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

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

If you are an avid runner, then you might also be well aware of the type of running injuries one is prone to. It might be foolish to say that running injuries can be prevented. It is because these injuries do happen quite often. Though these cannot be prevented, these can definitely be treated. Furthermore, precautions from your side can always be taken to make sure that these injuries do not cause a major impact on your health and can be cured without much of a hassle. Here are some important points that you need to remember to avoid running injuries or to lessen their adverse impact on your body.


Flexible Body: Flexibility is an important part of a runner s body. You not only need to have the stamina to run, but also must possess flexible features to get you out swiftly from any serious damage. Flexibility is attained when you do regular exercises and stretching in particular. It makes your muscles resilient towards many injuries and provides your body a better shape and long lasting stamina as well.
Strengthen Your Body: Body strength is required if you want to avoid any sports injuries. Special strength training sessions are organised with the coaches of sportspersons. These sessions help in building up muscle strength. This would, in turn, lessen muscle fatigue and make you able enough to perform better.
Balanced Diet: It does not matter whether you are an athletic or not, a balanced diet is needed for everyone. Balanced diet does not mean picking and choosing of food. It means a proper diet chart, mapping everything that your body needs to stay fit. Furthermore, it should contain ample amount of water to keep you hydrated.
Take Rest When Required: It is often said by the elders that too much of work would ruin your health and body. Thus, even for the athletes, it is important to take rest in between periods of heavy training sessions. This would give you a chance to relax your body and relieve you of all the stress. Furthermore, if you are injured or hurt, it would give you ample time to recover from your injuries.
Wear Proper Shoes: As a runner, you need to take care of all parts of your body. This would also include your legs. To prevent any sprains or muscle injury in the leg and to practice for long hours, proper running shoes are needed.  


How To Avoid Running Injuries?

Most of us suffer from lower back pain at some point in our lives; be it from a sedentary lifestyle, spending hours at the office desk or from strenuous physical exercises. In most cases, a little bit of rest does the trick. However, if the lower back pain persists for 3-6 weeks, physiotherapy is recommended.

How does physiotherapy help?

The main purpose behind physiotherapy is reducing lower back pain and increasing muscle and bone function, so that such instances are avoided in the future. Physiotherapy is the first line of defence against lower back pain. More drastic measures such as surgery are undertaken once physiotherapy fails to do is job.

Physiotherapy is often recommended when the back pain is caused due to lifestyle factors, a minor injury like a fall or other moderate factors. For more severe back injuries, doctors recommend surgery straight away when there is no scope of performing physiotherapy.

Low-intensity back pain can be cured using a combination of heat packs, ultrasound wave therapy and Iontophoresis (using a localized current source to introduce medical ionic compounds to the body).

A physical therapy program for back pain usually has two components:

Passive physical therapy to help reduce the patient's pain to a more manageable level

Active exercises

Passive Physical Therapy - Modalities

The physical therapist may focus on decreasing pain with passive physical therapy (modalities). These therapies are considered passive because they are done to the patient. Examples include:

Heat/ice packs

TENS units

Iontophoresis

Ultrasound

Active Physical Therapy - Back Pain Exercises

In addition to passive therapies, active physical therapy (exercise) is also necessary to rehabilitate the spine. Here are some of the common exercises for back pain:

Back Stretch: Put your hands underneath your head while lying back. Bend your knees but put your feet on the ground. Roll your legs to one side and hold them there for 10 seconds. Repeat three times for each side.

Deep Lunge: For this, you need to kneel on one knee with the other foot pointed towards the front. Lift the back knee up and hold it there for five seconds and then bring it down. Repeat this exercise three times for each side.

One Leg Stand: This is the simplest of exercises. Hold on to a wall for support while standing and face towards it. Then slowly hold one leg and bend it behind you. Hold in the same position for five seconds before bringing it down. Repeat the process three times for each leg in five second gaps.

Physiotherapy for Back Pain

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

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:

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.

Avulsion Fracture - Common Causes Behind it

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