As children, you have probably learnt that paralysis is complete inability to move, sense, touch or control other bodily sensations. But little did we know that paralysis comes in many forms depending on the extent to which a person is immobilized. So, what is the difference between partial and total paralysis?

What is Total Paralysis?
Whether temporary or permanent, paralysis is the inability to move part of the body due to nerve damage. However it does not mean that people with total paralysis cannot move any parts of the body   they can still use their faces and necks. The extensive form of paralysis is typically referred to as quadriplegia, which involves diminished or absence of movement in the trunk, arms, legs, hands and feet. Some common symptoms of total paralysis are as follows:

Difficulty swallowing
Unable to control bowels and bladder
Pain anywhere in the body
No sensation below the site of injury
Difficulty breathing
What is partial paralysis?
A smaller portion of the body is affected by partial paralysis. One of the most common types of partial paralysis is Paraplegia that occurs below the waist. If affects both the legs, hips and other functions. Other forms of partial paralysis can be Monoplegia where a single area like one limb gets affected and Hemiplegia where parts of the body on the same side get affected. Some common symptoms of partial paralysis are as follows:

Inability to walk
Difficulty with sexual functioning
Pain below the site of injury
Unable to feel or move your legs or arms
How to Predict the type of paralysis?
The location of the injury or site of nerve damage will usually determine the type of paralysis. Damages in the cervical spinal cord almost inevitably lead to total paralysis associated with quadriplegia. The higher the injury is located, the more extensive the paralysis will be. Lower injuries commonly lead to partial paralysis. The prognosis is generally much better with this type of paralysis. With proper care and therapy, individuals may experience intermittent difficulties with movement and can regain.

Can paralysis be treated?
Whether it is total paralysis or partial paralysis, the positive prognosis is certainly possible, given the condition of the patient and other factors. Physical therapy involves teaching the brain and spinal cord to work around the damage and also aid neuron healing over time. Paralysis can be classified under a number of ways and the most basic classification is that of partial or complete paralysis. Talk to your doctor to understand what type of paralysis you have and adopt a positive outlook to help you towards recovery.

Partial Vs Complete Paralysis - Know The Difference!

Pain is unpleasant suffering caused by injury or illness. Back pain may be sudden/constant, dull, severe or not responding to short rest and medication. Constant pain in back in any region of spine for more than few days to weeks needs intervention.

Pain which is intense especially at night requires urgent visit to a specialist.

Sudden onset of pain in back with or without injury needs urgent attention.

Back pain with difficulty in walking, pain while getting up from position of comfort, pain during change of posture or pain after prolonged sitting (for work) can lead to serious permanent damage, if left untreated.

Pain which travels to one or both legs may be due to pressure on the nerve/s and if left untreated for long can lead to permanent weakness or damage.

Pain associated with numbness, tingling or weakness in legs, especially below the knees, commonly called Sciatica, needs to be investigated. Various spinal ailments can lead to weakness in one or two limbs or all four limbs. There may be associated or isolated numbness (loss of sensation to touch, pain or temperature) without back pain.

Numbness, tingling or weakness may be the only symptoms without any complaint or without history of back pain.

Problems related to bladder control which may be difficulty to control, hesitancy in passing or dribbling of urine. There may be associated constipation. Loss of bowel/bladder control is caused by pressure on spinal cord &/or nerves which may be due to injury, infection, disc prolapse or tumor.

Sudden swelling and redness in back usually happens after an injury or accident but sometimes are signs of underlying severe illness.

Loss of normal shape/curvatures of spine can present with or without pain. It can lead to forward, sideways or rarely backward bending.

Unintentional weight loss, loss of appetite, evening rise of fever or disturbed sleep with associated back pain/weakness/numbness needs visit to a specialist.

When Should You See Your Doctor in Back Pain?

Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes chronic pain in muscles, soft tissues, tendons, and joints. For some, it can also cause memory problems, fatigue, mood swings and lethargy. Fibromyalgia is not a disease but a syndrome. The same can be effectively managed through wellness, medicine, massage and alternative medicine. This condition is more observed in women than man. Luckily through, this condition is not life threatening and does not damage muscle and joints.

What are the symptoms?
The most common symptom of Fibromyalgia is the pain. The experience of pain can be burning, deep, shooting or ache at regular intervals. Tender points around the soft tissue can be visible. This worsens at night. Some common indications of this condition include less sleep, headaches, depression, fatigue and other cognitive issues. With proper care the symptoms do improve, it, however, is a long-term condition and chances are that the pain might return in the long run.

How does massage help?

Massage can prove to be extremely beneficial for this lot. Research indicates that massages such as Shiatsu, myofascial release and Swedish improve the condition for better. Mentioned below are few benefits that have been observed in patients of different age group:
An evening session with a massage therapist will help a patient to get sound sleep at night. This ensures that the body rejuvenates and repairs during the sleep. The patient feels more energetic than ever before.
Massage improved muscle tonicity: Massage helps to improve the lethargic muscle aid strength and vitality to the body. It is essential to include more petrissage strokes during the massage session to accomplish the goal.
Massage helps a great deal to improve mental clarity. A healthy, relaxing massage session can relieve mental stress, gives clarity to thinking and resolves the cognitive issues that a person is facing.
A person suffering from Fibromyalgia can get relief from headache with proper massaging. Massage greatly improves the flow of blood to the brain and the spinal cord region thereby, ensuring that headache is greatly reduced. Relief from headache can improve the overall health of a patient.
Massage can reduce the level of depression and anxiety faced by a person suffering from fibromyalgia. Depression and anxiety leads to hormonal fluctuations leading to appetite, mood swings, constant irritation etc. A regular massage session can restore the body homeostasis thereby keeping the body condition normal.
Regular massage session will improve the overall pain level of the patient and give a chance to the muscle to gain extra strength. With proper care and therapy, it is entirely possible to cure the condition for good. 
However, it is also necessary to continue with the session. Giving up massage therapy after temporary relief won t serve the purpose for long-term pain relief.


Fibromyalgia Pain - Can Massage Help Reduce It?

Our bones and joints make us functional on a day to day basis. It is, therefore, imperative that we should take good care of them at all times. There are many conditions that can affect our skeletal system and one of them is, Gout. While the link between the two may not be that obvious, gout happens to be a condition, which is sometimes related to arthritis. Therefore, it is sometimes known by the name 'gouty arthritis'.

While the issue may be severely painful, it does not mean that it cannot be reduced. And of course, when a person has the option and cutting the pain caused by gout drastically, his or her natural response is likely to be 'why not?'

Why Does It Happen?

The main reason for the occurrence of gout is too much uric acid being present in the body. The limbs of the body swell up, especially the extremities and this is known to be very painful. In many cases of gout, the swelling is especially evident in the big toe. Flare ups can last hours on end and may even get longer.

The people who wish to get the gout that is putting him or her through so much pain treated, there are quite a few options at their disposal. There are pain relievers that can be consumed under the advice of a medically qualified professional. While these pain relievers do not treat gout, but can reduces the intensity of the symptoms. Daily doses can be recommended as per the requirement and severity of the situation.

How to Get Rid of Gout?

While some anti-inflammatory drugs may have their effect, but no matter how bad the pain, aspirin is a drug that needs to be avoided. Intake of aspirin can make the problem even worse, which is the last thing a person would want!

The severe problems of gout can be dealt with the chemicals known as corticosteroids. Now, while these can provide some very effective pain relief, using them can be tricky due to certain side effects. One of these side effects is that since these chemicals are injected into the joints, they can significantly weaken them. The other side effect is that they slow the healing process of the wound. Both of these side effects are highly undesirable for any patients. These chemicals are usually prescribed by the doctors after a thorough analysis of patient's condition and history.

A person who drinks alcohol and suffers from severe condition of gout should look to scale back the amount which is consumed by him or her. This is because alcohol increases the amount of uric acid which is present in the blood.

Gout and Its Treatments

Spinal stenosis is a condition where a part of the spinal column becomes narrow. There are generally two types of spinal stenosis- lumbar stenosis and cervical stenosis. Lumbar stenosis is the form of the condition that affects the lower back. It is also the most common type of spinal stenosis.

Common Causes of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
Some people may be born with a narrow spinal canal, but in most cases the condition is caused post birth. Here is a look at some of the most common causes for the spinal stenosis.

Overgrowth of bone- Osteoarthritis can sometimes cause bone spur formation, which in turn can lead to the stenosis at the lumbar region of the spine. This usually occurs in adults, as osteoarthritis is common after a certain age.
Herniated discs- A soft cartilage exists between the vertebrae, which cushions any impact on them. However, this cartilage dries up over time, and with age may lead to formation of crack on the exterior, which in turn causes suppression of the inner soft material and nerves of the spine.
Stiffened ligaments- The ligaments in the spine may become thick and stiffened over time and age. Due to the thickness of the ligaments, a bulge may occur in the spinal column and lead to lumbar spinal stenosis.
Injuries to the spine- Lumbar spinal stenosis may often be brought on by an injury to the spine. A spinal fracture resulting from an accident may narrow down the spine, which can cause the issue.
Tumours- A tumour may affect anyone at any point of time. These tumours may occur between the spinal cord and the vertebrae or between two bones in the vertebrae.
Symptoms of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
Often the spinal stenosis may lie dormant and not produce any noticeable symptoms. However, it can still be diagnosed using an MRI or CT scan. However, all forms of the condition gradually progress and produce severe symptoms. This is why the treatment should be started as soon as the lumbar spinal stenosis is diagnosed, for the best result.

Here are common symptoms associated with the disorder

Numbness and tingling in the leg and foot.
Pain in the back
Leg cramps after long spells of standing or walking.
Weakness in the legs and feet.
If you observe any of the symptoms mentioned above, make sure that you visit an orthopaedist, so that the condition can be diagnosed and treatment can be initiated at soon as possible.

Lumbar Canal Stenosis - What Causes It?

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be said to be one of the most painful disorders to have. There is a high likelihood that a lot of people can agree with this statement as the number of people who suffer from this issue is just so high! Yet, a funny thing to take note of is the fact that even people who are experts on CTS, which is the abbreviation of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, are not really aware as to what its causes are!

That being said, it really does not mean that a person whose life has been affected negatively by it does not make a conscious effort to get better so that the condition is not as painful. In order to do this, what he or she would do is to commit to doing some exercises which directly address the problem at hand.

To start with the exercises, it makes sense, to begin with, the one which is the simplest and this happens to be an exercise which is often known as the shake. What this requires the person to do is to shake his or her hands while making sure to keep them flexible. This action is pretty much the same as a person would do, if he or she were to try to air dry his or her hands without making use of a towel.
Another simple exercise which is prescribed by quite a lot of doctors who are accomplished experts when it comes to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is one in which the person who has the condition makes his or her hands a fist. After this is done, what he or she needs to do is to release the fist and go on to stretch the fingers out as wide as possible. The extension should attempt to be in the shape of a fan.
It may be surprising, but it can be said that the ill effects of something which is as troublesome as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be improved if these simple exercises are done with regularity. However, if a person is looking for a drastic change, it can be expected that he or she would have to do more by the way of complex exercises, at least on a relative scale.

One of these exercises is to join the hands in a prayer position and then separate the palms, but make sure the fingers stay pressed to each other; an act known as steepling the fingers. With these simple exercises in place, you can avoid the pain of dealing with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome for good! 

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) - How Physiotherapy Can Help?

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