The shoulders are the most mobile joints in your body. Shoulder joints undergo wear and a tear over time and hence become unstable. Shoulder arthritis is one of the painful conditions affecting the shoulder joints. Arthritis not only takes a toll on the tendons and muscles, but also affects the ligaments and joints too. They usually cause symptoms such as joint pain, resulting in limited mobility.

Treatment:

Nonsurgical or Lifestyle treatments:

Take rest or avoid the activities that provoke pain or change the way of your arm movements.
Physical therapy boosts shoulder mobility.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or aspirin alleviate pain and inflammation.
Corticosteroid injections in the shoulders can also help to ease the pain and inflammation, although temporarily.
Applying moist heat or ice packs over the shoulders for about half an hour at least thrice a day brings relief.
Drugs such as methotrexate can be administered in case one is suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (a chronic disease attacking multiple joints of the body).
Dietary supplements such as chondroitin and glucosamine may help reduce pain.
Surgical treatments (if your pain results in disability and does not lessen with nonsurgical options)

Join replacement surgery or arthroplasty involves replacing the damaged parts of the shoulder with a prosthetic (artificial) joint.
Few mild forms of arthritis may be treated using the Arthroscopic procedure (minimally invasive surgery). It requires a surgeon to ease the joint pain by making small incisions to  clean out  the joint. A tiny camera fitted into the joint guides the surgeon through the surgery.
Resection arthroplasty is a method that involves the surgical removal of the bone from the collar bone and substituting it with a scar tissue to treat arthritis of particular joints.

Everything You Need To Know About Shoulder Arthritis Treatment

Like other knee injuries, the torn meniscus can be painful and debilitating. But unfortunately, it is quite common. In fact, a torn meniscus is one of the most frequently occurring cartilage injuries of the knee.

What is Meniscus? 

A meniscus is a C-shaped piece of cartilage present in the knee that acts as a cushion and stabilizes the joint. Its function is to protect the knee from wear and tear. Two menisci are present in each of the knee joints. They can get damaged or torn during activities, which puts pressure on the knee joint or may rotate it.

What causes a meniscus to tear? 

A quick stop or vigorous twist may force the femur to crumble into the top of the tibia. It may potentially tear out the cartilage of the meniscus. It may also occur while doing deep squats or kneeling, especially while lifting a heavyweight. Athletic activities often result in this knee injury, particularly in the sportspersons such as footballers and hockey players. Sports that involve sudden stopping and pivoting such as tennis and basketball may also result in the torn meniscus. Meniscus tears are a special risk in elder people as the cartilage weakens and wears thin over time. As the age progresses, worn tissues become more prone to tears. Just a clumsy twist while getting up from the bed or chair is sometimes enough to cause a tear in case of weakened menisci due to aging.

Symptoms of a meniscus tear: One may hear a popping sound around the knee joint when a meniscus tear occurs. Initially, the pain may not bad but once the inflammation sets in, the knee starts hurting quite a bit. The knee may get stiff or locked. It may become difficult to move the knee in a full range of motion.

Diagnosis of a Meniscus Tear: Diagnosis of a meniscus tear starts with the patient s history and a physical examination. The doctor inspects, palpates, and applies specific diagnostic maneuvers to diagnose a torn meniscus. The McMurray test is used to make the clinical diagnosis of a meniscus tear. The doctor flexes the knee, then straightens and rotates it to put tension on a torn meniscus. The movement will cause a clicking sound if a meniscus tear is present in the knee. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is the preferred choice to diagnose the torn meniscus. This technique allows the doctor to evaluate the knee cartilage in a more detailed way.

Treatment of Torn Meniscus: The treatment of a torn meniscus depends on the severity and the location of the tear. If the size of the tear is small and the location is on the outer end of the meniscus, a surgical repair is usually not required. Give rest to your knee as much as possible. The doctor may advise using crutches to avoid putting weight on the legs. Icing the knee every three to four hours for 30 minutes is recommended for this injury. You may use compress bandage to reduce the inflammation. Try to keep the knee in an elevated position to reduce the swelling. NSAIDs may be prescribed to get relief from pain and inflammation. If the symptoms persist, the doctor may advise for an arthroscopic surgery.

Torn Meniscus - What Exactly Is It? 

The backbone is made up of multiple small bones which are connected together by a softer bone. The spine is what allows important body movements including bending and walking. The issue is, with age, the backbone also loses its elasticity and becomes rigid. Though this is a natural process with ageing, lack of exercise and sedentary lifestyle makes it worse.

Lumbar spondylosis is the medical term for this chronic, degenerative condition of the lumbar and the sacral spines (the lower portion of the backbone). This leads to chronic stiffening of the spine, affecting movement. This joint is very crucial in all bending movements and spinal movements.

Causes of Lumbar Spondylosis:

Ageing: As the condition progresses, the nerves that run through the spines can get exposed and there could be pain and irritation
Genetic abnormalities that produce a weak bone
Spinal trauma like accident or falls
Sedentary lifestyle: Sitting in front of the computer for prolonged hours also causes lumbar spondylosis
Overuse: People who are weightlifters tend to put excessive pressure on the spine, causing lumbar spondylosis
Symptoms:

Stiffness and pain in the low back
Pain with continued sitting
Numbness and tingling if nerves are getting affected
Loss of balance, leading to frequent falls
Losing control over bowel and bladder movement
Pain radiating to the lower legs
Ayurvedic remedies: This includes a combination of external applications, yoga, and food preparations including kashayas and tailas.

This condition is caused by increased Vata and Kapha. Maharasnadi kashayam, Astavarga kashayam, and Dashamoola kashayam reduce these elements.
Pain and inflammation is relieved by the use of various Guggulu including Mahayogaraja Guggulu, Simhanada Guggulu, Trayodashang Guggulu, and Dhanvantara Vati  
The affected joints can be hydrated with the use of gandha taila and dhanwantharam.
Kukkutandatvak bhasma is known to strengthen the bone.
Ashwagandha is known to lubricate the vertebral disks and joints
External treatments like Abhyanga are useful in improving joint movement. They improve circulation and help in removal of toxins so that pure blood can flow and reduce inflammation.
Vasti: This helps in improving nutrition to the joints and bones, thereby helping them repair themselves and heal.
Yogas for lumbar spondylosis: The five most effective asanas are:

Ardhakati chakrasana
Pada hastasana
Matsyasana
Ardha chakrasana
Vakrasana (sitting in a chair)
Additional measures:

Sit in a comfortable position with adequate back support
Take short breaks to avoid continued sitting
Sleep comfortably, by resting the back adequately
Strengthen the back muscles by regular exercises.
Eat healthy, avoid junk, and drink plenty of water.

Lumbar Spondylosis & Ayurveda - What To Expect

Bone Fractures: Causes and Symptoms

'Fracture' is a medical term for a broken bone. According to an estimate, an average person has two fractures within their lifetime. When a force exerted is stronger than the bone itself, it can lead to a fracture. The risk and chance of fracture depend on your age. With age, bones tend to become brittle and, hence, a fall that would have been potentially harmless years ago can lead to a broken bone at a later age.

There are many types of bone fractures, but the main types are:

Closed fracture: A fracture in which the bone breaks but does not tear through the skin

Open fracture: Where the broken bone punctures through the skin and protrudes out. There's a greater chance of bone infection in an open fracture

Displaced fracture: In this type of fracture the bone snaps into more than two parts

Nondisplaced fracture: The bone cracks partly or wholly but it does continue to move

Some of the common signs and symptoms of a fracture are:

- Bruising and swelling of the bones
- Open fractures marked by protruding bones from the skin
- Loss of locomotive and functional ability of the injured area
- Deformity of the injured area
- Pain in the event of movement of the injured area

A fracture can be caused by a number of reasons, and they are:

- Injuries and accidents
- Falls and slips
- Wear and tear through overuse
- Sport injuries
- Fist fights and brawls
- Osteoporosis (a disease which causes bones to weaken in adults)
- Osteomalacia ( a disease caused due to softening of your bones, which is caused by a vitamin D deficiency.) Soft bones are more likely to bow and fracture than are harder, healthy bones.

Note:

Osteomalacia is not the same as osteoporosis. Osteomalacia occurs due to a defect in the bone-building process while osteoporosis develops due to a weakening of existing bones.



Bone Fractures: Causes and Symptoms

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?

The joints and bones of the body are connected by fibrous band of tissue called as a ligament. When these ligaments are over stretched or are subjected to any injury that could cause tearing of the ligament and a sprain of the ligament happens. Sprains usually occur at the ankle joint, knee joint or the shoulder, since these areas have a connection of bones at a joint. 

During movement, the ligament functions to stretch or expand and move back to its original position. However, sometimes due to an over-stretch of the ligament, it gets pushed or expands beyond its usual position. A sudden twisting movement of the ligament can also cause a sprain. 

While walking, any abnormal movement of the leg can cause a sprain, hence, the ankle joint is the most common location affected by a sprain. Sports injuries are a common causative factor of sprains. In accordance to the body part involved frequently in playing sports, a wrist sprain or an ankle sprain is a common finding. 

Dancers are also prone to frequently sprain their ligaments. If a sprain occurs at the wrist joint, it can also lead to cause the Carpal tunnel syndrome, which leads to the numbness of the wrist joint. Moderate to severe pain around the affected joint, presence of bruising in cases of an injury, swelling around the affected joint and difficulty in movement are the common symptoms of a sprain.



There can be a popping sound heard during an injury to the joint, which indicates a sprain. Sprain of the joint can cause other complications too. If there is an involvement of the nerve in the injury, there can be an associated numbness and tingling sensation at the affected area. A physician performs physical inspection of the area while looking for the symptoms of sprain. If the injury involves a larger surface area and is causing severe pain, an MRI or X-ray can be ordered to detect for the ligament or bone involvement, respectively. 

Classification of sprain can be enlisted as follows: 

Grade 1 sprain (mild): Slight stretching and little damage to the fibers of the ligament. 
Grade 2 sprain (moderate): Includes partial tearing of the ligament.  
Grade 3 sprain (severe): Includes complete tearing of the ligament.  Prevention of a sprain can be achieved with certain measures. Specific exercises that can be targeted for sprain prevention can be learnt from the physical therapist.
Stretching exercises and muscle training are important in prevention of a sprain. Sprain preventing measures are as follows: 

1. Before beginning an exercise routine, it is essential to do warm up exercises. Slight jogging can be done to activate muscle movement. 

2. Stretching before and after an exercise routine is necessary. It ensures that the muscles around the joint are in a relaxed position. It helps in minimizing the risk of an injury. 

3. Some specific exercises that help to strengthen the muscles around ankles should be done. Heel raise exercise is beneficial in strengthening the ankle muscles. 

4. Exercises that target the improvement of overall body s balance should be done on a regular basis. These exercises help in preventing twisting of ankles during walking or moving down the stairs. 

5. In case of a previous ankle injury, it is recommended to wear an ankle brace to prevent any twisting caused by a dis-balance. 

Treatment of the sprain is done by following the RICE procedure. This procedure includes the protocol of rest, ice, compression and elevation. Analgesics can be taken for pain relief. Ice pack application helps in reducing the swelling. Using a compression bandage helps in immobilizing the injury.

Sprain - Effective Tips To Prevent It!

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