Also known as Median Nerve Compression, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is characterized by a sensation of tingling and numbness in the hands or the arm caused due to a strained nerve of the wrist. This condition occurs due to stress which affects the functioning of the part of median nerve, situated along the wrist.

Various Causes of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome:
Constant movement of the hands in activities such as typing on the computer
Pregnancy
Arthritis

Various Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome:
The symptoms of this syndrome start to show up when there is excessive pressure build up in the median nerve of the wrist. You may experience-

A sensation of numbness
A sensation akin to the pain experienced when needles are inserted into the skin
Pain (mostly at night)
The build- up of pressure can occur due to a number of reasons. They are-

Painful injury
Fracture
Tenosynovitis (a condition that affects the tendons along the sides of the thumb)
The compression of the nerve may develop anywhere, and not necessarily the wrist only.
Diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome:
Doctors base their diagnosis of the condition on the symptoms and certain tests. These include-

Phalen s test (a test that is carried out to determine any pain or numbness in the fingers within one minute of this activity)
Wrist flexion/median nerve compression test
Tinel s test (a test that is used to diagnose irritated nerves)
Few nerve enlargements may be revealed by an ultrasound, X-Ray, MRI scan, CT scans etc. The doctor generally recommends any of the above tests to determine carpal tunnel syndrome.
Important measures that help treat the condition are

Getting ample rest
Educating yourself on the various symptoms
Knowing certain activities or movements that trigger symptoms
Attending physiotherapy sessions
Physiotherapy as an important form of treatment for Carpal tunnel syndrome
Extensibility of muscle as well as soft tissue
Strengthening the forearms and the ability to grip things and pinch too
Maintaining posture and performing hand agility exercises can improve the hand movement
Mobilization of the Carpal bone and stretching of the flexor retinaculum (a fibrous band near one s wrist) so as to widen the carpal tunnel
Gliding training for nerves/ tendons for unrestricted motion
Endurance training for strengthening the upper limb as well as the wrist

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - Measures That Can Help Treat It!

Knee pain is a common phenomenon that plagues most of the people irrespective of their age. It can be the outcome of a torn cartilage or a ruptured ligament. Medical complications, such as infections, gout or arthritis (painful inflammation and stiffness of the joints) can also give way to knee pain. Minor knee pain can be eased by self-care remedies such as physical therapy or by putting on knee braces. However, few complications might demand surgical repair. Pain can be managed by the pain management specialists.

Tips to manage knee pain

1. Medications such as naproxen, ibuprofen and acetaminophen can be administered to help remedy knee pain.
2. You can seek relief by massaging your knees with ointments constituting of a number of agents such as capsaicin or lidocaine.
3. Keep away from your usual chores to prevent repetitive strains on the knees, thus, allowing the injury to heal as well as to stay safe from further damage.
4. Applying an ice pack in a towel can ease the inflammation and pain. But do not extend its usage for more than 20 minutes because that might harm the skin and nerves.
5. Compression bandages can inhibit fluid accumulation in the damaged tissues aiding knee alignment stability. Ensure that it is tight enough to render support to your knees without actually obstructing blood circulation.
6. To pacify the swelling, try resting your sore leg on a pillow (the idea here is to keep the affected leg elevated to reduce further pain).
7. Shed off your extra pounds as being overweight increases chances of other disorders such as osteoarthritis.
8. Go for regular work outs to enhance and maintain the flexibility of your muscles as excessively weak or abnormally tight muscles can contribute to injuries. Be smart while choosing your method of exercise based on the condition you are suffering from.

Knee Pain - 8 Effective Ways to Manage it

Breaking a bone is, needless to say, a painful experience. But, when people have their broken bone put in a cast, they tend to forget about it until it comes out. This is quite wrong! A person would want to be up and running but does not find that the hand or the leg as it has been cast up. For weeks, the person's hand or leg barely moves and also shrinks up quite a lot!

There is a lot of pain, not only due to shrinkage when a fracture occurs. The occurrence itself causes what is known as acute pain. Then, for some weeks, the sub-acute pain just seems to persist, to the person having the fracture. The reason for this is the fact that the bone and the soft tissue are in the process of healing.

Chronic pain is a worry as it does not go away even after the healing process has ended. In order to make sure that there is a quick recovery and there is no chronic pain which is experienced at all, some of the proverbial leaves need to be taken out of the book of physiotherapy.

To start with, sometime between a fortnight and a month after the injury or the bone break has taken place, the doctor will wish to see some movement in the soft tissue that has broken around the bone. The great advantage of this is that while it may be a little bit of effort and time involved, there are great benefits by the way of less pain and swelling as the blood flows as normally as is possible.

If such movements are not done, a person can have related soreness, which can be even more of a pain! An example of this would be a broken foot or ankle causing the stiffness of the knee. When a person is already in pain, adding to his or her trouble makes no sense at all, does it?

Post one month mark, the physiotherapist would want to see more functioning so that the normal levels can be attained. A person who has a fracture should not despair as if he or she is willing to stick to the schedule given by the physiotherapist and perform all the exercises that have been set out, he or she will be back at the normal level much sooner than would have been expected!

Also, getting active again will reduce the risk of a repeat injury, and that is enough justification to do so!

What To Expect When Recovering From Broken Bones?

It is not that very easy to get complete recovery after spinal surgery and for that you have to rely on different caring tips. Your surgeon can help you in this regard and can provide you a checklist containing different essential caring tips. You should follow those tips sincerely so that unwanted side-effects can be easily avoided. 

Few caring tips after a spine surgery:

    Consumption of adequate amount of proteins: If the protein content is increased in your diet, then quickest recovery can be definitely expected. Muscle collagen can be strengthened and healed with the regular intake of the necessary amounts of protein. In fact, infectious conditions can be effectively dealt with by protein intake. 
    Getting adequate rest: Proper rest is needed and you should have enough sleep for getting complete recovery. If your body needs some more sleep than the standard one, then you should go for the same. Your mood, memory and body will get refreshed and rejuvenated by taking proper sleep at night. In fact, you can also get rid of pains and other side-effects after surgery by taking rest.
    Taking nutritional supplements: There are a few essential nutrients that are needed after the surgical procedure and they are vitamin D, vitamin C, Omega-3 fatty-acids, magnesium and others. These nutritional elements are now available in the form of supplements and are readily available in the stores. Though these supplements are completely organic, but still you should start taking the same when doctors permit you. These supplements help in collagen healing and thus speedy recovery can be gained by taking them in a consistent manner. Muscle heath can be effectively protected by consuming these supplements. 
    Acute hydration: Hydration is highly needed especially after spinal surgery so that toxin accumulation can be prevented. If you want to get proper hydration, then nothing can be a better option than drinking lots of water. In fact, spinal surgeons also recommend the same for avoiding surgical complications. Tea, coffee and sodas need to be completely replaced with water. Your system can be thoroughly cleaned by draining out toxins. 
    Eliminating refined sugars from diet: Refined flour and sugary products are to be completely curtailed from regular diet; otherwise you might face severe complications. Your blood-sugar level needs to be regulated. If your immunity system gets suppressed, then you will be in great trouble and hence sugar should not be included in your diet at all.

Spine Surgery Recovery With Proper Aftercare

The problem of morning back and neck pain may be due to the position of sleeping or it may be related to inflammatory arthritis which can be familial. Morning back pain is largely related to wrong sleeping posture and less commonly due to arthritic conditions like Ankylosing Spondylitis or Rheumatoid Arthritis. Whatever be the cause- this condition requires attention by an Orthopedic doctor as it may worsen in due course of time and should not be taken lightly. 

Some common factors causing this are: 

Mattress: Too soft or too hard a mattress might induce back ache after sleep. For people with waist and hips of equal proportion, a firmer mattress would do well. For those with narrower waist than their hips, a flexible and softer mattress that can move with the pelvic weight would be a perfect choice. Refrain from using old hardened mattresses. 
Pillow: The pillow you use must be able to render support to your neck naturally. Instead of using excessively firm or soft pillow, try substituting it with memory foam pillows, refillable water pillows or cervical support pillows. 
Posture: Not changing your position while sleeping or sleeping on the belly exerts strain on the back muscles, causing pain. On the other hand, sleeping on the back or on the sides causes comparatively less strain on the spine. 
Other causes such as strenuous workouts or physical activities or sitting at a stretch during the day might cause pain while sleeping or after getting up from bed. 
Remedies for Morning Back Pain: 

Fortunately, there are some home remedies to cure the morning back pain. 

Switching your mattress is a more expensive remedy for back pain, but may often be the ultimate cure. Most people sleep the best on medium-firm mattresses. Be sure to try out the mattress before you buy it. 
For occasional back pain after sleeping, apply heat to your back to relax your muscles before you go to bed and when you get up in the morning. 
Massage your back with pain relieving creams and apply heat on it with a heating pad for quick relief. 
Specific spinal stretching exercises and Planks (a type of exercise) can greatly help in easing back pain, if done on a regular basis. 
It is always recommended to CONSULT an Orthopaedic doctor if you suffer from morning back pain.

Morning Back Pain And Neck Pain

Tennis Elbow is involved with the muscles and tendons of one s forearm. It leads to inflammation of the tendons which join the forearm muscles on the outside of the elbow. Physiotherapy treatment can be of great help. The primary goal of this treatment is to improve the strength as well as the flexibility of one's forearm muscles. Now, before we take a look at the tips regarding physiotherapy treatment, let us briefly discuss its symptoms and causes.

Symptoms

If a person suffers from the problem of tennis elbow, then it s sure to cause pain and tenderness on the outside of one s elbow. The pain is at its peak when the elbow is kept still, while there might be variations in the pain when it is in use. There are other symptoms, which include:

Trying to lift the arm can cause discomfort as it results in pain.
One can also feel the pain while writing or even when anyone tries to grip small objects.
People can even encounter stiffness accompanied by pain when they try to extend his or her arm at full length.

Causes

There are a number of causes behind the occurrence of Tennis Elbow. They include:

Incorrect movements of the arm on a repeated basis, which can result in the tendons getting torn.
Those who play sports like badminton, tennis and squash that require excessive movement of racquets.
Any manual work that requires regular lifting of the wrist.
Sports activities that involve an extensive amount of throwing.

Tips Regarding Physiotherapy Treatment For Tennis Elbow

Consult a physiotherapist to undergo physiotherapy treatment for tennis elbow, the therapist would help to provide strength and flexibility of forearm muscles. The following are some of the tips regarding Physiotherapy treatment to treat tennis elbow:

A physiotherapist can offer the modern technique of dry needling the wrist extensions in order to improve the range of motion among patients.
Modern physiotherapy treatment for tennis elbow also includes the use of Kinesiology Tape, which can relieve pressure, relax associated muscles and also increase blood circulation.
Cupping is another mode of physiotherapy treatment, which can help increase blood flow to the affected tissue and improve the length to rest muscles
Physiotherapy can include a patient wearing an elbow strap, which wraps around his or her upper forearm in such a way that the pressure gets relieved on the tendon attachment.
A physical therapist might even apply ice and electrical stimulation to ease out the pain and improve the healing process of the tendon.
Physical Therapy sessions can also include iontophoresis, which makes use of mild electric current to insert anti-inflammatory medicine.
Once the pain subsides, a physical therapist provides inputs on different exercises like Elbow Bend, Wrist Turn, Wrist Lift and Palm Up, Towel Twist etc.

Physiotherapy Treatment In Tennis Elbow!

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