Dr. Ms. Lalitha

As you age, the cartilage cushioning your joints starts wearing down, causing the bones to rub against each other. This causes osteoarthritis, which is a type of degenerative disease caused. The rubbing of the bones causes inflammation of the joints. The joints of the arms and legs along with the lower back are most commonly affected by this condition.

Here are some common symptoms, which indicate that you are suffering from osteoarthritis:

1. Pain and tenderness: An aching back, knees, neck and hip with severe pain are some of the most common symptoms of osteoarthritis. The pain caused during the early stage of arthritis is classified into tenderness and pain. A sharper pain may be felt while moving the affected joint in a certain way. Tenderness is the discomfort experienced when the joint is pressed along with visible swelling in the affected area.

2. Joint stiffness: Joint stiffness is another early symptom of osteoarthritis. It refers to the wooden feeling, which makes a person feel slow and sluggish. The urge to rest or go to bed should be resisted. Warming up the joints with gentle exercise or moving around cause relief. It also helps in reducing the stiffness and you can continue your regular activities with more ease.

3. Abnormal sensations: When the cartilage wears down, the rubbing of the bones against each other may lead to some abnormal sensations. Grating of the joints is common in people with osteoarthritis. One may feel that their joints are cracking or clicking while moving.

4. Loss of flexibility: People who are in their early stages of osteoarthritis may face difficulty with moving the areas which are affected. This joint stiffness and pain may lead to a loss of flexibility or loss of range of motion. Range of motion refers to the extent up to which one can move his joints normally. In case you are not being able to bend your knee fully or as far as you would have done it normally, you might be experiencing osteoarthritis.

Loss of flexibility occurs slowly and gradually. A person may hurt his back unusually during a football game or may experience a stiff back in the morning after waking up. This gets more intense with time. In the later stages, you may experience joint pain even while resting.

In case you experience any symptoms of osteoarthritis, you must consult a doctor immediately. The doctor will provide you with a plan aimed at managing and getting a quicker relief from the pain caused due to osteoarthritis. Several over-the-counter medicines, braces for supporting affected joints and range of motion exercises are also effective ways of managing osteoarthritis.

Too much of something is never a good idea. Running is a great way to exercise, but if you don't run in moderation and do not take care of yourself, you could foresee more than one health problem. If you push yourself too hard as a runner, you could face one of more of these running problems.

Runner's knee: If the bones in your knee shift out of alignment, the condition is called runner's knee. This is one of the most common overuse injuries. At first you may not realize it, but with time, this can cause the cartilage in the knee to wear out. This can create excruciating pain. A few simple ways of making yourself more comfortable are:

• Squatting
• Walking up and down stairs
• Bending your knee while sitting

Stress fracture: A stress fracture is a small crack in the shin bone or one of the bones in your foot. This can happen if you suddenly over exert without giving your body time to get used to running. Since it is only a crack, a doctor will not normally out your leg or foot in a cast. The only way to let your bones heal in such a condition is to rest it.
Shin splint: Flat footed people are most susceptible to shin splints. Shin splints can be caused by stress fractures and overused or weakened muscles. To treat a shin splint, give your leg plenty of rest and gently stretch it. Give yourself a few weeks to recover before you start running again.
Achilles tendinitis: Inflammation of the Achilles tendon is known as Achilles tendinitis. The Achilles tendon attaches the calf muscle to the heel. Suddenly increasing the distance you run in a day is the most common cause of Achilles tendinitis. The most common symptom of this condition is pain and stiffness around the ankle. Ice the area to deal with the immediate pain and discomfort. Your ankle will also need plenty of rest to properly heal. Stretching the calf muscles can also prove to be beneficial.
Muscle pulls: Almost every runner suffers from a muscle pull at some point or the other. A muscle pull can be defined as a small tear in the muscle. Muscle pulls usually affect the hamstrings, quadriceps, calf and groin. To treat a muscle tear, keep your leg elevated; give it plenty of rest and use an ice pack or compression pack on the area.

Apart from these, a few other injuries that runners often suffer from include ankle sprains, blisters, IT band syndrome and plantar fasciitis.

More than millions of people worldwide suffer from joint and knee ache on a daily basis. Usually, this type of pain comes with age, although it can also be a consequence of wearing uncomfortable shoes and having a poor body posture.

Luckily for those who have this health issue, there is a 100% effective and natural cure. The ingredients of this remedy are rich in magnesium and silicon, known as pain-soothing compounds that have the power to strengthen the tendons and ligaments as well.

Let's take a look at the recipe for the so called gelatin treatment:

Needed:
2 tbsp of unflavored gelatin
1 orange
A ripe banana
2 tbsp of honey

Preparation:
First, squeeze the orange. Next, peel off the banana and mash it. Afterwards, add the honey to the mashed banana. Then, dissolve the gelatin in water. Use a double boiler to heat it and improve its consistency. After you do this, warm up the orange juice a bit, and add the gelatin to it. Stir the mixture to prevent lumps.

Next, transfer the gelatin blend into molds and put them in the fridge for 20 minutes. Then, remove the gelatin from the molds, turning it upside down on a plate, and add the honey and banana mixture.