How To Deal With Chronic Knee Pains For Good
Anybody who has experienced chronic pain in the knee will tell you that they are willing to do absolutely anything just to ease the excruciating pain. This condition, which is commonly known as chronic patellofemoral syndrome, is actually caused by the deterioration of the cartilage just beneath the kneecap.
You will know that you are suffering from this problem if you experience pain inside your knee especially when you are climbing stairs, running, jumping or sometimes, when simply sitting for a prolonged time.
Is Surgery The Key?
The most common treatment option for this condition is athroscopic surgery, in which a device is inserted inside the knee to identify the problem area and repair it. According to statistics, over 650,000 individuals in the US undergo such surgery, which costs about US$5,000, in hopes of finally getting relief from the agonizing knee pains.
Finland's ORTON Research Institute of Helsinki invited 56 participants to a study that aimed to determine the effectiveness of athroscopic surgery vis-
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mild knee pain on climbingA Solution to Muscle Weakness
MUSCLE WEAKNESS
If a muscle is not given any work to do each little muscle fibre becomes thinner and the whole muscle begins to lose its strength. Some groups of muscles become weak faster than others. When a footballer has a knee injury his quadriceps, the muscles on the front of his thigh get weak very rapidly. These muscles need exercising early on in order to increase their strength so that he can return to his team as soon as possible. It is also very important that all patients are given exercises to restore muscle strength as soon as possible and so minimise the amount of weakness that occurs. These early exercises, therefore, have to be carefully designed so as to complement the other Physio techniques. Exercises are needed for all the muscle groups in the affected area and they are adapted to suit each patient's requirements.
Ideally exercises are part of the ongoing treatment once the initial pain has subsided. Muscles only respond to the demands placed on them. When an injury has healed the muscles will recover in response to the amount of work they are asked to do. If the limb is favoured then the muscle will never recover its normal function. After a period in bed, during which time the leg muscles have been completely inactive, one feels weak at the knees when up. Stay in bed too long and the muscle fibres become so weak that one wouldn't even be able to stand up. So in the case of a long illness or a long-term injury the muscles have to be given specific work to do to build up and restore the power required for every day living. In so many cases, due to the absence of specific exercises, a compromise is struck and the body has to make do. People are heard to say - I've never had any strength in my back since my accident - my shoulder has always been weak since the car crash - that's my bad leg - I'm always going over on that ankle - I've never been able to open a jar with that hand since I broke my wrist - etc. etc.
All of these situations are examples of inadequate muscle power. Even after a long period of time muscles can still adapt and strengthen in response to stimuli from the right type of exercises. Muscular imbalance can lead to problems in the future. For instance a calf injury will result in weakness of the muscles and if not restored to normal strength running and even walking will be slightly out of kilter. This puts strain on other muscles and joints. By being aware of and practising 'special warm-up exercises' prior to any bout of violent exercise many of the torn muscles, trapped nerves, sprained ankles or back problems which occur can be prevented. Exercises only increase the strength in muscles when they are done on a regular basis.
http://www.londonphysiocentre.com
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muscle weakness,weakness of muscles,what is the solution of weaknessDizziness and Vertigo: Two Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore
This may come as a shock to you, but we all have rocks in our heads. Actually the "rocks," tiny crystals of calcium carbonate, are deep inside our ears and help us to sense and respond to motion. Sometimes the crystals (called otoconia) shake loose and float to other parts of the inner ear. The result is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) and it's awful.
I know because it happened to me. My BPPV is the result of an accidental blow to my jaw bone. It wasn't a big blow, just enough to shake up things. Within an hour I was feeling dizzy. Eight hours later I was lying in bed and moaning. My entire world was out of whack.
The bed felt like it was spinning and the room felt like it was spinning, too. I was so dizzy I couldn't take a step, let alone walk. In addition to these symptoms I had bouts of sweating, followed by bouts of chills. Light bothered my eyes and I tried covering them with a blanket, but the blanket made my vertigo worse so I uncovered them again. Constant nausea was the worst symptom and I thought I would throw up at any minute.
Mayo Clinic lists symptoms of BPPV on its Website, http://www.MayoClinic.com, and I had most of them: dizziness, vertigo, lightheadedness, unsteadiness, loss of balance, and nausea. Blurred vision after quick movements was the only symptom I didn't have have. Health experts describe BPPV as a "balance and dizziness disorder," a "bothersome" and "temporary" condition. These words don't tell the real story.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is debilitating. I've had it several times and it knocks me flat.
Because I'm a health care journalist I decided to learn more about BPPV and looked it up on the Internet, using the words "canalith repositioning maneuver." More than 1,450 references popped up and the most comprehensive is by Timothy C. Hain, MD, "Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo." Reading it was like reading my own case history.
According to Hain, head injury is the most common cause of BPPV in people under 50 years of age. This statistic includes kids. "About 50% of all dizziness is due to BPPV," Hain goes on to explain. Rolling over in bed and getting out of bed can cause BPPV, Hain says, and it can return after a visit to the beauty shop or dentist - things that also happened to me.
What can you do about BPPV? If you have a mild case you can wait it out and hope the "ear rocks" go back to their original place or dissolve naturally. And if you wait it out Hain recommends using two pillows at night, not sleeping on your "bad" side, getting up slowly, and sitting on the edge of the bed a few minutes before walking.
Your other options are office treatment, home treatment, and in severe cases, surgical treatment. Fortunately, my husband is a physician and knew what to do. He helped me with the Canalith Repositioning Procedure, described by John M. Epley, MD in 1992. Only a trained professional should perform this procedure, according to The Vestibular Disorders Assocciation.
Scary as it may sound, the procedure is quite simple and Mayo Clinic has posted a slide presentation about it on its Website, http://www.MayoClinic.com. As Mayo Clinic explains, the goal of the procedure is "to move particles from the fluid-filled simicircular chambers of your inner ear to a tiny bag-like structure (utricle) where these particles don't cause trouble."
During the procedure your physician watches your eyes closely. The movement of your eyes tells him or her which ear has the loose crystals.
After the procedure you must sit up for 48 hours. If you lie flat while you're sleeping the procedure has to be repeated and you go back to square on on time. Even if you do it right the Canalith Repositioning Procedure may have to be repeated. The Vestibular Disorders Association describes the procedure as "very effective, with an approximate cure rate of 80%."
The procedure helps me, but it isn't a quick fix, and I usually repeat it. At night I sleep on the couch, with pillows behind my back to prop me up and a small pillow at my neck to hold it in a vertical position. Your doctor may recommend a neck collar to hold your neck in place.
Trained health professionas may perform other procedures to ease your BPPV. Again, The Vestibular Disorders Association says these procedures "must only be performed by a professional who is trained in the maneuvers and safeguard against possible neck or back injury . . . ."
Have you had sudden dizziness or vertigo? Don't ignore these symptoms and get a checkup now. Your physician will conduct and/or order tests to rule out detaching retina, esophageal reflex, brain tumor, and other diseases. Watch for symptoms of BPPV if your child is hit in the head.
Having BPPV has made me appreciate things I used to take for granted, like keeping my balance and walking straight. I'm amazed by the spiral design of the ear and its "ear rocks." Yes, I have rocks in my head an I'm glad of it!
Copyright 2005 by Harriet Hodgson
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back head pain dizziness,vertigo symptomsIntroduction to Symptoms
Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that materializes when the body's immune system begins to attack its own tissues and organs. The inflammation that results from lupus can affect many different areas throughout the body, including the joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart and lungs.
Lupus is far more often observed in women than in men but no clear reason for this observation has been discerned. There are four kinds of lupus in existence these are: systemic lupus erythematosus, discoid lupus erythematosus, drug-induced lupus erythematosus and neonatal lupus. Of the types mentioned, systemic lupus erythematosus is by far the most widespread and serious form of lupus.
The prognosis for people with this disease was very poor in the past however improvements in the diagnosis and treatment methods employed for lupus has remarkably enhanced the likelihood of surviving with the condition. Once the disease is treated most people with the disease can lead regular lives.
Because it is an autoimmune disease, it not only attacks foreign substances that may enter the body, such as bacteria and viruses, but also promotes the immune system to attack healthy tissue. As said before this leads to inflammation and consequential impairment to different sections of the body, inclusive of the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels and brain.
It is not yet known what causes the disease, like other autoimmune diseases it is a mystery. It is theorized that it is the result of a combination of factors, most notably, the patient's genes and the environment. Some experts also believe that a person may inherit a predisposition to lupus, but not the actual disease itself. Instead, people with this probable inherited predisposition for the disease may only develop the condition when they make some form of contact with something in the environment that may induce lupus, including some types of medication or a virus.
The disease does not necessarily develop in the same way for all individuals who are plagued by the disease. Signs and symptoms may manifest suddenly or develop gradually. They may be mild or severe, and may be temporary with fluctuating periods of the associated symptoms or permanent. Most people affected by lupus have a mild form of the disease characterized by episodes which are known as flares when signs and symptoms are exacerbated for a short period, then improve or even disappear completely for some time.
The signs and symptoms of lupus that an individual will face will largely depend on the areas of the body that are affected by the condition. However the more regular signs and symptoms may include any of the following:
o Anxiety
o Depression
o Memory loss
o Fatigue
o Fever
o Weight loss or gain
o Fingers and toes that turn white or blue during exposure to cold or during stressful periods. This is called Raynaud's phenomenon.
o Joint pain, stiffness and swelling
o Butterfly-shaped rash or malar rash on the face that covers sections of the cheeks and the bridge of the nose
o Skin lesions that appear and are actually worsened by sun exposure
o Mouth sores
o Hair loss (alopecia)
o Shortness of breath
o Chest pain
o Dry eyes
o Easy bruising
Once a person develops an unexplained rash, ongoing fever, persistent aching or fatigue, he or she should consult a doctor to rule out the possibility that it could be lupus.
Once a person has been diagnosed with lupus, he or she should have routine consultations with a doctor so that the condition can be treated and monitored effectively. In addition any new symptoms should be looked on immediately.
Early Lupus Symptoms – Can You Recognise Them?
The number of lupus symptoms are many and varied. Some of them, however, you need to be aware of: this group of early lupus symptoms will start to present themselves before you have the slightest suspicion of the disease. It is likely that you will become aware of a state of what seems to be continuous tiredness, you may begin to notice rashes in places where you have never seen them before. Your kidneys may also begin to give you problems in extreme cases. The most common of the early lupus symptoms is fatigue. Around about 90% of those with lupus are affected with this. Although your lupus case might be very mild the amount of fatigue you feel could be enough to stop you taking part in your normal amount of exercise and other regular daily activities.
Another aspect of early lupus symptoms would have to be muscular discomfort and sensitive joints. Although less common than the fatigue this will still present itself to around 70% of lupus patients often as the initial symptom. This will commonly happen early in the day along with a little swelling, some warmth and redness may also be evident. The most likely place to feel this is in the wrists along with the minor joints such as elbows, hands, knees and ankles.
Also reasonably common in the early symptoms of lupus are rashes on the skin. These are actually a highly significant piece of evidence when lupus is being diagnosed. This may well take the form of a butterfly rash found over the nose and cheeks. Other signs would include red spots on the limbs and hands and also mouth or lip sores. In fact sores could be found on the skin in many places. The rashes are likely to take two different forms: a raised purple rash or it may be a red rash.
Other early lupus symptoms include an increased sensitivity to light which is likely to lead to a flare up of the skin rash. Issues such as depression and anxiety may be prevalent along with headaches. It is possible to experience heart problems. An inflammation of the heart sac can cause sudden discomfort and pain in your chest. There is an approximate 80% likelihood of fever. A loss of weight and indeed hair could be likely. Another possibility is to find that your lymph glands have swollen.
The sufferer may experience Raynauds phenomenon: a condition in which the arteries of the fingers become hyperreactive to the cold and go into a spasm. One final early lupus symptom may be Vasculitis where the blood vessels have inflamed which can present itself on the skin as blue spots.
Allergy Symptoms and How to Heal Them Naturally
Allergy symptoms vary from person to person (and animal to animal), but tend to fall into a few categories. One group of people will tend to express their allergies through their skin. Various eruptions will appear on any part of your body. These are unique to you, in both the area affected and the type of eruption.
Another group of people will express their allergy symptoms through watery discharge of the upper respiratory tract. Symptoms might include those typical of hay fever - streaming eyes, sore eyes, red eyes, itchy eyes, streaming nose, itchy palate, itchy throat, itchy nose, sneezing, etc.
And yet another group of people may express their allergy symptoms through their stomach, with indigestion, gas and diarrhea.
Whatever the area affected, it is showing you your weakness. But at the core of the problem is your immune system. It's struggling really hard and not making much headway. It's badly compromised.
This is at the heart of every single disease under the sun. The expression of the disease (ie your symptoms) indicate your area of weakness, but the fact that you have the allergy or disease in the first place is because your immune system is compromised.
If you have a good, healthy immune system, your body will heal everything. You won't even be aware that there is a problem.
So how do you restore your immune system to its former glory? Generally this is a life transformation. There is no easy fix, no magic bullet. But if you start now, it can only improve.
Things that stop your immune system working are:
eating unhealthy food (fast, junk, processed, dairy, too much meat, preservatives, colours and so on) taking medicine on a regular basis having vaccines not getting exposed to enough sun not taking regular exercise drinking too much alcohol
But by far the most important aspect is how you think. If you think negatively, get frightened easily, get angry often or suppress your feelings regularly, your immune system will be badly affected.
Those people who are at peace with themselves don't have compromised immune systems. And they don't get sick very often.
So instead of thinking someone else, other than you, can fix your allergy symptoms, try thinking that you are responsible for your health. It could be the start of a profound journey for you.
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