Dr. Suraj Prakash

Causes, symptoms and treatment for Knee Pain

When joints get inflamed, it is known as arthritis. This causes swelling and pain in the joints of your body such as the hips and the knees. When the cartilage gets damaged at the ends of bones, a type of arthritis called osteoarthritis occurs.

There are two main types of osteoarthritis:

1. Primary: This type is more generalized. It affects the knees, fingers, hips, spine and thumb.
2. Secondary: This type can occur after injury or joint inflammation, or as a result of any disease that affects the ligament's composition, like hemochromatosis.

How is the hip affected by osteoarthritis?
Patients have difficulties walking if they have hip osteoarthritis. Diagnosing hip osteoarthritis is difficult. It is because the pain appears in varied locations, such as the groin, buttocks, knee or thigh. The pain can be a dull throb or can be sharp and stabbing. The hip is usually stiff.

What are the causes of hip osteoarthritis?
The causes of hip osteoarthritis are unknown. However, the factors that can lead to osteoarthritis are joint injury, excessive weight and rising age.
Along with the abovementioned factors, the following may contribute as well:

1. The joints may not have developed accurately
2. The cartilage may have inherited the defects
3. If the joints are too irritated due to added pressure on them, like excess body weight or stressful activities that include hip movement, osteoarthritis may develop.

What are the symptoms of hip osteoarthritis?
The symptoms of hip osteoarthritis are as follows:

1. Joints feel stiff when you get out of bed
2. Joints feel stiff if you have been sitting for some time
3. The joints feel painful, swollen or tender
4. You can hear (a "crunching" sound) or feel the bones rubbing against each other.
5. You find yourself unable to do certain things, like putting on socks, as it requires your hips to move.

How is hip osteoarthritis treated?
The main objective of treatment is to restore the patient's ability to move around. A part of this objective includes correcting the function of the hip and managing the pain. The treatment can include:

1. Joint care and rest
2. To take weight off the area affected, a cane is used
3. Pain relief that does not involve drugs
4. Shedding excess weight
5. Exercising
6. Surgery
7. Alternative and complementary therapies

Shoulder pain while lifting overhead objects might be a result of strenuous activity involving tendons impinging bones of the shoulder. Impingement syndrome is also called swimmer’s syndrome.

What causes it?
It is caused by activities involving tendons and bones of the shoulder, for example strenuous activities, such as swimming, tennis and gym activities involving muscles of the shoulder. Even reaching for overhead objects and painting might aggravate impingement syndrome. If not treated at the right time, the syndrome might become extremely painful as the tendons begin to tear.

Symptoms
General pain in the shoulder is one of the most common symptoms, especially while reaching for overhead objects or using shoulder and arm muscles in general. If it occurs for a prolonged period of time, then it might actually lead to a tendon tearing and leading to a rotator cuff tear. This would overtime lead to decreased ability to use the arm muscles and the bicep muscles might tear as a result of prolonged negligence, despite swimmers syndrome. A doctor would recommend a physical exam and x-ray to rule out possibilities for bone abnormalities and arthritis.

How to prevent and treat it? 
Those who have extreme shoulder pain and have been diagnosed with swimmer’s shoulder are referred to a physiotherapist with whom, regular sessions help restore mobility of the affected areas. The physiotherapist recommends the patient numerous stretching exercises to practise, preferably under a hot shower. In addition to physiotherapy, a doctor will prescribe powerful painkillers which have to be administered orally on a regular basis. 

These oral painkillers, such as ibuprofen have to be taken under the guidance and prescription of a doctor as they will have a host of side effects such as acidity and should be taken post meals. In case of ineffectiveness of orally administered painkillers, cortisone based injections might be given, but it is a double-edged sword as the effectiveness of these injections decrease over time and it might make the muscles and tendons weak. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a doctor and ask a free question.

Cancer that originates in the bones of a human body is referred to as bone cancer. Any bone could come under the threat of this disease, but generally the longer bones of your body, so to say the bones of your limbs, are at a greater risk. 

A few factors that might push you an inch closer to bone cancer are:

1. Genes could jinx your health: A few typical genetic syndromes could increase a person's chances of contracting bone cancer. These syndromes could have been active in any person belonging to your lineage. One such syndrome is Li-Fraumeni.
2. Treatment for one kind of cancer can make you prone to some other kind: Radiation affects your bones adversely. A patient of breast cancer might be undergoing radiation therapy that further increases his or her risk of contracting bone cancer in future.  
3. Paget's disease can have unfavorable implications: Paget's disease is a disease that affects elderly people. This condition, if left untreated, can turn into bone cancer at a later stage. 

Several symptoms of bone cancer can be found below:

1. Sudden loss of weight: If you lose a considerable amount of weight in a few weeks time without having made any effort at all, you should probably be worried about the health of your bones. Bone cancer can result in sudden and unintentional weight loss. 
2. Unexpected bone fracture or breakage: Cancer of the bones is known to gnaw at the strength of your bones. Weakened and diseased bones can break or get fractured very easily. An unexpected fracture should not be overlooked so as to prevent chances of anything more harmful.
3. Long spans of unyielding exhaustion: Constant fatigue and sleepiness might be hinting at a more serious underlying problem. The bones in your body hold you together; cancerous bone cells can make you feel exhausted without much exertion as your bones lose their inherent potency.
4. Persistent pain in the bones: Excruciating cramps or pangs of stinging pain in a person's bones either continuously or at odd hours, could be indicative of bone cancer. Such instances require the advice and guidance of an experienced oncologist.
5. Bone swelling: The area affected by bone cancer can grow big and tender or the bone itself can swell up.

Myelopathy refers to any neurological deficit pertaining to the spinal cord. The three most common types of myelopathy are Cervical myelopathy, Lumbar myelopathy and Thoracic myelopathy. Here are the causes and symptoms of myelopathy.

Causes:

1. Injury: This is a very common cause of myelopathy. Any type of accident or even a traumatic event can cause myelopathy and perhaps even paralysis.
2. Spinal stenosis: This is a condition in which the spinal cord narrows and is one of the leading causes of myelopathy.
3. Degenerative disc disorders: As you get older, disc disorders are more likely to occur, as well as other conditions which affect the spinal column, such as osteoporosis, etc. 
4. Tumor: It is a little known fact that tumors very often do cause myelopathy. 
5. Multiple sclerosis: There are many other diseases, which may cause myelopathy and multiple sclerosis is one of them.

Symptoms: 

There are many indications that you are suffering from myelopathy and should consult a medical expert. Here are some of them: 

1. Change in coordination: It refers to the state, wherein, all of a sudden you may find it harder to move certain limbs the way you want to. Sometimes, it may affect your whole body as well. 
2. Sudden muscle weakness: It is highly likely, that if you have myelopathy then you will experience sudden weakness in your muscles. 
3. Decreased hand-eye coordination: This is perhaps the biggest indicator of myelopathy since hand-eye coordination is directly linked to your spinal cord and brain and if they are not functioning properly then hand-eye coordination will be affected.

These are just some of the symptoms of myelopathy, however, the doctor cannot diagnose myelopathy until he conduct certain tests. These tests include MRI scans and other tests as well as a regular physical check-up along with a check of your medical history. 

Runner's knee is a painful condition that is usually encountered by athletes who indulge in varied exercises like running, jumping, walking, biking and more, on a regular or professional basis. The kneecap is a region that gets affected with aches and pain when a person is suffering from Runner's knee. This condition can occur due to a fall or constant bending of the knee, which can lead to misalignment of the knee joints and knee cap. Also, weak muscles and lack of balance during physical activities can add to the risk of contracting this condition.

Here's how you can deal with it.

- Give it Rest: Literally! Suffering from Runner's knee could also mean that your body is trying to ask you to slow down. Wear and tear from excessive levels of physical activity can lead to Runner's knee, and in such cases, the best way to come back to peak physical form is to take some rest so that the knee is free of activity and consequent pain until it is ready to take on exercise again.

- The Only Way is 'Up': When you are suffering from pain in the region behind and around the knee cap due to Runner's knee, the best way to alleviate the pain is to place your knee in an elevated position. Get yourself some comfortable cushions and pile a few of them up before placing your knee on top. This position will give support even as blood circulation increases and inflammation, if any, decreases.

- Anti-inflammation Medication: See your doctor for chronic Runner's knee and find out if you are suffering from inflammation which may require the help of medication. This medication can bring down and gradually eliminate the inflammation or swelling, to give you relief from the pain. Remember to check for side effects before you take these medicines, though.

- Strengthening Exercises: A sure shot way of dealing with chronic pain is to do some muscle strengthening exercises as prescribed by your orthopaedic specialist or a physiotherapist. Doing these exercises will give your muscles the strength to support your knees in a better way while you indulge in athletic activities. Remember to substantiate these exercises with a calcium and protein rich diet as well.

- Cold Compress: In case you have had a fall or suffered an injury which has led to Runner's knee, you can make use of a cold compress or an ice pack to relieve the pain for some time. Ice is a well-known treatment for acute and sudden pain.

Runner's knee is a condition that needs care, rest, and medication if it is persistent. If these methods do not help, you should see a doctor for scans and tests.

Related Tip: Physiotherapeutic Approaches for Sports Injuries?

3 symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis to watch out for

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disorder in which the small joints of the hands and feet of the affected person get inflamed. It affects the lining of the joints and causes pain and swelling that may lead to joint deformity and erosion if left untreated.

This disorder of the autoimmunological system occurs when the body's immune system attacks the body's own tissues.

Although this medical condition usually causes joint problems only, sometimes it may go on to affect other body organs like skin, lungs, eyes and blood vessels as well.

Some of the signs and symptoms that are indicative of rheumatoid arthritis are:

1. Problems in the joints

One of the most common symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis is swelling of the joints that become tender and painful. During the early days, only the smaller joints are affected, especially the finger and toe joints. However as the disease worsens, the symptoms spread to other body parts like knees, wrists, elbows, ankles etc. Joint redness and warmth are also characteristic features of rheumatoid arthritis. It is also recognized by joint deformity and stiff joints.

2. Fever, fatigue and loss of weight

Fatigue is a common symptom of rheumatoid arthritis. It may be a result of the body's reaction to insomnia, anemia, and inflammation. It may also be caused due to loss of appetite and the consequent and unintended weight loss. Sometimes rheumatoid arthritis is also accompanied by fever.

3. Rheumatoid nodules

Another symptom of rheumatoid arthritis is the presence of firm bumps of tissues under the skin on the arms. These bumps are known as rheumatoid nodules and may be painful. The nodules may come and go depending on the severity of the disease at a particular time. During flares, they may appear, and they may subside during the periods of remission just as all the other symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

'consult'.

Related Tip: Busting The Myths Surrounding Arthritis: Choose Health