Frozen shoulder is a condition where the patient encounters continuous shoulder stiffness and pain. It could last for several weeks. Inflammation around the shoulder increases the inability to move or stretch properly. This happens when somebody is recovering from an injury. Frozen shoulder can also occur when somebody is wearing a sling or a cast. It also occurs if someone is recovering from surgery or experiencing joint pain. It may also be experienced as a symptom of thyroid, joint disorders or diabetes.

Some of the causes and risk factors for creating a frozen shoulder are as follows:

    If you are 40 years or older, your chances of a frozen shoulder are higher than others
    Recovering from a damage or surgery
    Hormonal imbalance
    Ladies are more prone to a frozen shoulder
    Cervical disc infection that influences the nerves around the shoulder
    Not moving your arm because of other pain or wounds
    Having a previous medical condition like diabetes or other heart diseases
    Open-heart surgery or spinal surgeries
    Poor diet and unhealthy lifestyle

The most widely recognized symptoms of a frozen shoulder include:

    Stiffness around the shoulder usually happens in one shoulder at a time (not both) and will probably return in the same shoulder. Muscle, joint and bone agony in and around the shoulders or arms may be experienced.
    Restricted scope of movement
    Having difficulty moving and using the shoulders or arms ordinarily, (for example, experiencing difficulty in getting dressed, driving, holding objects before you, and gestures.)

Treatment:

    Stretch the Shoulder: Before beginning shoulder exercises for a frozen shoulder, try to warm up your shoulder by doing a few warm up exercises. This will improve the blood supply in the affected area and avoid future injuries by making your body more comfortable with the motion. The best approach is to extend and warm up the shoulder by applying heat for 10 to 15 minutes, scrubbing down or showering with Epsom salt.
    Non-intrusive treatment: While these activities mentioned above can be easily performed at home, if pain continues and makes it difficult to move around or work ordinarily, see a physiotherapist who can appoint particular activities and can enhance your scope of movement, flexibility and strength.
    Acupuncture: Acupuncture is considered one of the best treatment choices for any joint and nerve related problem. The treatment is based on focusing on the trigger points of the pain and putting pressure on them via needles. The treatment is not painful and is known to produce good results in the long run.
    Dietary Supplements: Various supplements can be taken with the recommendation of a doctor, in order to improve recovery. Alfalfa (horse feed) and turmeric are two of the most regularly recommended elements that relieve swelling and repair the tissue in the shoulder.

Best Remedies for a Frozen Shoulder

Sarcopenia refers to the loss of muscle mass caused by the natural process of ageing. Over time, the loss of muscle mass may reduce a person s strength and affect his or her balance and the ability to walk. Sarcopenia can make it difficult for one to carry on with their routine activities, such as walking, lifting objects, or climbing stairs.

The reduction in muscle mass involves both a decrease in their size and the loss of muscle fibres. Sarcopenia becomes noticeable by age 40   and the loss of muscle tissues progress more rapidly by the time you reach the 60s or 70s. Doctors believe that certain hormonal changes due to ageing are the main reason for this condition. 

Apart from that, poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle also contribute to muscle loss. Health experts and doctors suggest that following a proper, nutritious diet can help treat or delay sarcopenia.

Diet recommended for sarcopenia patients 

If you are diagnosed with sarcopenia, your dietician or healthcare provider will likely recommend a diet that has an abundance of proteins, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins to prevent further muscle loss and boost their growth.

Here is a close look at the nutrients  

Proteins

The protein in your diet signals the muscle tissues to strengthen and build. As your muscles become more resistant to this signal with age, it is important that you consume more protein to increase muscle growth. A study found that people over age 70, who consumed a wholesome meal containing 35gms of protein, saw significant growth in the muscle mass. Leucine, an amino acid, is especially essential for regulating muscle growth. Some of the best sources of leucine include meat, eggs, fish, soy, and whey protein. 

Research has shown that the optimal intake of dietary protein should be somewhere between 0.6-0.9g/pound/d of protein in older adults with chronic or acute diseases. Besides eating more protein with meals, health experts recommend adding other protein-rich foods to their daily diet, including peanuts, almonds, edamame, and chickpeas. 

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is important for maintaining and building healthy bones. This is because the main component responsible for bone health, calcium can be absorbed only when your body has sufficient vitamin D. Milk, soymilk, cheese and other dairy products, egg yolks, and fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and mackerel are some of the foods offering sufficient amounts of vital vitamin D. While natural food sources are the best way to get your daily dose of vitamin D, you can also opt for supplements to increase muscle endurance and lower the risk of falling. However, be sure to discuss with your doctor before taking vitamin supplements. 

Omega-3 fatty acids

Fish oil extracted from fatty fish contains high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, DHA, and EPA. Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, fish oil is known to boost muscle sensitivity to resistance training and protein, allowing for growth in strength, size, and muscle mass as you age. A study conducted over 16 weeks revealed taking omega-3 supplements regularly witnessed a significant increase in muscle growth. 

Sarcopenia becomes more apparent with age and may affect your quality of life. Eating high-quality protein and enough calories can delay the rate of muscle loss. Consult a dietician and ask for a diet plan comprising these nutrients to improve muscle strength and deter sarcopenia.

What Type Of Diet Should Be Taken In Sarcopenia?

When you think about a healthy diet, you wonder how much carbohydrate, protein, fats and minerals you need to stay fit. However, are you neglecting the importance of vitamins in your daily diet? Research suggests that vitamins play a crucial role in muscle building and bone health.

Here is a look at the different vitamins that will help you enhance your muscles and bones using vitamins.

1. Vitamin D-

You may have heard about the importance of calcium for proper bone health. However, only consuming calcium-rich foods will not help you develop stronger bones. If you do not have enough vitamin D in your body, you will not be able to use the excess calcium for bone health. Vitamin D helps your body utilize the calcium for bone growth and enhancement.

Apart from strengthening your bones, vitamin D also works wonders for your muscles. It helps the body absorb calcium and phosphorus, both of which are essential elements in the production of adenosine triphosphate or ATP. ATP is the only form of energy that your muscles can use during movements and activities.

Best sources for vitamin D are cheese, egg yolk, certain fatty fish, shrimp, mushrooms, soya milk, orange juice and cereals.

2. Vitamin K2-

Vitamin K2, also known as menaquinone, improves your cardiovascular health. Vitamin K2 is also a coenzyme that helps your bone use proteins. Additionally, a study performed in 2013 revealed that vitamin K2 improves bone metabolism in post-menopausal women. At such an age, women s bone health starts to deteriorate and osteoporosis sets in. Therefore, vitamin K2 becomes all the more important for women at such an age.

Best sources of vitamin K2 are butter, cheese, egg yolk, dark chicken meat, and fermented soy.

3. Vitamin C-

Vitamin C is a great choice if you work out regularly. A powerful antioxidant, it helps your body metabolise proteins in the body, leading to muscle growth. Additionally, vitamin C helps in the absorption of iron, which is an essential component of blood.

Best food sources for vitamin C are citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons and more. Additionally, green capsicum, broccoli, and blackcurrants also provide ample amounts of vitamin C to your body.

Even though vitamins have a role to play in building stronger bones and muscles, the only diet will not be enough for a fit body. You need to start exercising along with eating a balanced diet if you want to stay healthy. Furthermore, exercising helps improve your musculoskeletal health.

Vital Vitamins For Musculoskeletal Health!

Your shoulders are one of the most important parts of your body, but sadly it is also one of the most neglected parts. People use their shoulders for day to day activities. Without shoulders it would be very difficult to even do a simple activity like lifting a fallen paper from the ground. Like your other body-parts, shoulders also need proper attention and care.

Why is shoulder mobility so important?
Whether it is about moving a growing child, lifting a barbeque table or about moving heavy luggage, actions require shoulder mobility. If you find it difficult to do these activities it is highly probable that you have shoulder impingement syndrome. This syndrome occurs when the rotator cuff muscles become inflamed and irritated and result in severe pain and difficulty while moving one s shoulder. Weak shoulders also make your posture look bad, it can cause grave strains in your neck and back and make you look hunched which is not at all attractive for your appearance.

Different kinds of shoulder injuries and causes of shoulder immobility:

Rotator cuff injury

Frozen shoulder

Onset of arthritis

Shoulder instability

Injury to the tendons and ligaments

Shoulder dislocation

Torn rotator cuff

Impingement   It refers to the excessive friction of the shoulder muscles against the top part of the shoulder blade.

How can you improve shoulder mobility?

You can improve your shoulder mobility with the help of some exercises. For example, stand straight with your hip and feet apart. Move your hands behind your back and try to interlock your fingers, if you face difficulty in doing so, use a towel instead. Hold this position for a minute or so.
Sit and keep your feet and knees straight pointing towards the direction of your eyes. Touch your shoulder blade by bringing your hands backward, touch your elbow with your other hand and bring it upwards. Sit straight, hold your head up and breathe slowly. Hold this position for a minute and then repeat again.
You can also improve your shoulder mobility with the help of yoga. Yoga is all about relieving your tension and stress, hence it is very beneficial to loosen up tight shoulders and it makes you much healthier by improving shoulder mobility. Stand straight with your feet at least four feet apart and then bend your left foot slightly towards to the right. Make your right foot bend 90 degrees. Raise your right arm towards the left and bend your body. Inhale and exhale. Switch sides after taking five breaths.
Physiotherapy For Shoulder Mobility-

Physical Therapy is not just scientific; it is also very thorough and very methodical in its way of healing and remedying clients with many aches and pains. A therapist is well trained and very careful in massaging and handling delicate parts of the body such as the vertebrae, extremities and in cases of temporomandibular joint neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction. Physical Therapy is a distinct specialization in the practice of physiotherapy.

Before patients are treated with the therapy, it is very important that they undergo a preliminary assessment of what ails them. Their dysfunctions are determined and their biochemical systems are assessed as well. The body's posture as well as the placement is analyzed and almost all areas of the entire body in terms of the position and functioning of the musculoskeletal system is considered just to make sure that the root cause of the problem is discovered and treated. 

The aim of the therapy is to alleviate pain, strengthen the body, and improve movement and usability of the limbs as well as the other areas of the body through the use of the hands. The therapy also utilizes various work-out regimens as well as a home carry over system to make sure that the intervention plan will work as expected. More than just treatment, physical therapy is a means of assisting a patient to recover body movement, strength and function, therefore the need to have a strong determination to improve from the patient is definitely required. Here are some physical exercises to improve shoulder mobility-

First step is to provide adequate rest to the shoulder. Avoid using the affected arm too much. Keep it in a comfortable position. Do not strain the arm.

Cold compressions can help to ease pain and swelling. Alternate applications of hot and cold compressions help to reduce inflammation and provide quicker relief.

Keeping the arm elevated in a swing is recommended. It helps to drain the fluid or oedema and reduce pain.

Other exercises recommended are basic shoulder strengthening exercises. Example of one such exercise is gently pulling an elastic tubing attached to a door knob, towards your body. These can be performed twice daily, starting five times with each arm.

Wall push exercises are those that strengthen shoulders, forearms, biceps and triceps. You must stand at least a feet away from the wall and push against the wall, for a count of 5 to 10.

Shoulder press ups are exercises that can be comfortably done while sitting on a chair. Keep your arms on the armrest of the chair. Instead of putting the weight on your feet, rise up slowly by putting the weight on your hands. Repeat this 5 times twice or thrice daily.

There are isometric shoulder mobility exercises that involve muscle contraction and movement of limbs. It involves strengthening the muscles through extension, contraction, rotation and flexion of shoulder joint.

There are lateral rotation abduction exercises, lateral shoulder raises, lateral shoulder pull down.

There s a range of scapula squeeze exercises that involve strengthening and stabilising the shoulder blades.

Medicine balls and lightweight dumbbells can be used as props to exercise the shoulders.

A bad shoulder not only results in a bad posture but also prevents you from doing day to day activities. Hence it is necessary to take care of your shoulders and exercise daily to improve the mobility.

Shoulder Mobility - How You Can Improve it?

Injuries are an inherent part of sports. All athletes have sustained some injury or another during the span of their careers. No matter which sport you play, be it football, hockey, tennis or cricket, whether you are representing your country or your college, you are likely to get hurt at some time. An injury has the potential to end careers and ruin dreams. That is because the injury takes a toll not just on the body but the mind as well. It instils confusion and hesitation and sometimes after an especially traumatic accident, athletes find it difficult to return to practice because they are crippled by a sense of fear.

That is why along with treatment or surgery, a sportsperson also needs to undergo rehabilitation therapy.

Why Psychological Rehabilitation is Important? 

After suffering a serious injury that almost jeopardized their career, athletes suffer a wide range of psychological and physical challenges, which makes them retreat from the outside world. These are problems they would not be able to cope with unless they opt for rehabilitation programmes.

  It helps them accept that getting back to the game will be a mammoth task 

  Inspires in them the confidence to keep trying 

  Deal with the pain 

  Go about their practice sessions with as little discomfort as possible 

  Overcome feelings of fear or despair 

  Cope with depression 

  Prevents the person from sinking into a state of self-pity which hinders recovery 

  Look at the injury not as something that might put an end to their career but as a mere impediment in the path to success 

Psychological rehabilitation adopts a wholesome and expansive approach to healing the athlete. It takes into account several factors in chalking out a course to recovery that is individualistic   

  The personality- the toughness, determination, will power of the athlete, ability to deal with anxiety

  Medical history- past injuries or illnesses 

  Resources of coping- the athletes  support system, a network of friends and family, management of stress, treatment and medicines etc 

Psychological rehabilitation also takes into account the individual s response to therapy to ensure that it is as effective as possible. These are   

  Cognitive appraisal - Monitors a person s growth or decline in self-esteem or worth as well as confidence. The aim of rehabilitation is to restore the person s faith in his/her capabilities 

  Behavioural response - This ensures that the individual s behaviour shows traces of denial or avoidance because negativity will only delay recovery 

  Emotional response - The profile of Mood States (POMS) is utilized to analyze or gauge the person s emotional reaction to therapy. It is supposed to uplift the athlete mood and deal alleviate feelings of despair or hopelessness. Medicines and physiotherapy become more successful in treating a sports injury when coupled with psychological rehabilitation. 

Athletic Injuries - How Effective Is Psychological Rehabilitation As A Line Of Treatment?

In Ayuveda, muscle cramp is known as  khalli vaata . Vyaana vaata it is a biological force that is responsible for regulating the functioning of your voluntary muscles. In case of a muscle cramp, the vyaana vaata gets impaired. Metabolic wastes are harmful toxins that tend to get accumulated in your system if not flushed out of your body and deposited between your muscle tissues and nerve-endings. This toxic waste is known as 'aama' in Ayurveda and it is known be a prominent cause of cramps. Besides aama, vata dosha is also responsible for muscles cramps.

Ayurveda provides a number of remedies to treat the problem of muscle cramps. The following are some of the most effective remedies to relief the discomfort of muscle cramps:
1. Drink warm milk to get instant relief from abdominal cramps. The alkaline properties of milk help to pacify the acidic condition in stomach that results in cramps. It is also a rich source of calcium which is known to aid in the relaxation of troubled muscles.
2. Physical activity including stretching exercise is effective in reducing the acute pain of leg cramps.
3. Garlic compound which is also called as 'Lagsunadivati' is helpful in relaxing muscles and it is also known to calm the  vata dosha  that aids in relieving muscle cramps.
4. Do warm up exercises and stretching exercises to lessen the risk of developing a muscle cramp during your workout session
5. Increase the intake of foods that are rich in minerals, calcium, potassium and magnesium as it is known to reduce the chances of muscle cramps.
6. Massage the painful region with 'prasarini taila' or 'mahanarayana taila' to relax the strained muscle.
7. Apply ice pack on the strained muscle to reduce the swelling and pain of the muscle.
8. Sinhanaada guggulu is well known to provide instant relief from muscle cramp. It has medicinal properties which have a mild laxative effect. It eases the problem of abdominal cramps and lessens the discomfort associated with it.
9. In case of extreme pain, 'Lakshmivilaas rasa',  Prataapa lankeswara rasa , are among the most effective Ayurvedic medications which are known to provide relief in case of chronic muscle cramps.

Muscle Cramps - How to Treat them Effectively through Ayurveda

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