Myofascial pain syndrome refers to a chronic condition that affects a person s musculoskeletal system. With this disorder, pressure on the sensitive points (known as trigger points) in the muscle induces pain in various parts of the body.

Myofascial pain syndrome mostly affects people in the age group 40-60 years.

What causes myofascial pain?

Typically, myofascial pain syndrome occurs because of repetitive muscle contraction or overuse, or due to an injury. Sensitive areas of the tight muscle fibres can develop following an injury/trauma, and ultimately lead to pain and strain throughout the muscle.

Symptoms to watch out for-

Common signs and symptoms of myofascial pain syndrome include-

  Severe pain in localized muscle areas
  Pain that worsens when you stretch or strain the affected muscle
  Muscle pain that persists for longer than usual, or worsens with time
  Painful, tender knots in the muscles that lead to severe pain when pressed
  Weakness and stiffness in the muscles
  Inflexibility or a reduced range of motion

Although muscle pain is temporary in most cases, and usually subside on its own, you should visit a doctor immediately if the pain becomes intense and severe. Otherwise, the symptoms of myofascial pain syndrome can aggravate and impede your daily routine.

What is the treatment for myofascial pain syndrome?

Treatment for myofascial pain syndrome include a range of pain management options such as the following-

  Medications
Your doctor will likely prescribe medications that include anticonvulsants, analgesics, and over-the-counter Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs). These work as painkillers and help relieve pain and reduce muscle spasms.

  Dry-needling
Dry-needling is a quicker way of getting rid of myofascial pain symptoms. The doctor inactivates the trigger points by directly inserting a needle into it. He/she will then slowly move the needle around and poke it inside and out. The initial process can be a little painful, but it certainly helps manage the pain in your muscles. Alternatively, acupuncture needles can be used for the same procedure since they are small and are less painful.

  Local injections
Local injections, also known as trigger point injections, are similar to dry-needling. The only difference is that local injections involve injecting a solution (saline/steroid/or a local anaesthetic) into the trigger points. The method yield similar results as does dry-needling.

  Therapy
Different types of therapies can be used to ease the pain associated with this chronic pain disorder.

Ultrasound therapy where sound waves are transmitted into the muscle tissues through a sound-conducting gel applied on the skin. The sound waves heat up and relax the muscles, thereby improving blood circulation and removing the scar tissues. Ultrasound therapy is also effective in reducing muscle stiffness and increasing one s mobility.
Massage therapy also is very effective in treating myofascial pain syndrome. The therapist usually uses his/her fingers or some sort of equipment to induce pressure on the various trigger points. When performed, this procedure may first aggravate the muscle pain and then release muscle tension.
Apart from these, the doctor may prescribe regular exercising or physiotherapy treatment for patients suffering from chronic muscle pain.

Myofascial pain syndrome can be managed well using the techniques mentioned above. In addition, it is very important that you stick to some sort of physical activity. Talk to your doctor and incorporate these pain management techniques to live a pain-free healthy life.

Myofascial Pain - Causes, Symptoms & Treatment Of It!

Teeth stains are a major inconvenience as a well as harmful for your teeth. Teeth stains can occur due to consuming certain foods and drinks. It can also be caused due to unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as not brushing teeth or flossing. Here a few tips to how to prevent teeth stains. Read on more to find out all about them.

1. Practicing healthy habits: It is a good idea to brush, or use a mouthwash after a having a meal. Keep in mind that the foods and drinks mentioned below can stain your teeth more than others. Coffee or tea, soda, red and white wine, grape or cranberry juice, blueberries, beets, soya sauce and tomato sauce cause teeth stains so while consuming them keep in mind to always brush floss or wash your mouth after consuming these.

2. Drinking with a straw: Drinking with a straw keeps away the stains from your mouth as the liquid doesn't go near the visible front surfaces of the teeth.

3. Brush, floss and rinse with an antibacterial mouthwash: By brushing, flossing and rinsing with a mouthwash on a regular basis you reduce the growth of the bacteria called plaque. Plaque is sticky in nature and promotes the formation of teeth stains. By eradicating plaque you also prevent teeth stains.

4. Get your teeth professionally cleaned:Make sure to visit a dentist at least twice a year. Even while maintaining your teeth by regular brushing, flossing and mouthwash, getting your teeth professionally cleaned is beneficial and can help you guard against teeth stains.

5. Using teeth whitening kits: At-home teeth whitening kits are available in local drugstores, which help in preventing teeth stains. They usually cause slight discomfort, which goes away in a few days' time.

6. Professional tooth whitening: You can also get your teeth whitened by your dentist. In this procedure, the dentist applies a bleaching agent to your teeth after applying a rubber shield on your gums. This procedure usually takes a single or in some instances multiple visits to perform.

6 Tips to Prevent Teeth Stains

Prevent mouth ulcers naturally

Ulcers are painful sores on the lips, tongue, gums or the insides of the cheeks. These are common and usually happen due to bowel diseases, hormonal imbalances and stress. While there are medicines and ointments available to cure sores, you can cure the ulcers naturally also. 

Rinse with baking soda - baking soda or salt can be used to rinse the mouth. Mix a few pinches of either in a glass of warm water. Now swish the water around the inside of your mouth and spit it out. Do this about three times in a day.
Orange juice - orange juice has vitamin c and as ulcers sometimes occur due to lack of this vitamin, drinking the juice can prove to be helpful. 
Oral hygiene - prefer using toothbrushes with soft bristles. Also ensure that you brush your teeth after every meal to keep any food out of your mouth.
Avoid spices - avoid eating spicy, acidic and hot foods.
Extremely hot beverages - tea and coffee should be avoided. Yogurt and buttermilk, on the other hand, are highly beneficial.
Have onions - raw onion contains sulphur which is good for health of inside your mouth.
Consume amla - make a paste of indian gooseberry (amla) and apply it over the ulcer. This provides quick relief and healing.
Avoid meat - animal protein increases the acidity in the body. So, avoid fish and meat.
Gargle - use fresh coconut water to gargle with about three to four times a day. This cleanses the mouth and eases the pain.

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How To Prevent Mouth Ulcers Naturally

The last molar teeth in the mouth are called as wisdom teeth. While in some people they erupt completely into the mouth and function with no problem whatsoever, in others, they remain embedded in the bone, erupt incompletely, erupt at an angle, or are covered by bone or a flap of tissue. They are absent in many.
Of late, dentists recommend removal of wisdom teeth, more a preventative than remedial measure. Some of the reasons for wisdom tooth removal are listed below-
Impaction: Often, wisdom teeth do not have enough space to erupt in their normal position. This can only be evaluated properly on an x-ray. If the x-ray shows that the tooth is unlikely to erupt because of being blocked by a root or bone, this needs to be removed.
Pericoronitis: The tooth partially erupts into the mouth but is covered by a flap of gum. This attracts food and bacteria to accumulate, leading to decay and infection, a condition called as pericoronitis. Very common in the lower wisdom teeth, it leads to severe tooth pain, painful swallowing and swelling of the lymph nodes. This is the most common cause for wisdom teeth to be removed. An x-ray will reveal the tooth to be infected and sometimes periapical abscess may also be present.
Cysts: Impacted teeth can develop fluid-filled cysts which can cause severe and even permanent damage to the jaw bone, adjacent teeth and nerves. Dentigerous cysts are the most common type.
Alignment: Misaligned wisdom teeth exert a constant mild pressure on the adjacent teeth which can hamper the alignment and reverse the effects produced by braces. The bite may be altered also, thereby necessitating removal.
Adjacent Tooth Damage: If the malposed wisdom tooth is causing pocket formation or decay in the adjacent teeth, it is time to get them removed.
Recurrent Sinus Infections: With their proximity to sinuses, there could be constant pain and pressure and infection of the sinuses. This is another indication for their removal.
However, not all wisdom teeth need to be removed. If they have erupted fully, are healthy, produce a good bite, and can be cleaned easily, they do not require removal.
During the teenage years and through 20s, check with your dentist on the health of the wisdom teeth. X-rays can be taken to monitor them and for early identification of problems. If they need to be removed, it is easier to take them out when you're young. The bone surrounding the impacted tooth is less dense, and therefore easier. The ability of the body in general and the jaw bones in particular to heal is also better at a younger age. 


Wisdom Teeth - When To Get Them Removed

A quite serious bacterial infection, diphtheria is caused by the Corynebacterium diphtheria. It usually tends to affect the throat and the mouth of an affected person, although there are other varieties which can infect your skin as well. However, the most common cases of diphtheria affect the throat and the mouth. 

Symptoms of diphtheria in general
It may take up to five days for symptoms to show up when you are infected with the disease. Some of the symptoms would be:

You neck would swell up due to swelling in the lymph nodes, especially in the neck
Your throat and tonsils will develop a thick grayish membrane 
Your throat may become sore and hoarse
You may face difficulty in breathing, depending on the size of the membrane and the resultant inflammation
You may have difficulty swallowing as well
These are the primary symptoms which will affect your throat in general. Some of the other symptoms that may show up are:

Fever
Nasal discharge
Malaise or a general feeling of discomfort 
Chills
The parts of your body, which are affected the most tend to be your throat, tongue and the neck. The pain tends to persist for quite some time as you recover.

Causes of diphtheria 
Diphtheria is usually spread by the following methods

Airborne droplets: This is possibly the most common method of contracting the disease. This usually happens when a person is infected with diphtheria coughs or sneezes around you. The airborne droplets then travel from one person to another, transmitting the infection. This is particularly the case in crowded area such as public transport and public spaces.
Touching personal items which may be infected: Touching used towels, paper tissues or drinking from an unwashed glass may cause an infection as well. These tend to happen mostly in an indoor setting such as offices and houses. Even toys, door and equipment handles can cause transmission of this virus. 
If you are showing any of these symptoms, it is prudent to go visit your doctor immediately as diphtheria, if left untreated, may also result in serious complications.

Diphtheria - How it Affects Your Throat and Tongue?

4 myths about teeth scaling - busted!

Teeth scaling is a dental procedure with which plaque and tartar deposits that form on the teeth are cleaned or scraped away. While plaque is a soft, sticky film that develops on the teeth containing millions of bacteria which cause tooth decay, tartar is a hardened form of plaque that develops if the plaque is not removed on time. Tooth decay is a natural process that takes place with time but plaque and tartar deposits tend to speed up that process.

Teeth scaling involves a thorough cleaning of the teeth down to the roots. Teeth scaling is usually recommended when the gum disease is of a moderate level, in order to stop it from spreading, leading to further complications. When the gum disease is found to be severe, then teeth scaling is done prior to the surgery.

Here are some common myths surrounding teeth scaling:

1. Scaling weakens the teeth and makes them lose - one of the most common myths surrounding teeth scaling is that it weakens the teeth. However, this is not the case. Scaling removes the elements deposited on the teeth that eventually lead to gum disease. When these elements are removed from the teeth, one feels the teeth weakened and lose. Scaling does not weakens the teeth as they are already made weak by the deposit of elements like calculus and plaque.

2. Scaling makes the teeth sensitive - with the onset of gum disease, the gaps between the tooth are filled with tartar. When this tartar is removed by scaling, the teeth get exposed to the oral environment and become moderately sensitive. In most cases, the sensitivity vanishes in a couple of days.

3. Scaling causes gaps between the teeth to increase - when the gum disease is progressing at a moderate level, the usual gaps between the teeth get filled by tartar which forms on the teeth. After scaling, when the harmful tartar fillings are removed from the teeth, patients feel that the gaps between the teeth have increased.

4. Scaling is painful - contrary to popular belief, scaling is a virtually painless process, with the patient feeling a mild scraping sensation on the teeth when the scaling is taking place.

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4 Myths About Teeth Scaling - Dental Myth Busted

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