When the median nerve that runs through the palm and forearm is twisted or squeezed, a condition called the Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) occurs. This carpal tunnel is a passage that is narrow and is present in the ligaments and tendons. This nerve is responsible for offering a feeling sensation to the palm, index finger, thumb, and the middle finger. A part of the ring finger too shares the same. The median nerve is compressed when the tendons are irritated. This leads to pain in the forearm and arm, palm, and wrist. Additionally, this condition can cause numbness and weakness.

How it begins? 

This condition does not occur suddenly but gradually. In the initial stage, the sufferer experiences burning, itching, and numbness in the palm. The thumb, index and the middle finger feel these symptoms. The affected individuals may notice that the hands are swollen and rendered useless. You may feel pain and numbness in one or both the hands during sleep. Slowly, the numbness and pain keeps increasing and can be felt during the day. This is why you may want to shake off hands multiple times.

Factors responsible for this condition: 

Various factors can trigger Carpal tunnel syndrome. If you have had any injury to the wrist in the past that caused swelling, you may suffer from this syndrome. For instance, a sprain or fracture can trigger a Carpal tunnel syndrome. A thyroid gland that is overactive or underactive, arthritis, and overactive pituitary gland, too, can cause this condition. If your occupation involves an excessive movement of the wrists or if your lifestyle involves excessive work stress and the use of vibrating tools, then also this syndrome may affect you. Compression of the median nerve or narrowing of the space for the median nerve are the two other reasons. Fluid retention during menopause or pregnancy can also result in Carpal tunnel syndrome.

Will you be at risk?

Women are more likely to suffer from this condition as compared to men because the carpal tunnel is smaller in the former group. The symptoms are first seen in the dominant hand. The high-risk group includes diabetics and people who suffer from other metabolic disorders. People who are working with industries that deal with manufacturing, cleaning, assembly, sewing, or poultry or fish packing mostly face this disorder.

What can you do?

Surgical and non-surgical treatment methods are available for Carpal tunnel syndrome. When you are diagnosed with Carpal tunnel syndrome, undergo the treatment as advised by the doctor. Wear a splint at nights. During days, when you see swelling or redness of the palm, apply cooling packs. Take breaks from work, if it involves pressurizing the median nerve or if there is any narrowing of the space. Chiropractic therapies, acupuncture, and yoga are known to offer relief as well.

Prevention techniques: 

To prevent Carpal tunnel syndrome, always ensure you stay in the right posture. Use a fingerless glove as this keeps the wrist and palm warm. Take frequent breaks from the task that you are performing, especially the ones that require too much of the wrist movement. Job demands should be considered, however, rotating tasks with colleagues can provide an excellent relief. If your doctor feels that surgery is the only option left to provide relief, then you need to go for the same. With the two options of open release surgery or endoscopic surgery, you can expect symptoms to be relieved as soon as the procedure is conducted. 

Things You Need To Know About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome! 

The trapezius muscle is a triangular muscle which extends from the neck, down to the middle of the upper back and across the shoulder. It is one of the largest muscles in the body. It helps in stabilizing and moving the scapula. When you rotate your neck, move your arms, or even shrug your shoulders, you are able to do it because of the trapezius muscle. Over use of the muscle can cause it to strain.

Trapezius strain can be quite annoying and uncomfortable as you will have difficulty in moving your shoulders. It also causes any upper shoulder movement very difficult as it gives out an excruciating pain whenever you try to move your head or rotate your neck. It generally happens when you repetitively put stress on the muscle.

Causes:
1. Poor posture while sitting, standing or lying down
2. If you sleep in a wrong or uncomfortable position
3. If you bend over a desk for hours(This is more relevant to office workers)
4. If you have to carry heavy weights on your shoulders(This is relevant to school and college students who have to carry heavy bags every day)
5. If you over work your trapezius during work outs
6. If you suddenly twist your neck
7. If you met with a fall or accident which injured your back.

Symptoms:
The symptom that characterizes a trapezius strain is the searing pain in the muscles which is scattered around from the shoulders to the neck. The pain might interfere in your daily activities such as moving your arms when you push or pull. It might also cause discomfort while trying to sleep. A trapezious strain might even cause a bit of swelling in the muscle. Sometimes, due to the neck pain, you might even get headaches.

Treatment:
1. Resting: Rest as much as possible. Any strain or swelling can be easily cured with proper rest.
2. Ice packs: Ice packs help to reduce the swelling and get some relief from the pain.
3. Exercise: Stretchingthe muscle will help loosen it.
4. Blood flow stimulation therapy: After the inflammation is reduced, you should take up this therapy as an increase in the blood flow in the affected area will help cure the strain.
5. Care for the scar tissue: The scar tissue will take longer to heal than the muscle. Hence you have to follow your doctor's instruction very carefully to get a speedy recovery.

All About Trapezius Strain!

Primary Total Hip Replacement Surgery is generally a successful procedure, allowing people to restore their active and painless lifestyle. It involves the replacement of a hip joint with a prosthesis or an implant made of different materials. But, over a period of time, this procedure might fail for a number of reasons. When such a failure happens, revision surgery is employed. The Revision Total Hip Replacement Surgery is hence the second operation that removes parts of the first prosthesis to replace them with a new set.

The ultimate goal of both the procedures, namely Total Hip Replacement Surgery and Revision Total Hip Replacement Surgery is the same that is to improve the quality of life by bettering the functionality and relieving pain. However, these two surgeries are different in their procedure and complexity. Revision Total Hip Replacement Surgery is more complex and takes much longer time. It requires good planning and use of specialized tools and implants for achieving good results. Use of specialized implants compensates for the damage to soft tissue and bone that makes it difficult for the surgeon to use standard Primary Hip Implants.

Revision Total Hip Replacement Surgery can manifest itself into two forms:

There might be the need to remove the entire prosthesis and its replacement. It might also involve rebuilding the bone around the hips with augments or bone graft.

In another case, there is a possibility that only some parts or components of the prosthesis need to be removed and replaced.

When to go for Revision Total Hip Replacement Surgery:

When there is wearing and loosening of Implant, it does not function properly. For proper functioning, the implants can be cemented into place or press- fit allowing the bone to grow onto them. If this does not happen, the components get loose leading to pain. Loosening of implants might be caused by excessive body weight, rigorous physical activity, and wearing of the plastic liner inserted between metal cup and ball. Also, younger patients might also have to go through a Revision Surgery when the implant completes its life expectancy.

If there is a bacterial infection in the Total Hip Replacement, Revision Surgery is employed. This is so because antibiotics cannot alone eliminate bacteria from joints. In such cases, two stages of the operations are required. But sometimes, a single stage operation is also employed. However, it has limited application.

When there is a recurrent hip location in the ball and socket joint, Revision Surgery is opted to properly align the joint and to insert the implant.

In case of a periprosthetic fracture (when bone around the implant breaks), Revision Surgery is required.

When metal used in implant breaks or degrades, it may cause damage to soft surrounding tissue and bone. This would require a corrective Revision Surgery.

Preparation for the Surgery:

The patient undergoes a thorough physical examination. It is to ensure that undergoing surgery would not be harmful in any possible way. X-Rays, MRIs, and CT scans are employed to fully understand the structure of the joint. Laboratory tests are conducted to ascertain the fitness of the patient to undergo the procedure. It should be noted that post- surgery, the patient is not able to function at all and requires help even to perform petty tasks for himself. Thus, suitable arrangements should be made accordingly in advance for the same.

Post-Operative Care:

Post-operative care involves pain management, preventing infection, physical therapy, wound care, and prevention of blood clot. It ensures a healthy recovery.

Primary & Revision Total Hip Replacement Surgeries!

The knee is the largest joint in the human body and is a complex structure formed of bone, muscle and cartilage. Development of pain in the knees can be caused by numerous factors such as aging, injuries, diseases, dietary deficiencies, etc.

Arthritis is the most common cause of knee pain and usually affects the elderly and aged. It occurs due to an inflammation of the joint and causes pain, swelling, redness and inflexibility of the knees.

What are the factors that determine treatment method?

Diagnosis for knee pain varies from patient to patient as each case is different and must be approached differently. Some of the factors that determine the treatment method are as follows:

- Cause of the problem
- Nature and intensity of pain
- Age of the patient
- Medical history of the patient
- Diet and lifestyle of the patient

There are a number of different types of arthritis which can affect the knees in different ways and, consequently, require different types of treatment methods.

What are the various treatment methods for knee pain?

1. Conventional Remedies - These are used in case of conditions that are not too severe or chronic. It includes keeping on bed rest, using an ice pack, taking a painkiller and anti-inflammatory medicines, wearing knee braces, etc.

2. Physical Therapy - There are many stretching and strengthening exercise routines that help alleviate knee pain and treat the condition. Recovery is achieved by making the muscles around the knees stronger and increasing stability and flexibility.

3. Injections to the Knees - A number of anti-inflammatory substances and supplements, as well as lubricants, can be injected into the knee joint which helps reduce pain and makes the joint more supple.

4. Stem Cell Therapy - This involves drawing platelets from the patient's blood and injecting it into the knee joint for repairing damage caused to ligaments, tendons or cartilage.

5. Surgery - Surgical procedures for treating knee pain include partial or complete knee replacements.



What kind of treatment does your knee pain require?

A Tennis elbow is a painful condition that affects the tendons due to a condition known as tendinitis, which causes inflammation. This condition will end up restricting the free movement of the elbow and the arm due to the pain and stiffness that it causes. This is due to the fact that these tendons are the tough band of connective tissues that hold the muscles and the lower arm with the bone. Repeated gripping motions and continued tugging as well as activities like weight lifting, tennis, squash and other like carpentry, painting writing and typing, can lead to this condition. 

Here are a few methods of treatment and the questions that revolve around them.

Do I have to restrict my movements: Yes, when you have tennis elbow, the very first thing you must do is to give rest to the tendons by curbing those activities that have caused the condition or those which can aggravate the pain and stiffness. Lifting heavy objects, gripping things for prolong periods, other physical pursuits like tennis and other games and more will need to stop so that you do not stretch, strain or pull the tissue.
Can I take pain killers: Yes, you can take pain killers like ibuprofen and acetaminophen in case the pain is unbearable? Always ensure that an orthopaedic specialist takes a look at your arm before prescribing the medicines to you.
Is an ice compress good for this pain: You can use the RICE method for acute pain that is less than 72 hours old. For more persistent pain, you must see a doctor. The RICE method refers to Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. In this method, you can keep your arm elevated and give it rest. You can also use an ice compress and keep it tightly wound with an elastic bandage so as to avoid swelling.
Can I take injections for this condition: Corticosteroid injections may be used for very severe cases. This contains the cortisol hormone and can give good results in the short run.
Are there any non invasive methods for treatment: You can try non-invasive procedures like shock wave therapy which will help in fixing the pain and promote motion gradually. This procedure is usually conducted with the help of shock waves that are passed to the skin.
Is exercising a complete no no: In this case, many orthopaedic surgeons and doctors will ask you to go through physiotherapy so that you can get used to movements and motion after prolonged pain. These exercises will also strengthen the muscles of the area.
Talk to your doctor if the pain is particularly debilitating and discuss surgery for the same.

Common FAQs on Tennis Elbow Treatment

A Guide to Dealing with Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition marked by constant flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, insomnia and joint pains. However, the disease has no visible symptoms. There are also no known causes for the disease. While some believe stress to be a trigger for fibromyalgia, other theories suggest that physical and emotional factors such as a prior illness lead to the onset of this disease. This leads to fibromyalgia patients being often misunderstood and misdiagnosed. Almost 80% of fibromyalgia patients are women. While the disease is not lethal, it can make daily life difficult.

The criteria for fibromyalgia were established only in the late 1900s. In addition, the symptoms of this disease present themselves differently in each patient. This makes diagnosis very difficult.

Constant pain all over the body is the most common symptom of fibromyalgia.
You may also feel constantly tired, and unable to get a restful sleep.
Some fibromyalgia patients also suffer from depression or anxiety and an irritable bowel syndrome.
Fibromyalgia patients may also feel hyper sensitive to cold or heat, and feel numbness in fingers and toes.

Fibromyalgia has no known cure, and like arthritis, treatment for this disease addresses its symptoms. Most treatment programs include a combination of drugs, physical therapy, and behavioral techniques.

Pain relievers or anti-inflammatory medication and antidepressants are the two types of drugs administered to fibromyalgia patients. However, these should not be counted on as a long-term solution, as the side effects of these medicines can cause additional problems. Therapeutic massages and chiropractic manipulations can also help ease the pain. Along with this, it is also important to rest and relax. This helps reduce stress which often triggers fibromyalgia symptoms.

To get a better night's sleep, try going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. A warm glass of milk or chamomile tea just before bedtime can also help induce sleep. As far as possible, avoid taking sleeping tablets, as the body can soon become dependent on these.

Though you may constantly feel tired, increasing the day to day activity levels can have a positive effect on your health. Consider adding low-intensity activities such as walking, cycling, yoga or dancing to your daily routine. Complement these with a well-balanced, nutritious diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables. If you or a loved one has fibromyalgia, bad days may not be prevented. But with treatment, they can be controlled.

A Guide to Dealing with Fibromyalgia

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