Shin splints' is a condition, which is characterized by pain in the shin bone, the bone that is present in front of the leg. Shin splints tend to occur quite frequently in runners and dancers as their activities tend to stress the shin bone.


Causes
When excess force is applied to the shinbone, it may result in swelling of the muscles, causing pain and inflammation. It may also occur from stress reactions to fractures in the bone. Cracks tend to develop due to constant application of force in the bones. If the area is not well rested then these cracks will not heal and ultimately lead to a complete fracture.


Some other causes of shin splints are 
1. Muscle imbalance in the glutes or the thighs
2. Anatomical deformity such as flat foot
3. Not using proper form during training
4. Lack of flexibility
5. If you wear improper shoes during workouts, then it may lead to shin problems
6. Running downhill may lead to excessive stress on the shin leading to shin splints


Symptoms
The symptoms of shin splints are: 
1. You may experience swelling in the lower leg
2. A dull pain in the front portion of the leg
3. Tenderness around the shin area
4. Numbness around the shin area
5. Inflammation in the shin area
6. You may experience severe pain while walking


Treatment
The basic treatment for shin splints is the rice (rest, ice, compression and elevation) protocol. It means allowing the leg to rest, applying ice packs and wearing compression bandages. It is recommended to take rest and not exert the leg beyond a certain point to limit the damage. The complications that may result from shin splints are compartment syndrome, where there is buildup of pressure in the muscle. In some cases, where the muscle tears off from the bone, a surgery may be required to treat this condition.

Causes and Symptoms of Shin Splints

A broken bone or a crack in the commonly known as a fracture. Any bone in the arm can be broken, but common areas for fractures in the arm is wrist, specifically the distal radius, forearm bones (radius and ulna), elbow, humerus and shoulder. 

What causes fracture in bones?

Fall: Falling an outstretched hand or elbow is the most common cause of a broken arm.
Sports injuries: Direct blows and injuries on the field or court are a common cause of all types of arm fractures.
Significant trauma: Any of your arm bones can break during a car accident, bike accident or other direct trauma.
Abuse: In children, a broken arm may be the result of child abuse.
How to identify?

An audible snap or cracking sound may be your first indication you've broken an arm.

Signs and symptoms include:

Severe pain, which may increase with movement
Swelling
Bruising
Deformity, such as a bent arm or wrist
Inability to turn your arm from palm up to palm down or vice versa
When to see a doctor?

If you have enough pain in your arm that you can't use it normally, see a doctor right away and do the same for your child. Delay in diagnosis and treatment of a broken arm, especially for children who heal faster than adults do, can lead to poor healing and deformity.

Fracture In Upper Limb Bones - 4 Things That Can Cause It

People have a common perception that most injuries, medical conditions only affect those who spend several hours working outdoors. But what if we tell you that people who stay indoors- such as homemakers - are also susceptible to numerous health problems?

There s a saying:  Home is where the heart is.  But for countless homemakers, home is the place where  hurt  is! Scores of Indian homemakers encounter various injuries every year while engaging in household chores like cleaning and washing. The most common ones are-

Sprain- if you re a neat freak, you wouldn t mind spending half of your day cleaning the entire house. Here s a small tip- go slow if your cleaning duties include shifting heavy appliances and furniture from one place to another. There s a high chance that you may end up with a sprain injury. Sprains occur when you accidentally twist your ligaments. Another major cause of sprain injuries is a sudden fall. If you re mopping the floor or cleaning the bathroom, there s a fair chance that you may slip or lose balance. One must be cautious when working with water.
Back injuries- These are the most common types of injuries at home. Bending, lifting a heavy bucket or an abrupt movement, can strain your back muscles or ligaments leading to back injury. Many times the injury can result in a persistent, sharp stabbing pain, and hinder your usual routine.
Joint compression- Homemakers spend a considerable amount of time standing in the kitchen. As tiring as it is, standing for prolonged periods puts pressure on your joints- knee joint, hip joint as well as those in the feet and the ankle. This leads to wear and tear of the synovial joints, eventually causing them to tear. In due course of time, you will find it difficult to move around and walk even a meagre distance.
Prevention-
Starting to get worked up? Don t be. These problems can easily be prevented if you follow these steps-

Avoid overstretching, bending and twisting
Avoid lifting heavy weights. If possible, use a waist belt to keep away from traumatic injuries.
Keep your body weight in check. Mild exercises can help you with that.
Maintain a healthy diet- calcium intake can help your bones get stronger.
Use muscle braces to keep your joints protected.
Treatment-
The most preferred and effective choice of treatment for curing muscle injuries and joint inflammation is physiotherapy. Physiotherapy uses manual therapy, mechanical force and exercise therapy to promote mobility.

The most common method of treating such injuries is the RICE technique.  RICE  stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. Keep the injured part at rest. Put an ice bag on the injured portion. Compress the injured area. Elevate the wound/injury for faster relief.
Anti-inflammatory drugs like Ibuprofen and Aspirin are prescribed to reduce inflammation and swelling. Painkillers can offer you instant relief from pain.
Physiotherapy treatment can effectively cure you of such injuries, that too in a short span of time. If you follow the treatment guidelines, recovery will take about 2-4 weeks. 

Common Problems Faced By Homemakers Who Stay Indoors - How Physiotherapy Can Be Of Help?

Hip arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure in which doctors view the joint problem without making any cuts through the skin and other soft tissues. Hip Arthroscopy is performed to treat several hip problems.

In Hip Arthroscopy, the doctors insert an arthroscope (a small camera) into the hip joint. The pictures are displayed on a video monitor with the help of an arthroscope. The surgeons will use these images to guide the surgical instrument.

As the surgical instrument and arthroscope are very thin, the surgeons make a very small incision compared to the one that is done in open surgery. As a result, patients feel less pain and stiffness in joints. This type of surgery also takes less time to recover and one can return to their normal life within a short period of time.

Hip Anatomy:

The hip is a socket and ball joint. The socket is formed by a part of a large pelvis bone called acetabulum. The ball joint is on the upper end of the femur (thighbone). Articular cartilage is a slippery tissue that covers the surface of the socket and ball. It creates a frictionless and smooth surface that helps the bones to glide across each other easily. Strong fibrocartilage is ringed on the acetabulum called labrum. It creates a gasket around the socket.

The joint is surrounded by a ligament, which creates a capsule to hold the joint together. The inner surface of the capsule is lined by a membrane called synovium. It produces a synovial fluid that helps in lubricating the joints.

When to Recommend Hip Arthroscopy?

If a person is suffering from chronic pain and does not respond to any other nonsurgical treatment, including physical therapy and medication, doctors may recommend a person opt for hip arthroscopy.

Hip arthroscopy helps a person to get relief from many problems that cause painful symptoms including damaged articular cartilage, labrum, or other soft tissues. The damage can be the result of any form of injury. However, there are other orthopedic conditions that can also lead to damage. The orthopedic conditions include:

Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI):

In this type of disorder, an extra bone is developed on the femoral head (cam impingement) or along the acetabulum (pincer impingement). The overgrowth of the bone is known as spurs that damage the soft tissues surrounding the hip joint. In most cases, the bone spurs develop in either part. However, there are cases in which the bone spurs develop in both femoral head and acetabulum.

Dysplasia:

In this condition, the hip socket is abnormally shallow. Due to this problem, more stress is put on the labrum in order to keep the femoral head within the socket. This may raise the condition of the labral tear.

Snapping Hip Syndrome:

In this condition, the tendon rubs across the hip joint repeatedly. This type of popping or snapping is generally harmless and can be repaired without any treatment. However, the tendon may be fully damaged due to continuous rubbing in some cases.

Other conditions where hip arthroscopy is recommended include synovitis, hip joint infection, and labral tear.

Arthroscopic Femoroacetabular Surgery:

If the diagnosis results show that damage is caused by femoroacetabular impingement and a patient is not getting relieved from pain by any nonsurgical method, doctors recommend going for Arthroscopic Femoroacetabular Surgery.

In this type of surgery, the doctor repair and clear out the damage of the articular cartilage and labrum. He may also trim the rim of the acetabulum bone and shave the bump of the femoral head.

Arthroscopic Labral Repair:

If patients are not getting relief from conservative treatment, doctors recommend Arthroscopic Labral Repair. In this type of surgery, surgeons cut out and remove the damaged or torn part of the labrum. He further repairs the torn part by sewing it.

Take Away:

Both treatment methods are minimal incision processes and require fewer hospital stays. However, it is always advisable to consult a doctor before opting for any treatment.

Know More About Hip Arthroscopic Surgery!

The bones and joints orchestrate very well with each other for smooth movements of various joints and the spine. However, due to various reasons, some identified and others unknown, there could be inflammation of the areas where the bones join the muscles leading to impaired movement. The range of motion could be reduced or it could be painful, thereby, limiting movement. Spondyloarthritis includes a group of inflammatory diseases that involves the bones and joints and enthuses which are areas where the ligaments and tendons attach to the bones. This causes conditions like plantar fasciitis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and reactive arthritis. The term spondyloarthritis is a blanket term to describe any of the above-mentioned conditions.

Read on to know a little more in detail about it:

Causes: While the exact etiology is not identified for sure, most patients with spondyloarthritis have an autosomal dominant gene (HLA-B27). Chronic infections could trigger the onset of the disease too.

Symptoms:

1. In all forms of spondyloarthritis, there is always inflammation of the spine, joints and entheses. If the fingers or toes are involved, there could be swelling leading to what are typically known as 'sausage digits'.

2. There is sacroiliitis which is inflammation of the joint between the pelvis and the spine, and spondylitis which is inflammation of the joints between the spines. 3. Family history and autosomal dominant gene.

Diagnosis:

A detailed medical history and physical examination form the cornerstone of a confirmed diagnosis. In addition, radiographic examination and diagnostic blood tests also could be done to confirm the diagnosis. Radiographs, especially, of the spine and the low back show typical changes including sacroilitis in suspected cases of spondyloarthritis. If the spine does not show these changes, but there is a high likelihood of spondyloarthritis, then MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) can be used to confirm the diagnosis.

As a final step, a blood test for the HLA-B27 gene can also be confirmatory. However, it is not true that a person with the gene will definitely develop the disease.

Treatment:

The most important aspect of treatment is the use of pain medications and anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) which help manage pain and inflammation.
Corticosteroid injections may sometimes be given directly into the joint spaces or the membranes to provide quick relief of these symptoms.
ESWT / RSWT has a definite role to cure enthesopathy. Plantar fasciitis, and achillodynia can be cured with ESWT. Even small joints of hand and feet are amenable to treatment with RSWT. It is nonoperative and noninvasive treatment and has no side effects.
Very rarely, stronger drugs such as methotrexate or sulfasalazine may be used.
Another set of drugs known as TNF-blockers (tumor necrotizing factor blockers) are also shown to be highly effective in controlling the pain of the spine and joints.
In very severe cases, surgery may be required to correct joint damages or correct severe degenerative changes.
Exercise plays a very vital role in controlling the issue and improving range of motion.

What You Should Know About Spondyloarthritis?

In preparation for the possibility of conception, a woman's body undergoes the menstrual cycle every month which culminates into the periods. This is a normal process which all women of reproductive age go through every month. However, in certain cases, the periods can be really painful where you may suffer from menstrual cramps or could be generally in much pain. This condition is known as Dysmenorrhea.

What exactly is Dysmenorrhea
As mentioned above, Dysmenorrhea is a disorder that many women got through while having their periods where they may suffer from painful cramps. The pain usually occurs in the pelvis area along with the lower abdomen and it may also be accompanied by other symptoms.

Some symptoms of Dysmenorrhea
Some of the symptoms of Dysmenorrhea could be any combination of the following factors
I. Very painful menstrual cramps accompanied by lower back pain
II. Diarrhea and nausea along with the cramps
III. Pain in the inner thighs, lower back and hips
IV. Being hypersensitive to light, loud sounds, specific smells and touch
V. Being fatigued all the time, even causing you to faint

Causes of Dysmenorrhea
Dysmenorrhea is usually caused by the contraction of the Uterus. While the uterus does contract a little even in normal periods, during Dysmenorrhea the contractions tend to be a little too much. Due to this the uterus presses against the blood vessels and organs within the vicinity causing oxygen loss to them. This causes elevated levels of pain and discomfort.

Some of the underlying causes which may result in Dysmenorrhea are:
1. Narrowing of the cervix - Also known as stenosis, the lower part of the uterus which is the cervix may become narrow due to scarring and cause Dysmenorrhea.
2. Endometriosis - This is where the uterine lining is found outside the uterus, especially in the pelvic cavity and thus may cause painful cramps.
3. Inflammatory pelvic diseases - This is when a bacterial infection in the pelvic area can spread to multiple organs, including the uterus and thus may cause painful menstrual cramps.
4. Tumors - Tumors or fibroids which are unwanted growths on the inside of the uterus may also trigger Dysmenorrhea.

What to do if you are suffering from Dysmenorrhea
Below are some of the basic steps which you can take to ease pain from Dysmenorrhea
1. Avoid smoking and abstain from alcohol
2. Ample rest during periods
3. Keep the body dehydrated
4. Don't consume foods high in salt
5. Don't drink coffee or any caffeine rich foods
6. Lower back massages and hot water bag treatments to relieve pain
If severe pain still persists for long or if dysmenorrhea occurs repeatedly, then you should consult a doctor first rather than trying to resolve the problem yourself.


All about Dysmenorrhea

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