Pain is unpleasant suffering caused by injury or illness. Back pain may be sudden/constant, dull, severe or not responding to short rest and medication. Constant pain in back in any region of spine for more than few days to weeks needs intervention.

Pain which is intense especially at night requires urgent visit to a specialist.

Sudden onset of pain in back with or without injury needs urgent attention.

Back pain with difficulty in walking, pain while getting up from position of comfort, pain during change of posture or pain after prolonged sitting (for work) can lead to serious permanent damage, if left untreated.

Pain which travels to one or both legs may be due to pressure on the nerve/s and if left untreated for long can lead to permanent weakness or damage.

Pain associated with numbness, tingling or weakness in legs, especially below the knees, commonly called Sciatica, needs to be investigated. Various spinal ailments can lead to weakness in one or two limbs or all four limbs. There may be associated or isolated numbness (loss of sensation to touch, pain or temperature) without back pain.

Numbness, tingling or weakness may be the only symptoms without any complaint or without history of back pain.

Problems related to bladder control which may be difficulty to control, hesitancy in passing or dribbling of urine. There may be associated constipation. Loss of bowel/bladder control is caused by pressure on spinal cord &/or nerves which may be due to injury, infection, disc prolapse or tumor.

Sudden swelling and redness in back usually happens after an injury or accident but sometimes are signs of underlying severe illness.

Loss of normal shape/curvatures of spine can present with or without pain. It can lead to forward, sideways or rarely backward bending.

Unintentional weight loss, loss of appetite, evening rise of fever or disturbed sleep with associated back pain/weakness/numbness needs visit to a specialist.

When Should You See Your Doctor in Back Pain?

A stinging pain in the neck that makes you feel broken from the neck joint could be a reason to worry. It is often accompanied by an aching head or a throbbing shoulder joint. Neck pain, such as this occurs due to an injury in the area resulting from sudden back and forth movement of the neck. It is referred to as whiplash as the nature of the pain and subsequent discomfort resembles the snapping of a whip. The pain is more like a sprain, but not exactly so. This can affect athletes or even any person in general who has faced an accident in recent past. Whiplash is characterized by a tearing of ligaments and tendons that connect one bone to another.

Causes of whiplash:

1. Sports that involve contact- any extracurricular activity involving collisions or other forms of physical contact can cause neck injuries. Football and rugby players frequently suffer from whiplash.

2. Road accidents- public transport has a host of disadvantages. Reckless driving can make the tendons of your neck tear. Auto accidents cause immense strain on your neck; it can also lead to whiplash.

3. Any kind of physical abuse- if you have gotten into a violent fight with someone your neck could suffer from a whiplash. Instances of physical abuse where the neck is jerked or punched at can also result in neck strains. Domestic violence often leads to instances of neck strains.

Symptoms related to this condition:

1. You may or may not suffer from tinnitus. Tinnitus is a physical disorder where you hear ringing sounds. It is quite distracting.
2. Your vision might get blurry.
3. You can experience irregular sleep patterns.
4. You can find it hard to concentrate on any one thing for more than a while.
5. You can grow irritable at the drop of a hat.
6. Your memory may fail you. You might find it next to impossible to trace back a day's activity.

Some of the other direct symptoms are:

1. Your neck might turn stiff preventing you from moving it left, right, up or down.
2. Pangs of pain can be felt in and around your shoulders.
3. Your upper arms can grow numb and tender.
4. Your head can spin repeatedly or you could feel dizzy.
5. Whiplash can also result in serious fatigue.

All About Whiplash

4 exercises to strengthen your knees

Knee pains and pains in the joints are not restricted to a certain age group anymore. Younger people of today face this problem too. To stay active all your life and escape the severe aches associated with weakening of muscles, joint pains or arthritis, you must start now. The only way to keep your knees fine and working is to exercise. 
4 moves that help you strengthen your knees.
1. Leg lifts (inner thigh) - lie on any one side, lay your head on the arm of the side below you. Make sure this hand is straight above your head, touching the ground. Keep your legs straight, one above the other. Lift the leg on top a few inches above, hold for few seconds and bring it back. Do this for 10 times and then with the other leg, on the other side. This exercise strengthens your inner thighs, eventually strengthening the knees.
2. Hip raises: lie flat on your back, your shoulders touching the ground. Bend your legs comfortable, your feet resting firmly on the ground. Raise your hips and thighs so that from your head to feet, you form an angle. Wait in this position for about 10 seconds, lower your hip until it touches the ground. Repeat for ten counts.
3. Lunges: stand straight. Take a step ahead with your right leg. Left leg remains in its place. With your back straight, bend your knees so that both are at 90 degrees. Go back to standing position; take your right leg back to where it was. Do the same step with your left leg. Repeat both sides ten times.
4. Bent leg extensions: this is pretty easy and all that you need to do it sit on a chair comfortably, with your back straight first. Your feet firmly flat on the ground in front of you, lift the right leg straight extending to the front. Make sure your thighs stay on the chair. Bring your leg back to the original position, firmly planted on the ground. Do the same with your left leg. Repeat 10 times on both sides.
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The Only 4 Moves That Strengthen Your KNEES

Neck pain is a common medical condition, which can be easily treated if proper care and medications are taken. It usually occurs due to strained neck muscles, often caused bad posture, though there might be other causes as well. Rarely, neck pain can be a symptom of a more serious problem as the condition is relatively mild in nature. The symptoms of a neck pain are very obvious which refers to any kind of discomfort in moving your neck on a daily basis. Along with this you might also have headache, stiffness of the head and muscle tightness. Some of the most common causative factors of neck pain are listed below.

Muscle strains
A muscle strain generally happens when you exert too much pressure on your neck continuously for long periods. It also happens when you have your neck fixed in the same position for long hours of the day. Muscle strains in the neck may occur when you keep your neck bent in the wrong way while doing activities like reading a book, looking at your mobile phone or working over your laptop for extended hours.

Worn joints
Just like all the other bodily joints, the neck joint also tends to wither and degrade with age. This phenomena is known as the wear and tear of the joints. The bones of the neck joint tend to wither with time, thereby making your joint frail and exposing it to various pains and medical conditions.

Nerve compression
Nerve compression is a medical symptom whereby, there is excessive pressure put on one particular nerve in the body. Herniated discs or bone spurs in the vertebrae of your neck can press on the nerves branching out from the spinal cord, hence causing a long lasting neck pain. Damage caused from a nerve compression may be minor or severe depending on the pressure applied. It may cause temporary or long lasting problems depending on the degree of damage caused. The earlier you get a diagnosis and treatment for nerve compression, more quickly you will find relief.

Whiplash
Neck related injuries are common phases of pain and discomfort caused due to an external damage to the neck as a result of a tragic sports related or vehicular accident. A neck injury is also known as a whiplash and it refers to an injury due to forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck, like the cracking of a whip. Whiplash mostly occurs during accidents, physical abuse or other trauma.

4 Common Causes of Neck Pain

Exercises to cure long hours of sitting
Most of us are used to sitting throughout the day, willingly or unwillingly due to work or otherwise. We spend more hours sitting, and most of our work is done in this position. The downsides of this are many, one of them being a stiff back which not only causes a lot of pain but also initiates many other health problems.
Train yourselves on these highly effective exercises which minimise the pain and keep your muscles active.

1. Back press: put towel on your back and press the towel with the back. Hold that position for 10 sec. Repeat 10 times. Do not hold your breath while applying pressure at the back.
2. Bridges: lie on the floor, bend your knees and secure your feet on the ground. Raise your hips upwards so that your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Release and go back to previous position.
3. Knee to chest exercise: just lie down on an exercise mat, bend your one knee while lying and try to touch that knee to the stomach. Hold it for 10 seconds. Repeat this with the other leg. Alternate the legs each time.
4. Bilateral knee to chest: bend both the knees while lying on bed. With support of your hands try bringing both bent knees to touch the stomach. Hold that position for 10 seconds. Repeat 5 times.
5. Static abdominal exercise: lying on your back, try to contract your stomach without holding your breath. Hold it for 10 seconds. Repeat the exercise for 7 or 10 times.
6. Knee to opposite chest: lying on your back, bend your knees. Try bringing one knee to opposite side of the chest and hold that position for 7 sec. Do this for 7 times and repeat the same for the other leg too.
7: leg swings: these are easy and fun. Stand by the wall, hold on to a rod or something similar to keep balance. Now with the leg that is not towards the wall, swing. Swing your leg from front to back, left to right. Do not be too quick, do this at a mediocre pace. Repeat with the other leg.
8: static glutei: lying on the stomach, squeeze your buttock and hold it for 10 seconds. Repeat 10 times.

General precautions:
1. Avoid bending instantly after or during the exercises. Incase you have to bend, first bend your knee then bend your back to pick up anything from ground.
2. While getting up from bed first turn to one side while lying, sideways then get up from bed slowly.
3. Apply hot pack in back whenever there is pain.
4. Try to sleep in hard part of mattress not in soft mattress.



Long Hours Of Sitting? Try This Permanent Relief From Back Pain

Chronic pelvic pain can be caused due to various reasons. Pelvic pain, at times, can become unbearable and cause much discomfort to the individual. Immediate treatment of chronic pelvic pain is necessary, in such circumstances. However, just as everything in the world has natural remedies, there are certain natural remedies for such pains as well. One can try and harness the natural properties of the food that they consume in order to recover from pelvic pains. Some of the foods that can be consumed and which give a considerable amount of relief are listed below.

Yogurt: At times, pelvic pain is caused due to vaginal infection. To combat such infection yogurt is applied to the vagina and left for some time before washing it off. Yogurt contains Lactobacillus bacteria which is considered to be a good kind of bacteria that helps in fighting its disease-causing counterparts.

Carotene Foods: These include pumpkin, mangoes, sweet potatoes and even spinach. The carotene rich foods help in fighting the bacteria and help prevent infection in the pelvic region. Consumption of such foods at least twice a day would provide you great relief.

Garlic: Garlic contains sulphur which is an effective agent in fighting against bacteria and inflammation. Garlic does not only bring flavours to the food but helps in proper digestion and maintaining a healthy stomach. Thus, a combination of both turmeric and garlic can help a lot to combat severe pelvic pain.

Baking Soda: Sometimes pelvic pain is caused due to bacteria growing in the intestine. The acidity of the intestine promotes the growth of these bacteria which causes pelvic pain. If you consume one tablespoon baking soda mixed with water every day then the alkalinity of the baking soda neutralises the acidity of the stomach. This makes it impossible for the bacteria to thrive and reduces pelvic pain.

Turmeric: Often pain in the pelvis is caused due to bacterial infection or inflammation of some sorts. Both these conditions can be tackled by using turmeric. Turmeric has anti- inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties which help in fighting against these problems and lessening the pain to a considerable amount.

Thus, you can try and apply these homemade remedies in curing your pelvic pain. However, if these remedies do not seem to work and the pain drags on or increases, then it is recommended to see a professional Ayurvedic practitioner as soon as possible.

5 Ways To Deal With Chronic Pelvic Pain

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