As you age, your body and bones start to grow weaker. You may experience a number of health disorders that you did not suffer from before. These are known as degenerative diseases. Such conditions also affect the spinal region of a person. The degenerative diseases that affect the spine are termed as lumbar spondylosis.

What causes spondylosis?

Here are some known causes and risk factors for spondylosis-

  The bone, ligaments and other connective tissues in the spine wear down with age. Additionally, the intervertebral discs also undergo degeneration. This can lead to bulging discs and even herniation.
  Apart from your age, your genes also play a role in spondylosis. People who have a family history of the condition are more likely to suffer from the disorder.
  Lastly, if you have suffered from an injury to the spine, spondylosis is much more likely. It does not develop as soon as the spine is injured, but may gradually appear over a period of years.

Common symptoms of spondylosis:

Symptoms differ from one patient to the next and some people may not experience any effect of the disease. However, symptoms are present if the herniation or slipped disc leads to excessive pressure on the nerves.

  The most common symptoms of lumbar spondylosis are back and neck pain
  In case the spondylosis results in a pinched nerve, the pain may radiate into the legs and arms
  Other minor symptoms of spondylosis include tingling, weakness and numbness

Treatments for spondylosis:

Spondylosis cannot be cured. However, symptoms can be managed using medications and therapies.

  Pain medications - Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed to deal with the pain and discomfort from the degenerative disorder.

  Antidepressants - Some antidepressants are useful in treating the pain associated with spondylosis. However, these medications have side effects. This is why it is wise to consult a doctor before consuming them.

  Topical medication - In some cases, topical medication applied directly at the site of the pain is more effective than oral pain medications.

  Physical therapy - Your doctor may recommend physical therapy for you as well if the spondylosis is severe and is interfering with daily life.

Acupuncture and chiropractic practices can also help deal with the discomfort to some extent. Furthermore, exercise relieves some pressure on pinched nerves, reducing the pain.

Lumbar Spondylosis - Common Symptoms & Treatment Of It!

Care for shoulder pain and related problems

Shoulder problems usually happen because of internal problems or external trauma. People who are into any form of manual labour, pick up a lot of heavy things regularly or play sports experience shoulder pain at some point of time or other. Shoulder pain can be detected by physical examination, mri, x-ray, ultrasound and medical history.

The most common types of shoulder problems are arthritis, fracture, dislocation, frozen shoulder, rotator cuff tear, and rotator cuff disease. Cures for the different shoulder pains are different. Follow these simple ways to help you manage the pain.

1. Rest the hurtful shoulder: you need to take ample rest. Using the arm which is affected is not a good idea and needs to be avoided. If your job involves manual labour, it is advised that you stay at home to rest.

2. Ice pack healing: applying ice pack on the wound is also advised around 3-4 times in a day. This varies as per the kind of shoulder pain, so doctor's advice must be followed.

3. Be consistent with exercise: depending upon the source of pain, physiotherapist will advise certain sets of shoulder exercises. It is very important that they should be performed diligently for fast recovery.

4. Support it well: wearing a sling is extremely important and should not be taken lightly at any point of time. A good support will ensure there is no mislocation and faster recovery.

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Shoulder Pain Care - 4 things you must not ignore!

If you are suffering from arthritis, it is important for you to know about how it affects your knee and other joints. Arthritis is a chronic, systematic inflammatory disease which damages your joints and connective tissues. Your knee is commonly affected by arthritis and there are three primary types of arthritis that occur in the knees. They include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and post-traumatic arthritis.

Types of arthritis 
The different types of arthritis affecting the knees occur due to different reasons. Osteoarthritis is a progressive condition, which wears away the joint cartilage over time. Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory condition, which may occur at any age. Post-traumatic arthritis occurs after an injury is inflicted to the knee and may occur several years after a ligament injury or knee fracture.

Major symptoms

Arthritis pain may occur all of a sudden but develops slowly. In the early stages, the pain is observed in the morning after you have been inactive over the night. Pain is likely when you want to move around. Pain may be experienced even when immobile.
Periodic inflammation is a common symptom of arthritis of the knee. This happens because of the formation of bone spurs or excess fluids in your knee. The swelling gets pronounced after being inactive for a long period. The skin on your knee may look red and feel warm while you touch it. This may lead to chronic inflammation, which is very difficult to manage.
Treatment
There are several ways of treating knee arthritis. The mode of treatment depends on the severity and cause of knee arthritis. NSAIDS or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are commonly prescribed for dealing with arthritis pain temporarily. Other medicines used for knee arthritis treatment are as follows:

Analgesics, which help in pain reduction act as good alternatives to NSAIDS.
Corticosteroids are used for reducing inflammation.
Certain DMARDs or disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs are used.
Certain injections that are used for helping with knee arthritis. They include:

Hyaluronic acid supplements, which ease the pain and inflammation by lubricating your knee joints.
Corticosteroid injections also soothe inflammation and pain.
You may also require a surgery for dealing with knee arthritis when other modes of treatment fail. The most common surgeries are as follows:

Total joint replacement, where your knee is replaced with a prosthetic made of metal, plastic or ceramic.
Osteotomy, where the knee bones are modified for controlling pressure and damage in the knees.
Arthroscopy, where an incision is made in the knee for removing damaged parts.
It is recommended for you to consult a doctor, if you experience any symptom of knee arthritis. Early treatment will prevent the condition from worsening.

Know if You Have Arthritis in the Knee

One part of the human body is essential for the efficient functioning of another. The hip joint provides support to your overall body weight while you are at ease or in motion. Suffering from medical problems pertaining to the hip can impede free movement; walking, running, stooping, sitting or even lying down will cause immense pain and discomfort in such a situation. While certain bodily disabilities come with old age and are in most cases unavoidable; some others can actually be controlled through physical exercise.

Take a look at a few stretches to improve your hip mobility:-

Stretch like a pigeon- this yoga loosens up muscle tension in and around a person's hip. Your right leg must be stretched behind while the upper part of your body bends over a folded left leg in front. Your head rests on your coupled hands. This stretch improves the shape of your hip as well.
Try to be an eagle for hip firmness- to align your body in the perfect eagle pose; you probably need to be a conjurer; that is the kind of flexibility the posture requires. Be a half chair making your hands intersect above your head while your left leg crosses the right one. The pressure is on your hip making it strong. Your body has to be in one single line.
Sit in the chair pose- crouching on your haunches with your torso inclined to the front is a good way to better hip mobility. This exercise also relieves you of back pain. It adds potency to the muscles of your upper thighs thus giving a well- rounded hip extra support.
Stoop in the downward doggy pose- the downward doggy pose helps you concentrate on the fullness of your hips. The back muscles are stretched and the problem of a small, rickety hip is dealt with through this yoga. Your legs should be erect at the knees and should be stretched apart depending upon the width of your hip. The rest of your body should bend in a forward arch while your spread hands touch the ground.
Try out the benefits of world's greatest stretch- world's greatest stretch involves a series of stretches that not only accentuates your hipline making your hip muscles adaptable to stress but also tones muscles in other parts of your body. It is a three- fold exercise. The second step is the most difficult where your body is balanced on a half folded right leg and you're required to touch the ground with your right elbow.

Tips to Improve Hip Mobility

Tennis elbow is a type of tendinitis. It is usually the swelling of certain ligaments. It causes pain in the elbow as well as the arm. These ligaments are bands of strong and stretchable tissues that connect the muscles of your lower arm to your elbow. In spite of its name, you can in any case get tennis elbow regardless of the possibility that you have never been close to a tennis court. This is merely a name for the condition and has little to do with the sport. It can affect anyone who indulges in a swinging motion.

Any repetitive exercises that require a tight grip, particularly in cases where the thumb and the initial two fingers are used frequently, may cause tennis elbow. Tennis elbow is the most common reason for patients to see their doctors for elbow torment. It can occur in individuals of all ages; however, it is most common and normal at about the age of forty.

This condition is usually caused when there are repeated contractions of the lower arm muscles that you use to raise your hand and wrist as well as to straighten it. The repetitive movements and pressure to the tissue may bring about a series of little tears in the ligaments that connect the lower arm muscles to the hard surface on the outside of the elbow.

Tennis elbow ordinarily occurs after some time. Dull movements such as holding a racket during a swing can strain the muscles and put a lot of weight on the ligaments. That consistent pulling can cause a small amount of tears in the tissue. Tennis elbow may be caused because of the following reasons:

Playing tennis
Playing racquetball
Playing squash
Fencing
Weight lifting or any other stressful exercises involving the muscles
In tennis, the following moves can lead to tennis elbow:

One-handed backstroke with a poor stance or lose hand
A late forehand swing bringing a bend in the wrist altogether
Snapping and turning the wrist while hitting with full power
As the name suggests, playing tennis, particularly repeated use of the backhand stroke with poor strategy, is a conceivable reason for tennis elbow.
However, a number of other basic arm movements can also cause tennis elbow. It can also affect individuals with particular occupations or while performing leisure activities that require heavy arm movements or gripping, for example, the following:

Carpentry
Excessive writing
Painting
Raking
Weaving or knitting
Utilising plumbing devices
Driving screws
Chopping cooking ingredients or vegetables, especially meat
Repetitive computer mouse utilisation
Lifting heavy materials or even grocery bags
There are a number of ways to treat a tennis elbow. These include certain over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. If those do not work, seek the help of a specialist or physiotherapist. He or she can recommend you the right kind of medicines as well as exercises needed for the recovery.

Tennis Elbow - Common Causes Behind It!

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!

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