Sciatica nerve is the longest nerve of our body, which starts from the spinal cord, passes through the lower back and into the lower leg. Sciatica is a symptom of pain in the sciatic nerve which occurs if it is being compressed by any mass, irritated or overgrowth along its course.

Symptoms
Patients with sciatica experience severe pain along their back as well as may suffer from additional symptoms including numbness and weakness, a feeling of tingling and pins and needles on the foot or toes. In severe cases, some people may also suffer from loss of bladder and bowel control.

Causes
One of the most common reasons is the pinching of the nerve due to a slipped disc in the lower back. Other conditions which cause sciatica are trauma to the spine, spondylolisthesis, spinal tumors and lumbar vertebral canal stenosis.

Prevention
One of the easiest ways to prevent sciatica is by protecting your lower spine. You can follow these easy tips that can be really helpful in maintaining your health and remaining pain free.

    Exercising regularly: By exercising regularly, patients can strengthen their back and abdominal muscles and prevent damage to their vertebral column.
    Good posture: By maintaining a good posture while sitting and working in an ergonomically designed chair that properly supports your hips and back and does not compress the back of your thighs and knees while sitting is essential to maintain a healthy back.

Treatment
Homeopathy offers natural medicines that can cure and reduce sciatica pain. One of the biggest advantages that homoeopathy offers for treating sciatica is that it can treat the disease effectively, by rectifying the compression or irritation on the sciatic nerve.

Homeopathy practitioners use Colocynth for treatment caused in right sided sciatica pain. Homeopathic medicine Gnaphlium is used to treat numbness associated with the paint, while Rhus tox is usually helpful in treating all sciatica symptoms and is the most preferred medicine by homeopathic practitioners.

Homeopathy also offers additional benefits as it not only helps in rectifying sciatica pain it also help in strengthening a patient s constitution so that the disease is cured from its roots and there are no further recurrences. Homeopathic medicine is very fast and effective and is totally natural, free from any side effects. It is one of the most widely accepted forms of medicine which causes no side effects and can be taken easily by both men and women. 

7 Homeopathic Remedies for Sciatic Nerve Compression Pain

Injuries are very common, especially head injuries are one of the leading causes of death and disability in adults. As per surveys conducted, 1.7 million people suffer from head injuries every year and this estimation is increasing day by day.

Head Injury is any trauma to head other than superficial injuries to face. It results in high morbidity & mortality. Head injuries are an important cause of loss of young people at their productive age.

Causes of Head Injury-

A head injury can occur due to many reasons. Some common causes of these head injuries are:

Vehicle accidents

Street fights

Fall from height

Child abuse

Symptoms of Head Injury-

A head injury is followed by various symptoms depending upon the intensity of the injury. Here is a list of the possible symptoms of brain injuries:  

Nausea and vomiting, fatigue or sleepiness, severe headache, confusion, amnesia,  loss of consciousness, seizures, loss of muscle control or paralysis in the part of the body controlled by the part of the brain that is affected, coma, dilation of the pupils and disturbance of vision, Cerebrospinal fluids might come out of the ears and nose, sometimes accompanied by blood, difficulty in breathing, low pulse rate, increase in blood pressure, difficulty in swallowing, loss of hearing, problems in cognitive functions.

Brain damage is a process, not an event. 80% are minor head injuries, 10% are moderate head injuries and 10% are major head injuries.

Management of Head Injury-

Diagnosis of a brain injury has to be detailed and very quick at the same time. It always comes under emergency cases. Some of the steps involved are:

Glasgow Coma Scale

Pupillary reaction to light

Brain stem reflex tests

Head to toe examination

CT scan of head is the initial study of choice. MRI Brain is helpful in cases of non-haemorrhagic contusions, diffuse axonal injury and deep lesions.

Surgical Indications

Head injuries with intracranial hematomas causing significant mass effect

Massive cerebral edema

Hydrocephalus

Infection

Precautions for Head Injury

Use Helmets- both riders

Use Seat Belts

Keep vehicle speed under control

Follow traffic rules

Take adequate precautions during trekking, diving

Take Away-

No head injury is minor enough to be neglected nor severe enough to be given up.

Head injuries take time to heal, but medical treatment along with neurosurgery can aid the process of recovery and also help a person to lead a healthy life in the future. Most young patients recover fully, while some older patients or patients with preexisting neurological conditions live with a degree of disability.



Head Injuries - All You Must Know!

What are the Different Kinds of Arthritis and How to Treat Them?

Arthritis is a very common medical condition that affects a lot of adults as they age. It occurs due to inflammation of the joints, which can be caused by a number of factors such as aging, injury or infection.

There are over a hundred different kinds of arthritis that cause various sorts of problems to those affected. However this condition can be broadly classified into two major types, which include the following:

1.Osteoarthritis

Also known as degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis is the most common kind of chronic condition to affect the joints. This occurs when the cartilage that surrounds the joint wears away and allows the ends of bones to rub against each other causing immense pain and is often accompanied by inflammation and swelling. The primary cause of osteoarthritis is aging and occurs mainly due to pressure on the joints from lifting heavy weights.

2.Rheumatoid Arthritis

This is the most common type of arthritis that occurs due to joint inflammation. It is an autoimmune condition, which means that it is caused by a dysfunction of the immune system that leads to inflammation of the joints. Chronic inflammation causes joint deformities and even the development of rheumatoid nodules on the skin around the joint. Two-thirds of patients affected by rheumatoid arthritis are women.

Depending on the nature of the condition and the age and medical history of the patient, diagnosis, and treatment of arthritis varies. Although there is no permanent cure for arthritis, especially the type caused by aging, a number of remedies exist that provide relief from pain.

Some of the common methods of treatment for arthritis are:

Medication

Some medicines provide relief from the pain of arthritis if it is not too severe. These include painkillers, anti-inflammatory pills, sprays, and ointments, etc. In case of high-intensity pain, codeine is often prescribed.

Stem Cell Therapy

This method involves drawing platelets from the patient's own blood and injecting it into the inflamed parts of the joint in order to repair damaged muscles and alleviate pain.

Injections

A number of anti-inflammatory substances and lubricants can be injected into the affected joints to decrease pain. Ozone gas injections are an example of this.

Surgery

In extreme cases, surgical procedures are resorted to for treating arthritis. However, successful surgery cannot always be guaranteed and it comes with its own set of risks.



All You Need to Know about Arthritis - Types and Treatment

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!

When other treatments fail to provide relief, the last resort to treat spine problems is the spine surgery. Spine surgery is conventionally referred to as open surgery which indicates that the area that needs to be operated is opened with a long incision so that the surgeon is able to view and have access to the anatomy.

In the recent times, advances in the field of medical science have made it possible to treat back and neck conditions through minimally invasive surgical techniques that don t involve an elaborate incision. Let us understand more about it.

How is minimally invasive spine surgery carried out?
Minimally invasive spine surgery fusions and decompression processes are performed by exploiting different approaches. The most commonly utilized technique involves the use of the tubular retractor. In this process, the surgeon makes a small incision and then inserts the retractor through the skin right into the spinal column. It leads to a tunnel to the accurate area where the problem persists in the spine. The functionality of tubular retractor lies in the fact that it helps in holding the muscle open throughout the procedure.

A number of particular processes have been designated for the minimally invasive spine surgery. Some of the most common options include spinal decompression, discectomy, and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. Each of these processes is different and only an expert in this arena can determine what s suitable for you.

Minimally invasive spine surgery is also called less invasive spine surgery where surgeons make use of special instruments. One of the most compelling drawbacks of open surgery is that the pulling of the muscle can lead to damage to both the muscle and the tissues in close vicinity. On the other hand, minimally invasive spine surgery allows the surgeon to see the precise location of the affected area. Besides, it also leads to smaller incisions, reduced bleeding and short stay in the healthcare facility.

Consulting an expert about the surgery:
It is very important on part of the patients to discuss the suitability of minimally invasive spine surgery with their doctors since it is not a good option for all patients. It is generally suggested for patients having spinal tumours, spinal instability, spinal infections, vertebral compression fractures, lumbar spinal stenosis and spinal deformities like scoliosis.

When you know that you will have to undergo the surgery, it pays to gather information about the surgery and what you may expect from the recovery process. The most commendable benefits of minimally invasive spine surgery include better cosmetic results owing to lesser skin incisions and reduced dependence on the medications. Moreover, it is performed as an outpatient procedure and it makes use of local anaesthesia only. Thus, there is also a reduced chance of suffering from an adverse reaction to general anaesthesia.

So, depending on the pros and cons and depending on the individual condition, your doctor will decide on the course of action.

Everything You Need To Know About Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery!

One of the deadly diseases caused by the bite of an infected mosquito is Chikungunya. If you suddenly experience unbearable joint pain with symptoms of fever, consult a doctor immediately. Even the name Chikungunya etymologically means "to become twisted". If you are having the aforementioned symptoms, there is a high chance you are suffering from Chikungunya.

Symptoms of Chikungunya
Chikungunya affects your body within 3-4 days of the mosquito bite. The first sign of Chikungunya is sudden fever, which causes mild tremors in your body accompanied by severe pain and swelling of the joints. A headache and pain in the muscles are other two symptoms of this disease. The most glaring indication that you are suffering from it is the excessive joint pain you experience. This pain usually lasts for a few days to a couple of weeks. If left untreated, this disease can prove to be fatal. 

1. The joint pain will have a paralyzing effect on your body resulting in extreme pain.
2. Your finger joints and foot exhibit signs of swelling, causing severe pain.
3. You will experience pain in your hip, wrists and elbows.

Other symptoms of the disease include neurological and mild cardiac complications. You may even complain of having an eyesore. Also, there are chances of you suffering from gastrointestinal problems. However, none of these symptoms will be as severe as the excruciating joint pain you experience.

Some preventive measures can be taken, them being:
a. Drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated.
b. Get plenty of sleep. It might be impossible for you to sleep especially when you are having body aches. Thus ask your doctor for some painkillers which will let you rest.
c. Paracetamol is a must to beat fever and joint pain.
d. Anti-inflammatory pills will be strictly recommended by your doctor to treat the inflammation.
e. Use a mosquito net at night
f. Keep your house clean so that the Chikungunya mosquitoes don't thrive

Suffering From Severe Joint Pain? It Could Be Due to Chikungunya

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