A spinal cord injury is a damage to the spinal cord. It s an extremely serious type of physical trauma that s likely to have a lasting and significant impact on most aspects of daily life.

The spinal cord is responsible for sending messages from the brain to all parts of the body. It also sends messages from the body to the brain. We are able to perceive pain and move our limbs because of messages sent through the spinal cord.

If the spinal cord sustains an injury, some or all of these impulses may not be able to  get through . The result is a complete or total loss of sensation and mobility below the injury. A spinal cord injury closer to the neck will typically cause paralysis throughout a larger part of the body than one in the lower back area.

Causes-

A spinal cord injury is often the result of an unpredictable accident or violent event. The following can all result in damage to the spinal cord:

a violent attack such as a stabbing or a gunshot
diving into water that s too shallow and hitting the bottom
trauma during a car accident (specifically, trauma to the face, head and neck region, back, or chest area)
falling from a significant height
head or spinal injuries during sporting events
electrical accidents
severe twisting of the middle portion of the torso
Symptoms-

Some symptoms of a spinal cord injury include:

problems walking
loss of control of the bladder or bowels
inability to move the arms or legs
feelings of spreading numbness or tingling in the extremities
unconsciousness
headache
pain, pressure, stiffness in the back or neck area
signs of shock
unnatural positioning of the head
If you suspect that someone has a back or neck injury:

Don t move the injured person   permanent paralysis and other serious complications may result
Call 911 or your local emergency medical assistance number
Keep the person still
Place heavy towels on both sides of the neck or hold the head and neck to prevent them from moving until emergency care arrives
Provide basic first aid, such as stopping any bleeding and making the person comfortable, without moving the head or neck
Prevention-

Because spinal cord injuries are often due to unpredictable events, the best you can do is reduce your risk.

 Some risk-reducing measures include:

always wearing a seatbelt while in a car
wearing proper protective gear while playing sports
never diving into water unless you ve examined it first to make sure it s deep enough and free of rocks

Spinal Cord Injury - Signs, Causes & Prevention

Stress is sometimes good for you. When you stretch yourself beyond your capacity, your body accepts challenge and increase the capacity to cope up with challenge. To a certain extent, it is good for body. But when the stress crosses the limits, it starts hurting you. That's the bad stress for you. Moderate stress for too long a time also is bad for you. Most of the hormonal diseases like diabetes, thyroid etc. Occur because of long standing underlying moderate stress. 

Stress can be physical or mental. Physical stress is due to long and continuous physical activities like walking, jogging, travelling, cycling. Mental stress is mainly because of financial tension or relationship distress. Both types of stress cause similar damages to body. Stress is the main underlying cause behind diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, thyroid, diabetes, kidney disease, peptic ulcer, bleeding disorders, cancer, recurrent infections etc. 

Finding out the reason of stress and removal of cause of stress should be the main line of treatment of such diseases.

Stress - Good and Bad

What is Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip?

Developmental dysplasia of the hip or DDH, is a condition that affects the hip joint in newborns and young children. The hip is like a ball-and-cup, formed by the round top of the thigh bone - called the femur - and a cup-shaped socket in the pelvis. The hip joint is stable in spite of its large range of motion and is kept in place by ligaments and other soft tissue structures. The normal infant hip is not mature at birth but develops into a strong and stable joint as the child grows.

What happens in hip dysplasia?

In DDH, the hip does not develop normally as the cup and ball are either partially or completely out of alignment. DDH can vary from mild to severe depending on whether the cup is shallow, soft tissue structures are lax or a combination of all. These problems may cause the hip to become unstable, and even come out of the joint. This is known as a dislocated hip and is believed to occur in around one in 1000 infants. One or both hips can be affected. DDH isn't painful in babies and young children. Untreated DDH can result in limping in young children. This can progress to hip pain and arthritis at a later date.

How common is it?

DDH is more common in girls and first-born children. It's more likely to occur if there's a family history or if the baby was breech. Swaddling or wrapping a baby's legs too tightly can also lead to DDH. Certain traditional practices like wrapping the children, etc. are known to increase the risk, while carrying them with limbs separated apart is known to decrease the risk of dysplasia. All newborns should have both hips carefully examined by a health professional. 

Treatment options

Treatment depends on the child's age and the severity of the condition. Young babies with confirmed DDH are usually treated in a brace or harness that holds the legs apart. This helps the hip socket to deepen and the hip to become stable with growth. Regular monitoring of the hip position is necessary to ensure good outcomes. Surgery may be necessary if brace treatment is unsuccessful, or if a hip dislocation is first noticed when the child is older.

What is the long-term outlook?

Most infants who are diagnosed and treated early do not have any hip problems in later life. Earlier the diagnosis and treatment, the better the outcome, as late diagnosis often requires surgical treatment and can mean a higher likelihood of ongoing hip problems.

Developmental Dysplasia Of Hip - How Common It Is?

Gout: a brief idea

In the simplest of words gout can be defined as the inflammation of joints due to continuous accretion of urate crystals. An excess of uric acid can make a person suffer from gout. There could be a higher percentage of uric acid in a person's blood due to two chief reasons; an inept excretory system that fails to rid your body of surplus acid and also greater production of the acid. Arthritis is of three kinds; gout is one of those three. Homeopathy is known for its efficacy in treating gout. 
   
Homeopathic remedies for gout:
1. Urtica urens can cure gout: This homeopathic medicine is prescribed by a professional practitioner if the person is susceptible to cold. Urtica urens can work on a patient if he or she is allergic to snow,  air, touch and water. Hive like eruptions on your ankles, wrists, and shoulders can be treated through regular consumption of this medication.
   
2. Ledum can relieve you of pain: A painful, swollen area that develops on the small joints such as the joints of your toe fingers can be cured with the use of Ledum. The sensation of shooting pain in your limbs or feet can also be dealt with Ledum. Apart from that swollen small joints can be given momentary respite by falling back upon the cold compression therapy. Patients are advised to take this medicine if they exhibit intolerance to external warmth. 
 
3. Lycopodium is effective on sore joints: Chalky deposits of urate can be found in a person's knees. This results in chronic gout. Chronic gout has symptoms like limited urination. The urine may or may not have red sediments. People have also been reported with symptoms like extreme backache. Lycopodium successfully cures cases of unceasing gout.
     
4. Try out benzoic acid for a big toe: If your gout is accompanied by stinking yellow urine you probably need Benzoic acid. Gout could be so severe that it might result in a stiff limb. In certain cases it makes a person limp. The thumb of your feet might get swollen making you have a big toe. A big toe usually kills you with tearing pain.
    
5. Arnica deals with bruises: Arnica is your go to solution in case of a throbbing, stinging pain in any part of the body. This medication is a cherished answer to aches in every household. When gout is tender and it hinders free movement, this medicine comes to your aid. The medicine also heals bruised eruptions.

Homeopathy and Gout

Osteoporosis is a condition of porous bones that makes your bones weak and fragile. There are 3 thing you can do to avoid falling prey to Osteoporosis:
*Consult your doctor to figure what's the optimum amount of Calcium you should be taking. Pregnant women, for instance, need more calcium than normal people.
*Take Sun-bath daily to ensure adequate amount of Vitamin D for your body. There are other sources of Vitamin D too. Consult your doctor to find out what are those sources and what's the right amount.
*Regular exercise is extremely necessary for good bone health. Make a plan and stick to it

3 Important Things to do to Avoid Osteoporosis

Taking into account the hectic lifestyle we lead, most of us end up suffering from aches and pains. But that does not mean we have to continue to suffer from them. There are plenty of easy exercises that one can follow in order to keep themselves healthy and problem free!

In order to avoid aches and pains, the first thing that a person needs to do is 

Practice hamstring stretches regularly: What this entails is that he or she needs to lie on the back, raise a leg and hold the back of it with both hands. While it may be called the hamstring stretch and one would probably normally think that the beneficial impact of doing it would be limited to the hamstring, it works quite a bit of special magic which has an ability to ease the pain in the lower back. Now, for an exercise which is so simple, is it not worth it?
Side Stretch: Talking about stretches, another form of a stretch happens to be the side stretch. Even this is rather simple and all that needs to be done is to lie on one s side and pull the ankle of the leg which is not in contact with the ground towards the back. While this is being done, the ankle of the lower leg should apply pressure on the thigh.
Straight leg raise: It may seem that most of the exercises which reduce pain are stretches! However, this is not really the case as there is a place for exercises such as the straight leg raise and the like. What exactly is the straight leg raise? Well, it can be done when a person is either in a sitting position or is lying on his or her back. The toes are to be kept pointed upwards and the leg is to be raised. It is to be kept in mind that the challenge of the straight leg raise is that the knee should not be bent, at all.
The cat and camel exercise: The terms cat and camel generally refer to members of the animal kingdom. However, jointly, in terms of exercises, the cat and camel is an exercise well worth remembering as it can save the individual quite a lot of pain. All that needs to be done is to alternatively arch one s back towards the floor and the ceiling while resting on one s hands and knees.
While our way of living may come with certain side-effects ,but it would not be right to say that we are helpless. We need to take charge and make little changes to enjoy a healthy and happy lifestyle.

4 Easy Exercises for Aches And Pains

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