Physiotherapy plays a pivotal role in helping a person recover after a hip replacement surgery. It brings back the old flexibility and prevents blood clots in the area where the procedure has taken place. After the surgery team gives its green signal, a physiotherapist starts working with a patient for a full recovery. 

Here is a list of some common exercises that a physiotherapist suggests after a hip replacement surgery:

Walking: It is important to use the crutches for a time period of 4-5 weeks post the procedure. Until the surgeon or the physiotherapist advises against using the crutches, it makes sense to use it while walking. It makes sense to retain the normal walking posture by using the crutches rather than limping without it. A physiotherapist reviews the pressure exerted by the arm while holding a crutch, before advising the patient to get rid of the crutches.
Increasing hip flexibility: This is a basic form of exercise where an individual lies on one side of the body with knees and hips bent. A pillow is placed in between the knees. While doing this, it should be ensured that both the feet is kept together and the back muscle is not twisted. The top knee should be slowly raised like an opening of the calm shell. This position should be maintained for 4-5 seconds.
Strengthening the hips: The body should rest on the stomach. The buttocks should be tightened and one leg should be slowly lifted. This position should be maintained for a stretch of 3-5 seconds. The same should be repeated for both the legs.
Strengthening the hip and the stomach muscle: The body should rest on the back with a leg bent. The stomach muscle should be tightened and the bent leg should be lifted carefully while ensuring that the bend does not supersede more than 90 degrees. While keeping the stomach muscle tight, the lifted leg should slowly come down to touch the surface. This act should be repeated for 5-6 times.
Strengthening the thigh muscle: While sitting in a steady chair, an elastic loop should be wrapped around the ankles. The elastic loop should be stretched with one leg while keeping the other foot firmly rooted to the ground. The lifted foot should slowly come down to the normal position. The same act should be repeated for 4-5 times.
Improving balance: An elastic loop should be tied to one leg of a table and the other end of the loop should be tied to one ankle. The table should be held on for maintaining balance. Maintaining an erect position, the tied up ankle should be stretched sideways. The position should be maintained for 3-5 seconds to return back to normal standing position.

How Physiotherapy Can Improve Recovery After Hip Replacement Surgery?

Hip replacement surgery is a method wherein a defective hip joint is removed and replaced with an artificial hip joint. This procedure is only opted for after all the other treatments have failed to yield the desired effects. Hip replacement surgery removes damaged or diseased parts of a hip joint and replaces them with new, man-made parts. The goals of this surgery are to:

Relieve pain

Help the hip joint work better

Improve walking and other movements.

Who Should Have Hip Replacement Surgery?

The most common reason for hip replacement is osteoarthritis in the hip joint. Your doctor might also suggest this surgery if you have:

Rheumatoid arthritis (a disease that causes joint pain, stiffness, and swelling)

Osteonecrosis (a disease that causes the bone in joints to die)

Injury of the hip joint

Bone tumors that break down the hip joint.

Your doctor will likely suggest other treatments first, including:

Walking aids, such as a cane

An exercise program

Physical therapy

Medications.

These treatments may decrease hip pain and improve function. Sometimes the pain remains and makes daily activities hard to do. In this case, your doctor may order an x ray to look at the damage to the joint. If the x ray shows damage and your hip joint hurts, you may need a hip replacement.

The Procedure-

Hip replacement surgery is a procedure that can either be performed by traditional means or a minimally invasive procedure. The primary difference between the two procedures is the size of the incision. The procedure begins with the doctor administering local anesthesia, though in certain cases, general anesthesia is also administered.

An incision is then made along the hip and the muscles that are connected to the thigh bone are shifted, so that the hip joint is exposed.

An equipment is then used to remove the ball socket of the joint by cutting the thighbone.

The artificial joint is then fixed to the thighbone and it is allowed to adhere properly.

Once the joint is fixed, the ball of the thighbone is then put in the hip socket.

The fluids from the incision area are then allowed to drain.

The hip muscles are then put in place and the incision is closed.

Post -surgery-

After the surgery, the recovery stage begins. The period of hospital stay post-surgery usually lasts for 4-6 days. A drainage tube is attached to the bladder to get rid of waste products from the body. Physical therapy begins immediately after the surgery and you will be able to walk after a few days with walking aids. The physical therapy continues for a few months after the surgery.

After care-

It is advised to avoid activities that involve twisting your leg for at least half a year. You should also avoid crossing the leg along the mid portion of your body. Your physiotherapist will provide you with exercises that aid to help you recover. Avoid climbing stairs and sit on chairs that have strong back support.

Know Everything About Hip Replacement Surgery

About 80 percent of people all across the globe experience lower back pain at some stage in their lives. It is one of the most common reasons why people miss their work and appoint a physiotherapist. But lower back pain is an ailment that can be avoided with proper knowledge and some back exercises. In case your lower back pain is not under control and you have been neglecting it, you are susceptible to acute pain, sciatica, nerve pain and pain in other regions caused from a pinched nerve. Long-term pain in the back portion can lead to permanent ailments like degenerative disc disease or spinal stenosis.

Probable causes of lower back pain
Severe pain in the lower back region can be caused due to a herniated disc, back muscle pain, ligament strain or any other non-specific pain. An individual may also suffer from lower back pain due to systemic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia or ankylosing spondylitis. Though these causes are very common in most people suffering from lower-back pain, the diagnosis varies from person to person and to ensure the best care to alleviate the pain, you must consult a responsive musculoskeletal physiotherapist.

Stages for assessing and treating lower back pain
Managing the back pain is the primary objective of physiotherapy. In reality, back pain is the final symptom that is developed and the first thing that must be addressed.

Stage I
Back pain relief: The physiotherapist is going to use different types of tools and items to help the pain subside along with the inflammation. These include electrotherapy, acupuncture, ice application, soft-tissue massage and deloading taping techniques. Sometimes the physiotherapist may also recommend an anti-inflammatory drug if the pain is intolerable.

Stage II
Restoring normal strength: With the settling of pain and inflammation, you are more susceptible to injury because though your pain has subsided, your ligaments and muscles are weak. Your doctor will aim at restoring normal motion of lumbar spine, muscle endurance and strength, proprioception, balance and walking abilities.

Stage III
Restoring full body function: Depending on your daily chores and activity, your physiotherapist will aim at restoring the function of your back portion to keep you safe while performing the chosen activities. For some, it may be taking a slow walk around the park while for others it may mean taking part in some sports activity.

Stage IV
Preventing recurrence: Your physiotherapist will rehabilitate you to prevent further occurrence of this excruciating pain by suggesting proper postures, exercise and core muscle workout.

Each of these stages are important to help you get rid of severe back pain and with daily exercise, you can regulate your body and spare yourself from recurrence of this lower back pain.

Treating Chronic Lower Back Pain

Acupuncture is a kind of therapy that combines needles with pressure and pain points in order to delicately apply pressure for pain relief. This form of physical therapy is being increasingly recognised as an efficient method of treating pain in joints, muscles, bones and even for migraine pain. So let us find out more about Acupuncture and pain management.

    Chronic or Long Term Pain: There are many ailments that cause chronic or long term pain. These include back pain, neck pain, stiffness in the joints, osteoarthritis, headache and migraine, and pain in the shoulders. All this can be treated over a long period of time with the help of simulated acupuncture which uses pointed apparatus for activating better blood circulation for overall improvement in the pain that is being experienced in the area. The use of this apparatus helps in avoiding the harmful medication that can have adverse side effects.
    Menstrual Cramps: A fine needle method at the right points can help in bringing down the symptoms of the painful condition called dysmenorrhoea during menstrual cycles. With acupuncture, the acupuncturist can administer acupoint therapy to relieve menstrual cramps. This will help in moving the qi, or life force, in a better way so that the pain will stop. 
    Acute Pain: Over use of muscles, joints and repetitive, work related movements and strain can lead to acute pain. This includes wrist pain, shoulder pain, elbow pain, back pain, lower back pain, neck pain and even leg pain. With acupuncture, the patient gets rid of the pain in close to twelve sittings.
    Pain due to Cancer Treatment: Cancer and its treatment can take a heavy toll on the body and lead to a series of complications which also includes pain. A clean needle procedure can be followed along with the chemotherapy and radiation or after it, so as to relieve the patient of the pain experienced. Also, it can be used to replace traditional chemotherapy and radiation. 
    Better Rest: When the needles or apparatus touch the pressure points and circulate the blood and life force, it actually creates a soothing effect and helps the patient sleep and get better rest. This is also a requirement for pain relief. It can bring better blood flow to the area and help in removing anxiety and stress related to pain so that there is better chance of getting rest. 

With the use of acupuncture, pain can be taken care of with the needles and various tools that come in various shapes. These tools and equipment can also use laser treatment along with the point focused treatment.

Acupuncture and Pain Management

A fall or an injury is among the most common causes of a fracture. For a fracture to heal; the bones must be set in the correct position and a cast may need to be worn so as to hold them in place. This allows the bones to grow new tissue and bridge the break. The food you eat can help you speed up this process. Some of the best foods to build strong bones and help a fracture heal are:

Milk: Milk is one of the richest sources of calcium and vitamin D. It is also rich in proteins. These three elements are crucial to building strong bones. Proteins help the body release amino acids which in turn come together and create new tissue for the bones. Calcium is, of course, the building block of our bones. However, it is vitamin D that enables the body to absorb this calcium and utilize it. If you do not like the taste of milk, you could substitute it with yogurt. This dairy product is considered equally rich in proteins, calcium and vitamin D. In addition, it also contains amino acids such as glutamine and lysine that helps the bones absorb calcium.
Kale: Kale is known as a superfood. One of the reasons for this is the amount of calcium it contains. Kale is one of the few vegetables that are rich in this mineral. Thus, lactose intolerant people can get their required calcium from this vegetable. Kale can be eaten raw or cooked. Kale can also be juiced. However, to benefit fully from the vitamins and minerals in this vegetable, it is best to eat it raw.
Spinach: Spinach is another green leafy vegetable that is rich in calcium. It also contains zinc. Zinc helps stimulate the chemical reactions needed to bind calcium and other minerals together to create new bones. In addition, spinach is also a rich source of vitamin K. While this vitamin does not play a direct role in healing bones, it helps speed up the healing process.
Broccoli: Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable that is rich in vitamin K1. This is very beneficial to your overall health and bone health. Vitamin K1 aids in the mineralization process of fusing broken bones together and building new bone tissue. Thus, it helps the bones set correctly.
Citrus Fruits: Fruits such as oranges are chock-full of vitamin C. This nutrient helps build a strong immune system and aids in the fracture healing process. Vitamin C also helps the body create collagen that surrounds the broken bones and allows it to heal faster.

Food Items That Help You Recover From Fractures!

When the median nerve that runs through the palm and forearm is twisted or squeezed, a condition called the Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) occurs. This carpal tunnel is a passage that is narrow and is present in the ligaments and tendons. This nerve is responsible for offering a feeling sensation to the palm, index finger, thumb, and the middle finger. A part of the ring finger too shares the same. The median nerve is compressed when the tendons are irritated. This leads to pain in the forearm and arm, palm, and wrist. Additionally, this condition can cause numbness and weakness.

How it begins? 

This condition does not occur suddenly but gradually. In the initial stage, the sufferer experiences burning, itching, and numbness in the palm. The thumb, index and the middle finger feel these symptoms. The affected individuals may notice that the hands are swollen and rendered useless. You may feel pain and numbness in one or both the hands during sleep. Slowly, the numbness and pain keeps increasing and can be felt during the day. This is why you may want to shake off hands multiple times.

Factors responsible for this condition: 

Various factors can trigger Carpal tunnel syndrome. If you have had any injury to the wrist in the past that caused swelling, you may suffer from this syndrome. For instance, a sprain or fracture can trigger a Carpal tunnel syndrome. A thyroid gland that is overactive or underactive, arthritis, and overactive pituitary gland, too, can cause this condition. If your occupation involves an excessive movement of the wrists or if your lifestyle involves excessive work stress and the use of vibrating tools, then also this syndrome may affect you. Compression of the median nerve or narrowing of the space for the median nerve are the two other reasons. Fluid retention during menopause or pregnancy can also result in Carpal tunnel syndrome.

Will you be at risk?

Women are more likely to suffer from this condition as compared to men because the carpal tunnel is smaller in the former group. The symptoms are first seen in the dominant hand. The high-risk group includes diabetics and people who suffer from other metabolic disorders. People who are working with industries that deal with manufacturing, cleaning, assembly, sewing, or poultry or fish packing mostly face this disorder.

What can you do?

Surgical and non-surgical treatment methods are available for Carpal tunnel syndrome. When you are diagnosed with Carpal tunnel syndrome, undergo the treatment as advised by the doctor. Wear a splint at nights. During days, when you see swelling or redness of the palm, apply cooling packs. Take breaks from work, if it involves pressurizing the median nerve or if there is any narrowing of the space. Chiropractic therapies, acupuncture, and yoga are known to offer relief as well.

Prevention techniques: 

To prevent Carpal tunnel syndrome, always ensure you stay in the right posture. Use a fingerless glove as this keeps the wrist and palm warm. Take frequent breaks from the task that you are performing, especially the ones that require too much of the wrist movement. Job demands should be considered, however, rotating tasks with colleagues can provide an excellent relief. If your doctor feels that surgery is the only option left to provide relief, then you need to go for the same. With the two options of open release surgery or endoscopic surgery, you can expect symptoms to be relieved as soon as the procedure is conducted. 

Things You Need To Know About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome! 

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