Radiating Neck Pain

Radiating Neck Pain, also referred to as cervical radiculopathy or a “pinched nerve”, normally occurs when a nerve in your neck area becomes inflamed, exasperated, or compressed. In such cases, the nerve tends to diverge from the spinal cord. This can lead to pain that may spread to your shoulders. It can also lead to a feeling of numbness and weakness in your muscles. The pain can travel down to your arms and can reach your hands. Such problems tend to be aggravated, particularly due to the changes resulting from the wear and tear that your spine suffers with growing age.

An anatomical explanation: Your spine comprises 24 bones that are known as vertebrae. These are normally placed one on top of another. These bones then connect and form a canal that is supposed to protect your spinal cord. There are 7 small such bones that start right below your skull and make up your neck. These are known together as the cervical spine. The other parts of your spine are the spinal cord and nerves, and the intervertebral discs. The intervertebral discs are made up of Nucleus pulposus and Annulus fibrosus. The spinal nerves and cord can be likened to electrical cables that are spread across the spinal canal.

What causes neck pain?

There are two main reasons why radiating neck pain happens – degenerative changes, and herniated discs. In most cases, cervical radiculopathy occurs due to degenerative changes that take place on our spine even as we grow older. At times, injuries that lead to a bulge or hernia in the intervertebral disc may lead to such pain as well. As we grow older the discs in our spine grow older too and start to lose height. It is things like these that contribute to issues such as radiating neck pain in the end.

What are the symptoms?

The first sign is pain which starts at your neck and then goes down to your arm. This happens specifically in the area where the damaged nerve is supposed to work. The pain can either be sharp or burning. Some movements of your neck such as turning your head and straining or extending your neck can make the pain worse as well. There are some other symptoms such as a tingling sensation, as well as pins and needles in the hands.

How can it be treated?

There are two main ways in which this can be treated – non-surgically and surgically. In these cases, however, you should note that most of the patients who suffer from such pain get well with the passage of time. They do not need any treatment as such. In fact, in some of these cases, the pain goes away very quickly, in a matter of weeks or a few days. In some other cases, however, it could take longer as well. However, despite the improvement, it is possible for the pain to return in the future.

Foot Pain When Walking

Are you suffering from excruciating foot pain? You are not alone. Foot pain is quite a common problem.

There can be several reasons why your feet might be in pain. The first possible reason is the medical condition termed as “plantar fasciitis”, which is a painful condition where your plantar fascia is swollen or inflamed.

For the uninitiated, the plantar fascia is a thick group or collection of tissues that cover the lowermost part of your feet. Normally, when you have this particular condition it leads to a stabbing pain in the heel, as well as a lingering discomfort with the very first step that you would take in the morning. You may also feel the same when you are standing up after having sat for an extended period of time.

Calluses: Calluses can be described as a thick layer of skin that forms as a result of friction. The bottom of your foot is particularly vulnerable to callus formation. They appear to be thick covers of skin and have a somewhat yellowish tint. They can either be hard or flaky. If they are pretty thick, they can cause you discomfort when you walk and step on them. The good thing is that you can solve the problem by yourself.

Metatarsalgia: Metatarsalgia is a particularly painful type of inflammation, which arises from activities that involve constant leg movements, like jumping or running. It may result from the use of shoes that do not fit you well. A foot deformity may also cause or exacerbate metatarsalgia. There are several symptoms of this condition. You will suffer from the throbbing ache that can be burning, aching, or sharp. The pain would get worse when you walk, flex your foot, or even stand. It would feel like having a pebble in your shoe.

Morton’s neuroma: A Morton’s Neuroma causes the tissues that surround a nerve in the ball of your feet to become thick. This nerve is normally the one that extends to your toes. The condition usually arises between the fourth and the third toes and can cause a sharp pain or sensation of walking on a pebble. It results such things as nerve irritation, trauma, or pressure.

Tendinitis: Tendinitis occurs when your tendons get irritated or inflamed. Tendons are fibrous and look like “thick cords” that link bones and muscles. The signs of this condition would depend on the tendon that has been affected. The most common symptoms are a feeling of stiffness and aching that becomes worse when you keep moving. There are many kinds of tendinitis that can cause aches in your feet. The three commonest are Achilles tendinitis, peroneal tendinitis, and extensor tendinitis. In the first kind, the stiffness and pain occur along your Achilles tendon, as well as the back of your heel.

Treating a Baker’s Cyst

In many instances, a Baker’s cyst seems to vanish on its own. However, where this does not occur, you may need to seek treatment. In certain situations, the cyst can cause you discomfort and pain if it is big enough. Should this be the case a surgeon will likely suggest a few treatments.

Medicines

Your surgeon could inject corticosteroid medicine in your body such as cortisone, which can reduce inflammation around the knee. This is a fairly effective way of resolving painful symptoms, although the cyst may return.

Fluid drainage

Your doctor could remove, or aspirate, the fluid that has amassed in your knees. The fluid is removed with a needle, which is typically placed using medical imaging, such as ultrasound, x-ray or CT scan.

Physical therapy

There are several ways in which physical therapy can help treat a Baker’s cyst. Treatments might include:

Icing the area
Crutches
Compression wraps

This would help bring down the swelling and pain in the affected region.

It is important to also maintain motion while the condition is ongoing. This is where exercises that strengthen the knee muscle can be helpful. These would help reduce the symptoms and let the knee function normally later on.

The home and lifestyle remedies

In some cases, your doctor may recommend simply at-home steps that can be used to treat the Baker’s cyst, such as RICE therapy.

Following the principles of RICE

RICE stands for rest, compression, ice, and elevation. You need to rest the leg and ice the knee. You need to use a wrap to compress your knee.

You should keep the leg elevated as and when you can. This needs to be done especially at night. You should also try over the counter medicines that can relieve your pain, such as:

ibuprofen
naproxen sodium
acetaminophen
aspirin

Your Treatment Plan

Your doctor will try to treat the underlying cause of the cyst. However, a particular treatment is not always appropriate for every case. For example, the doctor may find a cartilage tear that is causing synovial fluid to be overproduced in the area. In that case, they may ask you to go for surgery so that the torn cartilage could be repaired. On the other hand, the Baker’s cyst may be due to arthritis. In such situations, if you treat your arthritis the cyst often improves as well. In such cases, you do not need any surgical intervention.

Exercises for Lower Back Pain

Stretching and strengthening exercises can be a helpful way of resolving back pain. It is best that your exercise regime is targeted to your specific condition, with the aid of a physiotherapist or the advice of a specialist. However, below is a general description of some exercises that often prove helpful when dealing with back pain.

Partial Crunches

Partial crunches are one of the classic exercises for strengthening your core, which can help build strength in your lower back as well as the related muscles. This makes it a great option for people who may be suffering from spondylosis.

Hamstring stretches

Hamstring stretches are a great exercise if you are looking to ease pain in the back leg area. This is a crucial part of your body especially because it contains some muscles that lend support to your lower spine. You can do this with a fitness band or a towel five times for each leg. Since you are in pain, it is always better to do this exercise as gently as you can.

Wall sits

Wall sits are a great exercise to try if you are experiencing pain in the lower back area. You can try them as a way of breaking the monotony of sitting on a couch. There are certain things that you should keep in mind so that you can do the exercise properly and avoid injury in the process:

Always be very careful
Do the exercise as slowly as you can
Do not rush it
Carry out around 8 to 12 times.

Bird dog

Bird dog is an exercise routine that has been created specifically to help you ease pain in the lower back area. It also teaches you how to stabilize your lower back when you are moving your limbs. You can do this exercise 8 to 12 times for each leg. Please remember that you need to stay in a definite position for this one. You should never lift your legs or arms any longer than what your lower back position would be able to maintain.

Knee to chest

This is also a great way to get power and functionality back in your legs and thus ease the pain in your lower back. There are some directions that you need to follow so that you can do the exercise in a safe way. You can do this on each leg for around 4 times.

Conclusion

Apart from these exercises you can also try the pelvic tilts. The main aim of such a workout is to make your pelvis area stronger. The pelvis is an important body part because it works in conjunction with your lower back.

Treating Club Foot

Club foot is a treatable condition that often affects newborns where the foot inverts inwards. An early diagnosis helps with treatment, so if your newborn is facing such a condition then you should see a medical opinion.

The bones, tendons, and joints of a newborn are rather supple. This is the major reason why the treatment of club foot starts within the first couple of weeks after the child is born, and ideally before your child learns how to walk. There are two major options of treatment:

Surgery; or,
Stretching and casting, which is also referred to as the Ponseti method

The Ponseti method

This is the most common method of treating club foot. This involves placing the foot into the correct position and casting it in place. Following this the foot will be recast and repositioned once each week. This will normally go on for a number of months.

More on the Ponseti method

The Ponseti method may also require some minor surgery. Often, surgery aims to lengthen the Achilles tendon. This procedure is referred to as percutaneous Achilles tenotomy and would be performed when the process of stretching and casting comes to an end. When the shape of your baby’s foot has been aligned properly you will typically continue with strengthening and stretching exercises.

Special braces may be used over the long term to keep the foot in place. Later on, they are mostly used during the night, for a maximum of 3 years.

Surgery

Surgery is needed when the foot is either not responding to non-surgical methods or is in a severe condition. An orthopaedic surgeon should be able to reposition and lengthen the ligaments and the tendons to better position the foot. After the surgery, your baby could be in a cast for as long as 2 months. After that, she or he would have to use a brace to ensure that the clubfoot never returns.

Conclusion

There is no guaranteed treatment for Club foot. However, if the condition is identified and treated early most issues, such as footwear or activity restrictions can be, can be solved in the long term.

Paediatric Foot Issues

Foot conditions can affect children as well as adults. The most common conditions include:

Plantar warts
Heel pain
Flat feet; and,
Ingrown toenails

However, in children these conditions have unique characteristics that are not shared with adults. Often these problems are occur more frequently in children. This could be because of a child’s active lifestyle as well as their growing bodies. For example, children can suffer from issues like flat feet and heel pain because of the changes that happen when their muscles and bones are growing.

Ingrown toenail: An Ingrown Toenail happens when the edge of your nail grows into the skin that lies next to it. This usually affects the big toe and is often painful and cause infection. Although this issue is more common in children, it can affect people of any age.

Plantar warts: A plantar wart can be described as a skin lesion that occurs on the sole of your foot, as a result of a virus. Often people mistake these for callus or corn, largely because they look very similar. You normally have a thick skin area that is circular in shape. This can cause discomfort, especially when weight is being put on that foot.

A plantar wart is also known as a verruca. They are most easily differentiated in appearance from a corn or callus by a black dot within the hardened skin.

Flat feet: Flat feet, medically termed ‘Pes Planus’, describe a condition where your feet have little to no arch. When this arises in children parents often become worried. There are many causes of flat feet in children, including developmental changes. Treatment is often not necessary, unless the flat feet are painful, as typically the condition naturally resolves as the child grows.

Heel pain: Heel pain, or Plantar fasciitis, is basically inflammation of the tissue band in part of your heel bone known as the plantar fascia. Plantar fasciitis normally occurs at the bottom of your heel. Heel pain at the back of the heel is rather common among the adolescents. This can happen because of a condition named Sever’s disease. In these cases, the pain is accompanied by a growth plate in the affected area.

Total Knee Replacement

The surgical procedure known as a Total Knee Replacement can be defined as a surgical process whereby a knee joint, which is in a diseased state, is replaced by artificial material. The knee is basically a hinge-like joint that helps you move. It is located right at the meeting point of lower leg and the thigh bone.

What patients should consider such treatment?

There are certain conditions where a Total Knee Replacement would be appropriate. These tend to be cases where your knee has been damaged almost beyond repair by conditions such as trauma or progressive arthritis. In the UK the most common reason for undergoing a Total Knee Replacement is severe osteoarthritis.

What are the risks of a Total Knee Replacement?

There are several possible risks and complications associated with a Total Knee Replacement, which include:

Blood clots
Infection
Nerve or tissue damage
Dislocation
Stiffness
Deep Vein Thrombosis

Pre-operative assessment

Your surgeon or Doctor will normally evaluate the joints that are located right next to your diseased knee. This includes the ankle and hip joints. If any of these joints are severely damaged as well, then merely replacing your knee would not be enough at all. In such cases only knee surgery would not improve things, as the surrounding diseased joint would experience greater pain.

After the Surgery: These procedures normally need anywhere between one and a half hours and 3 hours to be completed. After the surgery is done you would be taken to a recovery room. Here your vital organs would be monitored on a frequent basis. When you stabilize you would be taken back to your hospital room. In the immediate aftermath of such surgery, it may get difficult for you to pass urine.

Hip Replacement – A Surgical Procedure to Replace A Worn Out Hip Joint

A Hip Replacement is a surgical procedure where the hip joint is replaced with an artificial one. This form of treatment is recommended for a number of conditions, although it is most commonly used to treat osteoarthritis. This is essentially a last resort option. Generally, Doctors suggest surgery only when all other methods of treatment have failed to resolve the condition. In the case of Hip Replacement, this is when a condition, such as osteoarthritis, has impaired function of the joint and it is more effective to use a new one. This new joint, made of plastic and specialised metal alloys, improves the range and quality of motion of the joint and allows the return of normal movement.

What happens during Hip Replacement surgery?

There are two ways in which hip replacement surgeries can be performed. It can be done the traditional way or the surgeons may use minimally invasive techniques. The main point of difference between both is the size of the incision that is being made during the operation. In normal hip surgery, you will be given general anaesthesia so that your muscles are able to relax. This would also put you into a deep sleep and ensure that you do not feel any pain at the time of the surgery.

What happens after the surgery?

There is a likelihood that you may have to stay at the hospital for around 4-6 days. You may have to spend all this time in bed. A cushion, which is shaped like a wedge, would be placed between your legs and this is supposed to keep your hip joint in its proper place. A drainage tube would also be attached to your bladder. This would help you relieve yourself as and when you need to. You would also be treated with physical therapy from day one postoperatively.

Activities to avoid after such a surgery

You have to avoid pivoting or twisting on the affected leg where the surgery was done for a period of 6 months to a year following the surgery. In this period, you should also not cross the leg in question past your body’s midline. You should not turn it inward as well. You should also not bend your hip beyond 90 degrees. This means that you would not be able to squat or bend forward at your waist.

Preparing for the recovery period

There are a few small things that you can prepare at home for the postoperative period. These will make your life a lot easier.

Do not climb a lot of stairs.
Minimize movement while you are recovering.
Make sure you arrange things in such a way that you do not have to move more than once or twice a day.
You should always sit in a chair that is firm and has a straight back as well. You should not use recliners in this period.
Make sure that your rooms and floors are all clutter-free to mitigate the risk of tripping and falling.

What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that occurs when your body loses an excessive amount of bone material. As a result of this bones become weak and can easily break.

The microscopic structure of these bones

The word ‘Osteoporosis’ means porous bones. If you are healthy, when you look through a microscope your bones would look like a honeycomb. When you suffer from osteoporosis, the holes in the honeycomb become a lot bigger. Bones that are osteoporotic have lost either mass or density, which causes the structure to become weakened. This is more common in older people.

Once you are 50 years or older and have already suffered a broken bone you should ask your healthcare provider for a bone density test.

How common is osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is common. Studies have suggested that around 50% of women older than 50 years suffer broken bones owing to osteoporosis. This is less true for men, at around 25%.

It is a serious condition

Osteoporosis is a serious complication if you break a bone. This is especially true for the older people. The parts of your body that are the most vulnerable in this regard are the hips, wrists, and spine. Although other bones are also at risk. Osteoporosis can make it hard to resolve painful symptoms following a break. It may also affect the spine structures leading to a stooped or hunched back.

Conclusion

There are several treatments that can be used to return health to your bones, these would typically include:

Medications
Calcium and Vitamin Supplements
Hormone therapy

If you have osteoporosis it is important to seek medical advice should you break a bone.

How to Treat Back Pain

It is expected that most of us would experience back pain at some point in our lives. In 90 percent of these cases people heal on their own within a few weeks. However, when intervention is required there are several ways a doctor can go about it. Some of these are non-surgical; often treatment involves medicines and exercise. Some treatments are surgical; these tend to be used when conservative measures have not resolved the issue.

What causes back pain?

There are several reasons as why you may suffer from back pain. It could be because of conditions such as osteoporosis and arthritis. At times, you can also experience back pain because of a ruptured or damaged disc. This can lead to the centre of the spine, which is like a gel, leaking and thus exerting pressure on your nerves. Quite often a vertebra may lose its alignment and this can lead to back pain as well. Back pain may also happen because of a condition known as stenosis. In this case, your spinal canal starts to become narrower.

What are the various options for dealing with such pain?

Experts say that doctors and healthcare providers need to take a number of factors into account while determining how to deal with back pain. Doctors understand that there is no one formula that would successfully treat all back issues. Each person is unique and that means the treatment needs to be tailored to an individuals needs.

Over-treating the pain

This happens when you think of back pain in an exaggerated fashion and you overdo things. This is the reason why in countries such as the USA people are not getting relief from their back pain in spite of spending millions of dollars each year on treatments. It has to be acknowledged that this is quite a complex problem and a balanced back pain treatment plan is required.

Seeking advice

There a range of medical and healthcare specialists who can advise on and treat painful back conditions. These include: