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Inflammation and resultant pain in the joints are usually the basic tenets of Arthritis. This joint disorder can be painful and often, a debilitating one. It can also make the joints stiff. There are many ways of dealing with this problem, but with Ayurveda, one can get to the root cause of the ailment and its presence. This helps in taking a well rounded holistic approach towards treating it with ancient know how that revolves around herbs and other natural substances which have great medicinal value, lifestyle changes, diet, exercise and Yoga, oil massages, and other methods. Arthritis is known as Sandhivata in Ayurvedic jargon.

Read on to find out how Ayurveda can help in dealing with Arthritis.

• Herbs: One can make use of various herbs that contain Linoleic Acid to help in providing lubrication to the joints so as to prevent pain and stiffness. These herbs include Borage seed oil which is extracted from Borage seed, Evening Primrose oil, Blackcurrant seed oil, Capsaicin, Curcumin, Feverfew, Flaxseed oil and a standard Ayurvedic concoction that combines Ashwagandha, Gugulla, ginger, cumin and haldi or turmeric. These substances can help in treating the joints that are suffering from the pain of Arthritis.
• Diet: In Ayurveda, to treat ailments like Arthritis, it is usually recommended that a patient should start by flushing out the body toxins from within. Diet is one of the ways in which this can be done. A detoxification diet to clean the colon would be one of the foremost ways of doing a cleanse. Further, in one's daily diet, there should be a good dose of vegetables, fruits and other juices. Also, one must have plenty of herbs and spices, which can be used to season the food. Curd should generally be avoided and garlic should be used liberally. The various properties that help in an inside out cleanse that will help the system function in a better manner so that the treatment of ailments is also effectively supported.
• Exercise: In Ayurveda, a certain amount of daily exercise, which spans at least 45 minutes to one hour, is a must. A pattern of healthy eating, restful sleep and exercise is what usually helps in treating ailments like Arthritis. For this ailment specifically, light exercise like walking is recommended. Various Yoga asanas that involve sitting, standing, balancing and lying down poses as well as restful poses will also help in treating knee, shoulder and lower back pain specifically. Also, mustard oil massages can help in reducing the pain.

These are the few ways in which Ayurveda can help Arthritis patients live a more normal life with minimal pain.

Knee replacement is a procedure where the weight carrying surface of knee joint is replaced surgically to ease the pain or any disability. People suffering from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis undergo knee replacement. All these conditions revolve around stiffness and painful knee. This surgery is usually performed on people aged over 50.

Surgery Types

Knee replacement is mainly of two main types:

1. Total knee replacement where both the sides of knee joints are replaced
2. Partial knee replacement where only single side of the joint is replaced

Procedure

In case of partial knee replacement with minimal invasion, a smaller incision, which is 3 to 5 inches, is required. This leads to minimal tissue damage, and the surgeon can work between the fibres of the quadriceps muscles. Here, an incision through the tendon is not required. This may result in less pain, recovery time is reduced, and motion is better as scar tissue formation is less.

In total knee replacement, four steps are performed:

1. Removal of damaged cartilage surfaces, which is at the ends of the femur and tibia, with a small quantity of underlying bone.
2. Replacement with metal components, which help as a recreated surface of the joint
3. Incision of knee cap with a resurface made of a plastic button, which is optional based on the case
4. Insertion of a medical-grade plastic spacer amid the metal components. This creates an effortless gliding surface.

After general or spinal anesthesia, an incision of 8-12inches is made in the front part of the knee. The joint part which is damaged is removed from the surface of the bones. The surfaces are then formed in a way to hold a metal or plastic artificial joint. The thigh bone shin, as well as knee cap, is attached to the artificial joint with either cement or a special material.

After Effects of the Procedure

After the surgery, patients may stay in a hospital for three to five days. Post surgery, notable improvement can be seen after a month or later. The patient is gradually relieved from pain with the construction of new gliding surface during surgery.

There will be slow progress in the movement. In the beginning, one may walk with a support of parallel bars and then with the help of crutches, walker, or cane. After full recovery in about six weeks, people can enjoy normal activities except running or jumping.

Presently, over 90% of total knee replacements function well for 20 to 22 years of surgery. Hence, knee problem is no problem at all!

The Rehabilitation After Total Knee Replacement: 

1. Full weight-bearing walking, knee bending, exercise next day after surgery 
2. Commode use, sitting on chair 2nd day 
3. 3rd day: Stair climbing, start cross leg sitting 
4. 2 weeks: Suture removal and walking to outdoors

Patients whose knee joints have been damaged by either trauma or progressive arthritis should consider total knee replacement surgery. The post-surgical hospital stay after knee joint replacement is usually three to five days. The surgery has a very high success rate and shows dramatic improvement after a month. This improvement is most notable one month or more after surgery. The pain caused by the damaged joint is reduced significantly when the new gliding surface is constructed during surgery. Initially, the patient will walk with the help of a walking aid until the knee is able to support full body weight. After six weeks, the patient can walk comfortably with minimal assistance. Patients with artificial joints are prescribed to take antibiotics during the course of any elective invasive procedures including dental work. Physiotherapy is an essential part of rehabilitation and it will increase the muscle strength and patient can enjoy most activities, except running and jumping. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Orthopedist.

Heel pain is a common problem in the body where the affected person experiences pain radiating from the heel bone. Heel pain usually progresses slowly over time, it is recommended to consult a medical professional, if heel pain turns severe. The pain tends to most severe after one has been inactive for some time such as after waking up in the morning.

Causes
Heel pain is usually caused when tissues present in the bottom of the heel (Plantar fascia) is damaged. These tissues connect the heel bone with the bones of the feet and help in absorbing shocks. Tears are formed in these tissues when they are damaged or when they get thicker. These tissues are at an increased risk of wear and tear for those who are over 45 years old. The risks also tend to increase if the person is obese or whose occupation requires standing for lengthy periods of time.
Among other causes of heel pain are heel bone fractures, fat pad atrophy (a condition where a layer of fat present under the heel bone is reduced) and bursitis (inflammation of the fluid-filled sacs present around the joints). Peripheral neuropathy is a condition where damage occurs in the peripheral nerves (that transmits signals between the central nervous system and the rest of the body), this can cause pain in the heel.

Symptoms
The symptoms of heel pain include:

1. Experiencing pain while jogging or walking
2. A feeling of pins pricking the heels after waking up in the morning
3. Inability to bend the heel
4. Painful swelling
5. Pain in the heel accompanied by fever

Prevention and treatment
Heel pain can be prevented by taking certain preventive measures such as restricting usage of high heeled shoes without proper support and stretching the heel regularly. Medications such as painkillers are used to treat symptoms of heel pain. If you wish to discuss any specific problem, you can consult a physiotherapist.

Most of us are not blessed with a good night's sleep and face common problems that occur during sleep, such as snoring, insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome and sleep deprivation. According to Ayurveda, proper sleep and a healthy diet are of equal importance. Sleep is the period during which the body is able to recuperate and heal itself as well bring about a balance in emotions and mental state. Imbalances in sleep, according to Ayurveda, is caused due to imbalance or dosha in the three subcategories that the human body is divided into. The imbalances are referred to as Kapha dosha, Pitta dosha and Vata dosha.

Vata Dosha
Imbalance in Vata occurs when the co-ordination between dhi (learning), dhriti (retention) and smriti (recollection) is weakened. When a person is trying to sleep but is simultaneously recollecting the events which occurred during the day, it leads to the same emotions and feelings being reproduced. This renders the person incapable of detaching from the feelings and thus, prevents them to sleep. Some Ayurvedic remedies to address this issue include:

1. Using appropriate sleep tablets
2. Drinking a special tea which aids in sleeping, before going to sleep. The tea should contain a mixture of herbs and spices which would help in calming the emotions
3. Have food that pacifies Vata
4. Adopting and following a proper schedule, where enough time is available for sleep
5. Try not to think about the problems while in bed.

Pitta Dosha
A sleep disorder due to pitta dosha happens when a person has no problems in falling asleep, but is awakened at odd hours during the night and is unable to fall back asleep. It is common that people suffering from trauma or imbalances in pitta are susceptible to this problem. Pitta-type sleep is often disrupted by wild and fiery dreams. Remedies include:
1. The room where the person is sleeping should be kept cool. The likelihood of awakening during the night is increased if the room is hot and stuffy.
2. Therapeutic oils which are specifically designed to pacify Pitta dosha should be used.
3. Foods that pacify pitta dosha should be eaten. These foods should normally be at room temperature rather being hot.
4. A pitta pacifying lifestyle should be followed. This includes sleeping before 10:00 p.m., having three meals a day, etc.

Kapha dosha
Sleep disorders associated with kapha dosha causes a person to have a long and deep sleep, but feel exhausted when woken up. Additionally, a feeling of lethargy persists throughout the day. Remedies include:
1. Reduce coffee consumption
2. Adopt the consumption Kapha or Green Tea
3. Adopt a Kapha-pacifying lifestyle. This includes vigorous morning exercise. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an ayurveda.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disorder of the joints characterized by swelling, inflammation and pain in the joints. This disorder is an autoimmune disorder, wherein the immune cells of the body start to view the tissues of the body as a potential threat.

Homeopathy treats this condition very effectively as it focuses on treating the cause of the disorder. The remedies in homeopathy moderate the overactive immune system and thus help in reducing inflammation in the bones. The homeopathic practitioner starts the diagnosis by enquiring about your medical history, symptoms, working environment and provides treatment accordingly.

The various homeopathic remedies that are used to treat rheumatoid arthritis are: 

1. Calcarea carbonica: Arthritis that leads to formation of nodes in the affected joint, accompanied by symptoms, which aggravate during damp weather, is very effectively remedied by this particular homeopathic medicine.
2. Arnica: Arnica is a homeopathic remedy that is used to treat symptoms of chronic arthritis where you experience a sore feeling on a regular basis. The symptoms tend to worsen if you touch the affected area.
3. Bryonia: If you have a throbbing pain in your joints, then bryonia is recommended. The symptoms tend to worsen in cold weather.
4. Calcarea fluorica: This remedy is recommended if the pain tends to improve with the application of heat. The symptoms include swelling of the joints and formation of nodes. It is especially used if the arthritis develops after an injury.
5. Kali carbonicum: If the joints are extremely stiff with the pain aggravating during the early morning hours, then this remedy is prescribed. It also helps if the symptoms tends to worsen in damp and cold weather.
6. Pulsatilla: This remedy is prescribed in cases where the intensity of the pain keeps on fluctuating and also if the pain is not localized. The symptoms tend to worsen in warm conditions and improve in cold conditions.
7. Rhododendron: Rhododendron is recommended if the symptoms of arthritis tend to flare up and aggravate in cold conditions. Generally the pain increases during the early morning hours or if you stay stationary for a long time.