The toes and heels are the most load bearing components within your feet which take most of the weight when walking, running, exercising or even standing up. The heels are an especially vulnerable part of the body which can become painful either due to injuries or excessive stress put on it. Pain in your heels can also be a sign of other problems in your body.

Causes for heel pain:

1. Sprains or straining the leg: Exercising is one of the most common culprits behind heel damage. Wearing the wrong shoes over prolonged periods, which can cause your balance to be shifted and will lead you to put strain on your heels and cause pain. Falling or spraining during exercising or training can also cause heel pain.

2. Fractures: Stress or hairline fractures can occur even without impacts or trauma and also cause pain. It will slowly build up over time. In such cases, you should immediately consult a doctor and take remedial action.

3. Achilles tendon: A common cause for heel pain, the Achilles tendon connects the calf muscle to the heel. If this is torn or damaged, it can cause pain in your heel.

4. Arthritis: The deposition of uric acid crystals in parts of your body may result in arthritis; this is a fairly common cause for heel pain as well.

Treatments available

1. Change in shoes: Shoes play a major role in the development of heel pain. You will either need to change the shoes or adjust the heels to ensure that they are at an equal and comfortable height and keep your posture natural and balanced.

2. Foot supports: There are specialized heel supports and wedges, which you can wear with the footwear. These supports help redistribute weight from the problem areas and uniformly distribute it among the other parts of the foot. Heel cups are also another form of supports you could try.

3. Pain relief medications: Sometimes aspirin or ibuprofen may be required to numb and dull the pain, if getting through the day becomes difficult or you are in the middle of work.

4. Resting: Sometimes resting is the only medication you can take to relieve the pain as it can only subside once the underlying conditions are corrected.

5. Ice packs: Cold compress and cold therapy would definitely help in numbing the area and providing temporary pain relief.

It is however, advisable to visit the doctor if the pain persists and take specialized medical care in more complicated cases wherein the pain is prolonged.

Heel Pain its Causes and Treatments

Dysmenorrhea is a condition marked by severe menstrual cramps. This is caused due to contractions in the pelvic area during the menstrual cycle. While most women go through some degree of cramping, when the cramps become too serious and severe, it should be reported to a doctor to find out if there are any other related problems like Endometriosis, Fibroids, Adenomyosis or some infections.

Here are the ways in which this condition may be treated effectively:

Medication: One of the main ways of dealing with this condition includes taking pain relievers that must be prescribed by your doctor. Also, one can take over the counter drugs to relieve the pain. These include ibuprofen as well as aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Acetaminophen can also help in most cases. Some women may need antibiotics to take care of pelvic infections that cause pain in the pelvic region.

Hormonal Birth Control: if your symptoms are too severe and debilitating, then the doctor can also put you on hormonal birth control treatment to bring down the pain and severity of the cramps. These are usually prescribed in the form of oral tablets which need to be consumed daily as advised by the Gynaecologist . Sometimes, some women may be unsuitable / unwilling for oral medications and in such cases, other routes for hormonal administration may be followed. This can be administered in the form of an injection. Also, you may wear the dose as a patch on the skin. A surgical procedure can also implant the same under your skin. This also comes as a flexible ring that the doctor can insert into your vagina with the help of an intrauterine device (IUD).

Surgery: In very extreme cases, the doctor may recommend surgery. This is usually conducted in case there is an underlying condition like endometriosis or fibroids, which can create severe complications for the patient as well. The doctor may also carry out surgical removal of the patient's uterus in case there are many complications.

Home remedies: One can exercise on a regular basis in a moderate manner so as to ensure that the cramps are not too severe. Also, you can use heat therapy in order to bring down the pain. This can be done by taking a hot bath and soaking in a tub of hot water. Also, you can use a heat compress so as to relieve the pain. Other dietary supplements can also be taken in order to reduce the cramps. For this purpose, one should regularly indulge in fish and flax seeds as well as other ingredients that are rich in omega three fatty acids. Also, vitamin B1 is an important ingredient that can be found in leafy green vegetables. Magnesium supplements can also be taken by the patient for such cramps.

Stress: one will need to take care of the stress levels by staying away from stressful situations and also cutting back on the consumption of alcohol. One should also avoid smoking completely. Meditation & Yoga have been known to help in relieving stress and you can practise a little bit of these on a daily basis. Also, devoting time to your hobbies and listening to good music can be a stress-buster when incorporated in your daily routine.

So eat right, exercise right, think right and have a positive attitude- That helps take care of most non-pathological cases of dysmenorrhoea.

Ways to Treat Dysmenorrhea Effectively

6 Bodily Pains You Must Never Ignore

Any pain in the body is an indication and demands attention. Some pains go away by themselves or by home treatment, while few need medical attention. 

Here are 6 types of pains which should never be ignored.

Chest Pain - Chest pain that doesn't go away and is accompanied by shortness of breath can prove to be fatal if not treated at the earliest. Do not wait for it to subside, nor should you try self medication. Consult the doctor immediately.
Abdominal Pain - While abdominal pain could be because of various smaller reasons, if it is unbearable, consult a doctor at the earliest. This pain could be because of ruptured appendix, stomach ulcer, problems in your pancreas or gallbladder or even intestinal blockages.
Severe Headache - Normally we tend to take headaches lightly, believing that all we need to do is pop a medicine or rest it out. However, if the pain is excruciating, consult the doctor as soon as possible.
Prolonged Backache - If you are experiencing pain in the back with tingling in your toes, this could be associated with your discs. Give it medical attention at the earliest, as it could turn fatal.
Lower Abdomen  - Appendicitis' indicator is sharp pain on the side. If you feel a sharp pain in your lower abdomen on the right side along with symptoms like nausea, vomiting, fever, shaking, constipation and diarrhea, reach out for medical assistance as soon as possible.
Leg Pain - Yet another pain one should not ignore is deep vein thrombosis which is blood clots in the legs? deep veins.

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6 Bodily Pains You Must Never Ever Ignore

Concentrated pain in the neck can be especially tormenting. Before you look for a cure for this pain and start treating it, it is important that you try and find out the underlying cause behind it as well. Contacting a physiotherapist in time will allow you not only to avoid any and every side effect posed by neck pain, but also assist you to get good riddance from it.

Causes of Neck Pain:
There can be multiple causes of neck pain. The treatment of the same depends wholly on the factor that is causing the pain. Some of these causes of neck pain include

Misaligned hips,
Misaligned Spine,
Misaligned shoulders,
A constantly forward-tilted head,
Lack of movement of the head from one specific position,
Tensing up of the muscles in the upper back,
Tensing up of the muscles in the neck region, etc.
It is all these factors and a few more that end up resulting in stiffening of muscles in and around the neck and causing you intermediate to unbearable pain.
Side effects of neck pain:
Neck pain also has some side effects, which includes temporary loss of consciousness, nausea, vomiting, blackouts, temporarily blurred vision, headache, spondylitis, etc.

Exercises for neck pain:
Neck exercises are a predominant part of the treatment extended by every physiotherapist, to cure neck pain. Some of the most vital and effective exercises for neck pain are listed below.

Frog: Funny as it way sounds, the frog is one of the best exercises when it comes to treating neck pain. All you have to do is lie down on the floor with your knees apart, your feet joined, your hands laid upward on the floor at a 45-degree angle to your body and just stay there in that position for two minutes. This will force your back to arch naturally, slowly giving some relief to your neck.
Sitting floor: Try sitting floor for neck pain. All you have to do is sit straight with your back rested on a wall, with your legs laid straight forward. Bring together your shoulder blades and bend to help them meet your knees while curling the toes outward to optimal. Stay in this position for a good 3 minutes, without bending the legs.
Static wall: Lie down on the floor with your bottom against a wall and your legs up it. You can always scoot back a bit if there is the slightest of discomfort. The aim here is to help the tail bone lie comfortably on the floor. Tighten your thigh muscles but curling your toes outward and pointing your feet straight out from its previous position. Maintain this position for 3 minutes for maximum effect.
Static back: The static back is the most common and most helpful exercise for neck pain. All you got to do is lie down on the floor, while placing your legs on an elevated surface, such as an ottoman or a chair at a 45-degree angle to your body. Now put your arms at an angle of 45 degrees to your body as well, only sideways on your shoulder. Follow this position by lifting your palms and staying in that position for five to ten minutes.
All these exercises are aimed to positively influence one muscle or the other in and around the neck region and to help you get rid of that pain. Consult a physiotherapist first, and he/she will advise you on the best neck pain exercises.

Neck Pain - 4 Exercises to Control Pain

Conventional medicine treats pain with the help of medications; by either blocking the transmission of pain signals in the body or by correcting the underlying problems caused by the pain in the first place. However, traditional and alternative forms of medicine such as acupuncture manage pain issues within the body through the means of redirecting disrupted energy flows. One of the very few forms of alternative treatments used in conjunction with conventional treatments, acupuncture is seen as a mercurial rise in popularity in the past few decades.


What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture dates back to ancient China, about 2500 years ago. It has been widely practiced there for a number of millennia, not only pain relief, but also for treating many ailments. Acupuncture isn t just considered a form of therapy, but a holistic form of medicine. Acupuncture works on the principle of the flow of energy within the body, also known as  Qi , in traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncture strives to correct the disruptions in  Qi  that may cause pain by manipulating over 2000 of the specific pressure points within the body with the help of specially created needles.


Where is acupuncture effective?
Acupuncture is very effective in treating a host of ailments, especially in relieving the associated pain. Some of the areas where acupuncture has proven its effectiveness are:
1. Treating nausea and vomiting caused due to chemotherapy treatment for cancer patients
2.  Very useful in treating post-operative pain caused due to dental procedures
3.  Rehabilitating patients who have suffered strokes
4.  Fibromyalgia (musculo-skeletal pain with fatigue accompanied by sleep and memory issues) 
5.  Effective in combating withdrawal symptoms caused due to addiction
6.  Pain from menstrual cramps
7.  Tennis elbow
8.  Osteoarthritis (a type of arthritis caused due to the erosion of tissues present at the ends of one s bones)
9.  Pain of the lower vertebrae within the spinal column
10. Asthma


How does acupuncture work within the body?
According to modern medicine, the specific pressure points utilized by acupuncture within the body help in releasing chemicals that can block or at least reduce pain. It encourages the flow of chemicals from the brain, which act as nerve and pain blockers. It also helps stimulate the muscles and nerve endings, which can lessen inflammation and thus help in reducing pain.

Acupuncture - Why Should You Use it to Combat Pain?

Ageing is a process which is not always kind to people. One of the things which occurs along with ageing is cervical spondylosis, which causes extreme pain and stiffness of muscles. Although it may be an excruciating thing to have, it really does not mean that it cannot be treated, especially with herbal medicine.

In a lot of cases, cervical spondylosis (sometimes referred to as neck arthritis or cervical osteoarthritis) ends up being related to a neck injury that was suffered by a person and it gets progressively worse as he or she gets older. It is a condition in which there is a degradation of the joints of either two or more vertebrae.

To say that herbal remedies can go a long way when it comes to an issue such as cervical spondylosis is an understatement. Take a look at Ayurveda, the ancient, yet super effective body of medicine.

Triphla: To start with, there is triphala, which is a herb. Take triphala powder, mix it in a glass of milk and have it. Do ensure that the milk is warm as triphala may not have its intended effect, if the case is otherwise.
Gugglu: Simbananda Guggulu, which is the resin extract of the Guggulu plant, is considered an effective medicine.
Aloe vera: Aloe Vera or Kumari Saar, as referred to in the Ayurvedic terms, is known to be a wonder plant and there is a good set of reasons as to why it has earned this reputation for itself. One of the reasons is surely the potential of its juice to help with treating cervical spondylosis.
Ayurveda requires general changes in a person s diet and the way he or she lives life, as well. For this reason, when a person is looking to get rid of cervical spondylosis, it is important to stay away from eating fried food or food that is either sour or bitter. Relief from cervical spondylosis can be as easy as popping a medicine in capsule form a few times a day! 

Make sure you visit a qualified doctor before you consume any of these medicines. It is to be kept in mind that a doctor should prescribe the dosage of medicines and the duration of the treatment for cervical spondylosis and only after this is done should you undergo the treatment. Soon you can look forward to living a higher quality of life with lesser pain.

Ayurveda provides permanent cure for this ailment. The treatment includes external therapies like greeva basti, abhyangam, kizhi etc. Along with some therapeutic diet and regimen and internal medication. Therefore, cervical spondylitis is completely curable with ayurveda.

6 Ayurvedic Remedies to Treat Cervical Spondylosis (Osteoarthritis of Neck) 

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