Osteoporosis wreaks havoc in many senior citizens, especially women. This is a disorder that systematically weakens the bone and can fracture the spine and the hip. If not treated early, it poses a serious threat to mobility. While medicine is a prerequisite to treating this condition, exercise goes a long way in helping patients of osteoporosis. Regular exercise can improve balance and strengthen the muscle. This being said a doctor should be consulted for a fitness assessment and bone density test before going ahead with any exercise routine.

What is the right exercise for you?
Exercises are recommended depending on the degree of osteoporosis a person is suffering from. Some exercises may not be suitable for a person while some can greatly help. It is therefore suggested that a doctor or physiotherapist is consulted before starting any exercise. Here is a list of exercise that doctors often suggest:

    Strength training: Strength training aims at strengthening the spine and other muscles. It includes the usage of free weights and lifting own body weight. In case the exercise involves the usage of weight machines, utmost care should be taken to ensure that the spine does not get twisted. Resistance training, on the other hand, should be designed in such a way that it fits the tolerance and ability to cope up.
    Flexibility exercises: When the joints are allowed to go through the range of motion, it helps in muscle function. Stretching, for instance, should only be done when the muscle is warmed up. Care should be taken that stretching is done gently which is devoid of any bouncing. The spine should not be flexed. Any exercise that demands to bend towards the waist should also be avoided. An experienced physiotherapist should be able to suggest which stretching exercise is suitable for patients with osteoporosis.
    Aerobic training: Aerobic training necessarily means that the bone supports the body weight. This exercise helps the bone from mineral loss and is good for body balance strength and flexibility. Some aerobics that can be easily performed by patients with osteoporosis include dancing, stair climbing, cycling and walking. These exercises also help in blood circulation and cardiovascular diseases.
    Exercises you must avoid: High-impact body activity exercises such as jogging, jumping and running should be strictly avoided in order to avoid bone fracture and weaken muscle. Unlike exercises with controlled movements, these exercises can twist the spine and cause severe immobility in movement.
    Twisting: For patients with osteoporosis, an exercise that involves forward bending resulting the waist to come down should be avoided. Exercise such as this can cause compression fractures leading to restriction in physical movement for a temporary to longer duration. Any sort of bending and twisting, therefore, should be avoided. 

Suffering from Osteoporosis - Know Which Exercise is Right and Wrong for You?

Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes chronic pain in muscles, soft tissues, tendons, and joints. For some, it can also cause memory problems, fatigue, mood swings and lethargy. Fibromyalgia is not a disease but a syndrome. The same can be effectively managed through wellness, medicine, massage and alternative medicine. This condition is more observed in women than man. Luckily through, this condition is not life threatening and does not damage muscle and joints.

What are the symptoms?
The most common symptom of Fibromyalgia is the pain. The experience of pain can be burning, deep, shooting or ache at regular intervals. Tender points around the soft tissue can be visible. This worsens at night. Some common indications of this condition include less sleep, headaches, depression, fatigue and other cognitive issues. With proper care the symptoms do improve, it, however, is a long-term condition and chances are that the pain might return in the long run.

How does massage help?

Massage can prove to be extremely beneficial for this lot. Research indicates that massages such as Shiatsu, myofascial release and Swedish improve the condition for better. Mentioned below are few benefits that have been observed in patients of different age group:
An evening session with a massage therapist will help a patient to get sound sleep at night. This ensures that the body rejuvenates and repairs during the sleep. The patient feels more energetic than ever before.
Massage improved muscle tonicity: Massage helps to improve the lethargic muscle aid strength and vitality to the body. It is essential to include more petrissage strokes during the massage session to accomplish the goal.
Massage helps a great deal to improve mental clarity. A healthy, relaxing massage session can relieve mental stress, gives clarity to thinking and resolves the cognitive issues that a person is facing.
A person suffering from Fibromyalgia can get relief from headache with proper massaging. Massage greatly improves the flow of blood to the brain and the spinal cord region thereby, ensuring that headache is greatly reduced. Relief from headache can improve the overall health of a patient.
Massage can reduce the level of depression and anxiety faced by a person suffering from fibromyalgia. Depression and anxiety leads to hormonal fluctuations leading to appetite, mood swings, constant irritation etc. A regular massage session can restore the body homeostasis thereby keeping the body condition normal.
Regular massage session will improve the overall pain level of the patient and give a chance to the muscle to gain extra strength. With proper care and therapy, it is entirely possible to cure the condition for good. 
However, it is also necessary to continue with the session. Giving up massage therapy after temporary relief won t serve the purpose for long-term pain relief.


Fibromyalgia Pain - Can Massage Help Reduce It?

Bone issues are very common. From infection to inflammation to injuries to mere old age, bone issues are very common. Arthritis can happen with any of these conditions. The healing of this has two aspects one is to heal and reduce the pain and the second is to address the underlying condition. The range of motion needs to be improved, and further damage to the bones should be arrested.

Ayurveda identifies two types of joint problems, one is due to poorly nourished bones, which are prone to damage and the second is the over accumulation of toxins, leading to joint pain and stiffness. This joint pain would be further aggravated by damp weather.

Ayurveda also believes that the overdose of vaata leads to bone issues. So food items aimed at reducing vaata should be included so that balance is restored. There is more than one component to this healing. Food, lifestyle changes, herbs, and exercise manage bone issues, arthritis and the pain. Let s see how.

Food: Eating whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as a calcium rich diet is very essential for healing bones. Eat freshly cooked food items and include a lot of dairy products.
Lifestyle: A regular sleep schedule, which is in sync with the biological clock, is very essential. Also eat at regular intervals with the meals getting lighter as the day goes by. Exercise, even in the form of brisk walk, helps soothe joints and keeps them agile.
Massages: Oil massages like Abhyanga are very essential to prevent joint problems. They also help in reducing toxins, which are quite high in chronic conditions like arthritis. These oils can be applied directly on the joints too to improve lubrication, movement and reduce pain.
Go anti ama: There is another component known as ama, which is an equivalent of toxins. The diet and lifestyle should be aimed at reducing ama, which gets accumulated with age in the form of digestive toxins. Eat food products that are easy to digest, consume ama reducing spices like turmeric and pepper, avoid daytime napping and exercise regularly.
In addition, the following herbs are known to be beneficial for bone health.

Ashwagandha: It has rich anti-inflammatory properties, produces effects equivalent to steroids and helps in controlling joint pain and inflammation. Swelling and movement are also improved with its regular use.
Boswellia: Combined with Ashwagandha, this is another wonder drug that helps reduce bone inflammation. It suppresses release of chemicals responsible for inflammation and helps control pain and swelling.
Turmeric: One of the most acclaimed anti-inflammatory agents, it releases multiple enzymes and thereby controls inflammation.
So, for bone pain and arthritis, an NSAID is not the only remedy.

Arthritis and Bone Disorders - How Ayurvedic Remedies Can Help?

If you are looking for natural remedies for arthritis, you should opt for Ayurvedic treatment. Arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disease causing damage to your joints and connective tissues. The knee gets commonly affected. There are three primary types of arthritis, which occur in your knees. Ayurveda is ideal for arthritis treatment, and there are several Ayurvedic remedies that you can opt for.

How Does Ayurveda Approach Arthritis?

Ayurvedic treatment for arthritis is based on the understanding of the various doshas or humors of the body. According to Ayurveda, there are four main humors in the body and it is these that govern our health, wellness and our proneness to disease. Arthritis, as per Ayurveda, is a condition caused due to the aggravation of vata dosha (air). The body produces ama   a toxin that is released as a by product of improper digestion. When ama is produced, it circulates in the body and gets deposited at sites that have already weakened. So when the vata is already stirring up, ama finds the perfect place to build up. That is why you experience arthritis in fingers or knees. For most people, arthritis in the knee is more painful than in the fingers because knees are load bearing joints. If you have arthritis in your knees, you will have trouble moving and the range of motion in your joints will be severely restricted. You may have to depend on people or walking aids to make even the smallest of movements.

Ayurvedic treatment for arthritis aims at balancing and stabilising the Vata component of your body. This is done by strengthening your alimentary canal and metabolic pathway. This makes sure that your circulatory channels do not get blocked by impurities, and are functioning properly. You need to drink a lot of water in order to detoxify your body. There are several Ayurvedic home remedies for arthritis treatment as well, which help in improving your motion range.

Treatment Tips:

You should start your day with a big glass of lukewarm lemon water every day.

You should opt for fenugreek which is an ideal natural inhibitor of ama and corrects your Vata dosha. This natural arthritis remedy can be taken in various ways. You can take these seeds in your food. You can also grind them, mix mustard oil to it, and apply the mixture to your joints. This provides warmth and relief to your joints.

You can opt for an Ayurvedic hot oil massage of your joints. This is effective, especially during the winter. You can use castor oil, and sesame seed oil for massaging your arthritis affected joints. Do not apply pressure while massaging your joints as applying pressure goes against the principles of Ayurveda.

It is recommended for you to meditate regularly for relieving stress and coping with anxiety. These factors are responsible for the development of ama in your body. Regular meditation makes your body relaxed and calm. You should practice yoga as it involves several breathing exercises which help in initiating you into meditation. Having effective control over your breath, your meditation will be more effective.

It is important for you to sleep early and wake up early. The disruption of your sleep cycle causes aggravation of all your doshas and causes stress and fear. A healthy sleep cycle helps you in keeping away from obesity. This improves the health of your load bearing joints, as the chances of them getting extra load because of obesity are prevented.

If you are looking for Ayurvedic remedies for arthritis, it is important for you to consult an experienced Ayurvedic practitioner. He will be able to prescribe you Ayurvedic remedies which suit your symptoms and stage of arthritis.

Arthritis: Is Ayurveda The Best Line Of Treatment?

Cervical spondylosis is an age related disorder affecting the discs and joints in your neck. The overuse of the bone and cartilage in the cervical spine of your neck leads to cervical spondylosis. While it is mostly caused by age, it can also be caused by other factors. Stiffness and severe, chronic pain are the most common problems with patients afflicted with cervical spondylosis. While in others, it might not cause problems and they can go about their daily activities.

Physiotherapy for Cervical Spondylosis
There is no cure for cervical spondylosis, but its symptoms can be treated with physiotherapy. If you have chronic pain in your neck, shoulder blades or arms, a physiotherapist can provide effective pain relief by strengthening your vertebrae and neck. This will improve your posture and prevent any relapse of the pain.

Firstly, the physiotherapist will evaluate your condition; check your reflexes and strength. Then, the physiotherapist will move on to the following treatments:

Stretching, strengthening and straightening exercises: Before beginning these exercises, your physiotherapist will first apply cold or heat to the affected area and then proceed with a deep tissue massage or electric stimulation. When your muscles are relaxed, the exercises will begin only then. These exercises are performed to strengthen the muscles in your neck. Through these, you will learn how to improve your range of movement and posture.
Neck traction: Pulling your head to stretch out your spine is called neck traction. This technique is used to improve movement and ease the pain. Traction is used to open the spaces between the vertebras gently in order to ease pressure on the distressed discs. Traction is done continuously or sporadically, with short periods of rest in between. If you cannot find the right physiotherapist to do this for you, there are devices to help you stretch your spine.
Cervical collars and pillows: Neck pillows or cervical pillows, are made to keep your neck steady while you sleep. Cervical collars are also called neck braces which are used to support the neck. While cervical collars have been proven to be quite beneficial, there isn t much evidence to support cervical pillows in treating cervical spondylosis. You can always consult your physiotherapist before purchasing a cervical pillow.

Cervical Spondylosis - How Physiotherapy Can Help Treat it?

Osteoporosis is a disease that affects the bones of its sufferers. This is most commonly found in women, especially in those who are close to, or going through, menopause. Hormonal changes around this period in a woman's life usually lead to various changes in her body. One of these changes includes loss of bone tissue which can leave the patient with brittle and weak bones, a condition that is also known as osteoporosis. This condition literally imbibes the word porous, meaning hollow bones. It is born from an acute deficiency of calcium and vitamin d. The dexa scan or bone density test, also known as the dual energy x ray absorptiometry scan, is one of the most effective tests that can help you in detecting this kind of damage or thinning bones. Here's why.

- fractures: the dexa scan is an important one because it sends low energy beams to areas like your joints and tissues to show how susceptible you are to fractures. It does so by measuring the strength of the tissues as well as the bones to see how brittle they may be.&nbsp;

- other ailments: measuring the thinning of your bones can also point to the presence of other ailments that may have gone unnoticed or undetected, earlier. These can include kidney disease, hyperparathyroidism which happens due to overactive secretions of the said gland, as well as liver disease due a malfunctioning liver, intestinal disease and various disorders in the intestinal tract, and a serious vitamin d deficiency. With this scan, you can get an insight into the other parts of the body affected by the bone density, and whether or not they are functioning properly.&nbsp;

- estrogen: simply checking the estrogen levels cannot ascertain whether or not you have osteoporosis, as a high estrogen level can be credited to a particularly heavy period cycle. It does not show the bone health the way a dexa scan does.&nbsp;

- easy and standardised: this method of scanning usually happens with the help of a mounted x ray machine type, hand held gadget which can be extended to conduct the scan. This is an easy and standardised method that releases low levels of radiation which also makes it a healthier option.

- bone density scores: the t scores and z scores point towards the bone density and help in diagnosing the condition efficiently. With a systematic scoring system, it is a sure shot test for osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a serious condition. The first step in treating the same is to get a detailed scan like the dexa scan done, so as to test the extent of the bone thinning to ensure that proper and timely treatment takes place.&nbsp;


Why Is The DEXA Scan Important For Osteoporosis Patients

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