Osteoarthritis is a common disorder that affects the joints in the body. It is characterized by wear and tear of the cartilage present in the bones which lead to pain and mobility issues. The disorder mostly affects the joints in the hips, spine, knees and the hands. This disorder can t be cured; the symptoms, however, can be managed.

Symptoms

The symptoms of osteoarthritis are progressive in nature and tend to worsen with time. You will experience pain in the affected joint, leading to limited mobility. Joint stiffness occurs when you wake up in the morning or when you have been inactive for a long period. You will also experience a grating-like sensation when the respective joint is being used.  

Causes

This condition occurs when the protective cartilage around the bones tend to deteriorate. The function of the cartilage is to allow the joints to move without friction. In this disorder, the surface of the affected cartilage turns rough, ultimately resulting in complete damage. This leads to loss of the protective cushion of the bone, making the bone rub on other bones. There are certain factors that make you prone to osteoarthritis, some of them are:

Aging increases the risks of this disorder.

Women are more prone to this disorder as compared to men.

Obesity puts added stress on the joints.

It might be hereditary as well.

Ayurvedic Treatment

Ayurveda is a holistic system of medicine that balances the different energies in the body to keep you healthy. Ayurveda believes in the fact that a disorder in the body occurs when there is an imbalance in the respective doshas   Vata, Pitta and Kapha. The idea is to get the doshas in order in order to get relief from the symptoms of this disorder. Osteoarthritis, or for that matter any disorder occurs due to the imbalance of the  Vata dosha . The Ayurvedic treatments for this condition is Pachkarma therapy.

Panchakarma is the elimination of doshas from the body. It is one of the peculiarities of Ayurveda. Since according to Ayurveda, disease is the result of imbalance of doshas, when the increase of dosha is in a large quantity the best way to get cured faster is expelling the doshas out. These procedures (Karmas) are five (Pancha) and hence they are described as Panchakarma i.e. five procedures. These are to be performed not only by the patient for getting them cured but even by healthy persons for maintaining the health. 

Vamana: This is the elimination of doshas by the process of emesis. This is particularly useful for diseases arising from kapha and also from pitta. Diseases like chr. bronchitis, asthma, skin diseases, allergies, herpes, diabetes, sinusitis, osteoarthritis, hyperacidity are best dealt with this procedure. The best season for doing this procedure is   Spring  or even  Autumn .
Virechana: In this procedure, loose motions are produced to eliminate the doshas. This is very useful in diseases caused by pitta dosha e.g. Hyperacidity, herpes, gulma (Type of tumor) jaundice, osteoarthritis, anemia, skin diseases etc. The best season for this procedure is  autumn .
Basti: The procedure is important for the Vata dosha mainly, but can be used for Kapha and pitta and for all sorts of diseases also. In this procedure enema with herbal decoction, oil, honey and salt is given. Since it has a direct action over the large intestine, which is the main site of Vata dosha, it acts instantaneously. The procedure is especially useful for all kinds of diseases caused by Vata Dosha e.g. back ache, arthritis, osteoarthritis, dystrophies, multiple scherosis, muscle waisting etc. The best season for this procedure is the rainy season.

Ayurveda For Osteoarthritis

The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the human body. It runs from the lower back, through the buttocks, your hamstrings and into the lower leg. Sciatica means pain in the leg, numbness or any kind of weakness in the lower back. There can be many reasons for a leg pain such as an injury to the leg or it can be due to the main nerve which travels in the lower back. Many times, it is not diagnosed properly and hence it will take a lot of time to respond to the treatment or in some cases, it may not respond at all. 

Symptoms of Sciatica: 

You will experience pain in the lower back only on one side of the body. 
The pain continues from the lower back to the sciatic nerve. 
Rarely, you will see the pain on both sides of the body or buttocks. 
The pain is very sharp. 
In some cases, the patient may experience a needles or pins sensation in the leg and in some cases, it is weakness or numbness in the lower back. 
The pain gets so severe that you will not be able to walk or even stand. 
If you have lower back pain combined with leg pain, then lower back pain is not going to be as severe as the leg pain. With the help of the symptoms, your doctor will be able to diagnose sciatica but in order to know the exact cause and origin of this pain, you will have to undergo other tests and examinations. 
Physiotherapy for Sciatica: 
There are many surgical treatments available for sciatica, but it is always good to go for non-surgical treatments. So you can opt for physiotherapy. You will be able to see better and long lasting results with this treatment. As it involves a thorough assessment of it on which the treatment protocol is laid. 

Physiotherapy involves four phases: 

Pain relief 
Restoration of normal flexibility 
Restoration of full functionality 
Prevention of recurrence 
In sciatica, it is due to unbearable pain, you seek treatment. So that has to be treated initially. When you can see that the pain is under control, then the physiotherapist will start working on the range of motion for your joints. The muscle tension will be reduced and muscle strength will be improved. In the third stage, your physiotherapist will start working on restoring the normal function of your body, especially your legs and your lower back. In the last stage, the physiotherapist will help you with some exercises that will stop its recurrence. Usually, sciatica will return after some time but taking a little care at the early stage can prevent it.

Physiotherapy For Sciatica - Why Is It The Best Treatment Option?

Cervical spondylosis is a disorder that affects the joints and disc around the cervical region or neck. Earlier, it was believed that spondylosis can occur in old people only and is an age-related disorder. However, it is not true nowadays. Today, even youngsters complain of pain in the neck region due to cervical spondylosis. It occurs mostly to people who spend longer hours sitting and working on the computer. It is caused due to damage of cartilage and bones in this region. Symptoms of cervical spondylosis include chronic pain and stiffness around the neck.

Causes for cervical spondylosis-

A number of factors can be responsible for cervical spondylosis. Following are the common causes for the disorder:

1. Overgrowth of bones in the neck region: this can hamper the sensitive areas around the spine.

2. Drying of fluid: the spinal bone is made up of disc-like structures. There is fluid present in between the disks. Spondylosis is often caused due to the drying up of this fluid.

3. Herinated disks: in some cases, cracks get developed on the disks. This causes leakage of fluid in between them. Consequently, the nerves in this region get damaged.

4. Injury: if you have had an injury to your neck, such as during a fall or car accident, this can accelerate the aging process.

Homeopathic medicines to cure cervical spondylosis-

There are homeopathic medicines, which can cure cervical spondylosis over a period of time. However, the dosage of these medicines must be administered properly to get rid of the disorder. Some of these useful medicines have been listed below:

1. Conium: this medicine is prescribed for patients suffering from vertigo. If a patient feels pain or vertigo while turning the head sideways or lying down on bed, this medicine can prove helpful. Other symptoms that should be taken into account while prescribing this drug include feeling of tightness in the temporal region and pain in occipital area.

2. Gelsemium: if the pain in the neck region extends to the back of the head, one may be given doses of gelsemium. The patient complains of having the pain at the centre of the occipital region. Besides, the patient will feel inactive, dull and dizzy most of the times.

3. Kalmia latifolia: this is given when the pain spreads upto the arm region and fingers. The pain can also be felt around the shoulder blades. The patient suffers from frequent nausea. The pain increases when the patient tries to look down.

4. Silicea: when the pain is felt on eyes or forehead, this medicine is prescribed. It is also useful in treating spine curvature. These patients cannot adjust with cold weather. They feel chilly most of the times. The get quick relief by warm fomentation.

5. Calcarea phos: this is useful for treating patients who have developed spondylosis due to the overgrowth of bones in the cervical region or bone spurs.

Homoeopathic Remedies for Cervical Spondylosis

A small piece of bone is known as a fragment and it is very common that an avulsion fracture also tends to damage the protrusions of bone to which the tendons attach. This basically means that the tendon or ligament will come away from the bone and it will take a small piece of bone with it. It is sometimes very hard to find out what type of injury you have and this is why knowing the causes and symptoms of an avulsion fracture are very helpful in determining exactly how severe the injury is. 
Here are the causes of an avulsion fracture.
Causes:
Explosive Landing: Athletes who tend to jump or land with great impact tend to get these most commonly. Therefore, it is crucial for your health that if you participate in such sports, you do follow the correct method of jumping.
Explosive Extension: Similar to how an athlete landing ferociously can get an avulsion fracture, someone who is extending the legs very violently and explosively during an exercise can also get an avulsion fracture. This is because the bone getting extended could very well damage the protrusions to which the tendons are attached. 
Symptoms:
These are the two main causes of an avulsion fracture. There are not many symptoms of an avulsion fracture. This is because an avulsion fracture can only be determined by an MRI or by an X-ray scan. Therefore it is nearly impossible to diagnose that you have an avulsion fracture without looking at the results of the tests performed on the part of your body. However, the way you got the fracture and especially the details of it are very good indications of whether you have an avulsion fracture or not.


Causes and Symptoms of Avulsion Fracture

Torn cartilages are quite a common form of injury occurring in the human body. While one can t always be too cautious of injuries, one can still try to be conscious of their muscles and do not move about in an abrupt manner to cause injury to themselves. Further, even though torn cartilages are very common, they are quite painful and most often they occur in the knee. Here are some tips to ensure that your torn cartilage heals well and you are exposed to less pain during the healing period:

Rest: You must take rest. While it is advised to take bed rest, humanly it is impossible to spend all day in bed. Thus one can move about a little but avoid walking and straining their legs and knee too much. At times crutches can be taken while taking a few steps in the room.

Ice Therapy: Putting ice bags in the affected area helps in relaxing the muscles and reducing the pain quite a lot. Though previously people adhered to putting hot water bags, the scenario is slowly changing to ice therapy.

Compress: When you are suffering from a torn cartilage, the doctor often puts a bandage on the knee to compress the area. This is done so that the muscles are brought together and they can heal on their own with time and rest.

Elevate the Knee: Often it is seen that during such cases, the knee or the hands are rested in an elevated platform. This platform is created with the help of a pillow mostly. This lets the cartilage get time to rest and heal on its own.

Avoid Strenuous Activities: This includes jumping, running, jogging, kicking etc, when it comes to the legs and writing, lifting weight etc. when it comes to the hands. These activities require a lot of strength and power and most of all the use of the cartilages. Since the cartilages are torn and in their healing mode, it is best to avoid such activities for a certain amount of time to not put pressure on the cartilages and damage them further.

Painkillers: It has been already mentioned that the healing period can be painful. Thus, the doctor may prescribe some painkillers to ease the pain during this time.

Thus, these are some of the easiest ways to deal with a torn cartilage. The recovery period may be painful, but it happens to many people and is completely healable in nature.

How To Deal With Torn Cartilages?

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?

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