which are the most posterior teeth. Typically, they fully develop at age 18, although this happens slightly earlier or later for some.

Wisdom teeth were most useful for early humans who, thousands of years ago, had a diet of tough meat, roots, and leaves. Now, most people eat food that has been softened by cooking so the jaws have decreased in size and have become too small to accommodate three sets of molars. Because of this, the third molars, for the most part, do not erupt fully. We call this an “impaction.”

What are some signs and symptoms that wisdom teeth are coming in?

Symptomatic third molars can present in multiple fashions, including:

Jaw pain
Swelling overlying the third molar sites
Pus and foul odor from the site
Halitosis, also known as bad breath

If your wisdom teeth are impacted—not emerging—and causing pain, they should be removed during an individuals’ late teens to their mid-twenties to decrease the amount of complications from the surgery that can occur.

However, if impacted teeth are not causing any symptoms, your dentist may not recommend removal, since extraction of impacted third molars should be based on the clinical and radiographic findings. So, if they are not causing pain, you might be one of the lucky few who will not need to have the teeth removed.

What should I expect during a wisdom tooth extraction?

Wisdom tooth extraction is typically performed as an outpatient procedure. Patients can have the procedure with just local anesthesia or with sedation, depending on their preference. Often the procedure is complete in one hour, although, this depends on both the complexity of the extraction and the number of teeth being removed.

After the removal of the teeth, most people are swollen. This swelling takes three to four days to resolve. Full recuperation generally takes five to seven days, so if parents do not want kids to miss school, the summer or winter breaks are the best times to schedule. Most patient’s pain can be controlled by ibuprofen, although sometimes a small amount of a stronger pain medication is prescribed.

What complications should I look out for following surgery?

Dry socket is a problem that occurs about two to three days after surgery. It happens when the blood clot, which forms at the base of a tooth extraction, is dislodged—or dissolves—before the area can sufficiently heal. Without the blood clot’s presence, the underlying bone is exposed, causing pain and a bad taste and smell. Most patients report that healing is proceeding as normal and then, suddenly, they experience a pulsing sharp pain in the area of the extraction. Fortunately, dry socket can easily be managed by your surgeon by cleaning the area and applying a medicated dressing.

Post-surgical infections are rare and if they occur, are not apparent until three or four weeks following the surgery. Typically, infection is an effect of the bone healing, although food that gets caught in the extraction socket while healing can be the culprit. Post-operative antibiotics have not been shown to prevent infections from occurring. Patients are only prescribed antibiotics if there is an active infection.

The most significant complication that can occur due to the removal of the lower third molars is a change in nerve sensation to the lower lip, teeth, chin, and gums. Although this side effect occurs at about the same rate regardless of age, the rate of permanent sensation change increases with age. If you wait until you are older, then you are at a much higher risk.

My wisdom teeth are not causing me any pain. What happens if I never have them pulled out?

If the teeth are completely impacted and surrounded by bone, most likely nothing will occur. Although, occasionally the developmental cyst that is present around the third molar can transform into an aggressive and destructive cyst, or rarely, into a benign tumor.

However, if your wisdom teeth have partially emerged, they can become decayed, cause decay on adjacent teeth, or become infected.

If you, or your child, are experiencing signs that your wisdom teeth are emerging, it’s best to make an appointment with your dentist.

Make an appointment with Dr. Turner at the following locations:

Mount Sinai Union Square
Otolaryngology and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
10 Union Square East, Suite 5B
New York, NY 10003
212-844-6881

Mount Sinai Doctors East 85th Street
Otolaryngology and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
234 East 85th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10028
212-241-9410

Learn more about Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Mount Sinai

What You Need to Know About Heart Inflammation and the COVID-19 Vaccines

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Children's Health, COVID-19, Vaccines, Your Health

A woman talking to her young male patient in medical office

Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are investigating a link between COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna and heart inflammation in young men and boys.

Kristin Oliver, MD, MHS, a pediatrician and preventive medicine physician at the Mount Sinai Health System and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, and Environmental Medicine and Public Health, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, explains what parents, guardians, and young adults need to know about this rare side effect.

What is the situation as you see it?

The COVID-19 mRNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have been linked to cases of myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart, and pericarditis, which is inflammation of the sac-like covering around the heart. Myocarditis and pericarditis can happen after an infection from different viruses, including SARS-CoV-2—the virus that causes COVID-19. They are more commonly seen in males.

How common is this side effect?

Myocarditis and pericarditis can be serious but, fortunately, these side effects to vaccination are very rare. While we don’t know the precise rate of these side effects in relation to COVID-19 vaccines, we do know that it is more commonly seen in men and boys and after the second dose of the vaccine. Signs of myocarditis and pericarditis tend to become visible within four days of the vaccine dose.

Keep in mind that as of July 2021, more than 52 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the United States to people ages 30 or younger, and the CDC has only confirmed about 600 reports of myocarditis or pericarditis in connection with vaccination in this age group. The cases connected to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine have also been mild. So, the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination in this group still outweigh the risks of getting myocarditis from the vaccine.

What are the signs of myocarditis/pericarditis?

People with heart inflammation experience chest pains, difficulty breathing, heart palpitations, and excessive sweating. These symptoms may also be accompanied by stomach pain, dizziness, coughing, unexplained swelling, and even fainting. If a recently vaccinated person shows symptoms of myocarditis or pericarditis, they should seek medical attention.

The most common side effects from COVID-19 vaccination are pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, fever, chills, muscle pain, or joint pain. These vaccination side effects can be managed with over-the-counter medication and rest.

What do you say to families who are concerned about this serious, but rare, side effect?

I’m honest with families when I talk about it, and I understand that it’s disappointing to learn about this connection. But because it happens so rarely and because COVID-19 infection can have serious consequences in adolescents and young adults, the benefits of vaccination still outweigh the risks.

In making any medical decision we are weighing the potential risks and benefits. Remember, the risks of COVID-19 infection in this age group are real and so are benefits of COVID-19 vaccination. Data from the CDC estimate that if we vaccinate one million males between the ages of 12 and 17, we will prevent: 5,700 cases of COVID-19, 215 hospitalizations, 71 ICU stays, and 2 deaths in this group.

But I always recommend that parents talk with their pediatrician about any concerns. Pediatricians know what’s important to you and your family and have lots of experience giving vaccines and answering these questions.

Get more COVID-19 vaccine information from Mount Sinai

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