Dr. Swapana

The toes and heels are the most load bearing components within your feet which take most of the weight when walking, running, exercising or even standing up. The heels are an especially vulnerable part of the body which can become painful either due to injuries or excessive stress put on it. Pain in your heels can also be a sign of other problems in your body.

Causes for heel pain:

1. Sprains or straining the leg: Exercising is one of the most common culprits behind heel damage. Wearing the wrong shoes over prolonged periods, which can cause your balance to be shifted and will lead you to put strain on your heels and cause pain. Falling or spraining during exercising or training can also cause heel pain.

2. Fractures: Stress or hairline fractures can occur even without impacts or trauma and also cause pain. It will slowly build up over time. In such cases, you should immediately consult a doctor and take remedial action.

3. Achilles tendon: A common cause for heel pain, the Achilles tendon connects the calf muscle to the heel. If this is torn or damaged, it can cause pain in your heel.

4. Arthritis: The deposition of uric acid crystals in parts of your body may result in arthritis; this is a fairly common cause for heel pain as well.

Treatments available

1. Change in shoes: Shoes play a major role in the development of heel pain. You will either need to change the shoes or adjust the heels to ensure that they are at an equal and comfortable height and keep your posture natural and balanced.

2. Foot supports: There are specialized heel supports and wedges, which you can wear with the footwear. These supports help redistribute weight from the problem areas and uniformly distribute it among the other parts of the foot. Heel cups are also another form of supports you could try.

3. Pain relief medications: Sometimes aspirin or ibuprofen may be required to numb and dull the pain, if getting through the day becomes difficult or you are in the middle of work.

4. Resting: Sometimes resting is the only medication you can take to relieve the pain as it can only subside once the underlying conditions are corrected.

5. Ice packs: Cold compress and cold therapy would definitely help in numbing the area and providing temporary pain relief.

If you are suffering from neuromuscular disorders and require an effective, natural cure, you should opt for Ayurveda. Neuromuscular disorders are conditions in which certain areas of your central nervous system may get affected. It leads to the dysfunction and degeneration of your musculature, and also disables the functioning of certain organs at times. According to the Ayurvedic principles, most neuromuscular disorders occur because of beeja dosha, deranged vata and due to certain defects or impairments of your mamsagni or muscle enzymes.

Ayurvedic treatment for neuromuscular disorders
There are several modes of treatment and management for neuromuscular disorders based on Ayurvedic principles.

1. Panchakarna therapy, several yoga techniques, and specially developed molecules or mamsagni rasayan are commonly used for treating such disorders. These help people in maintaining muscle strength and functioning.
2. Strict Ayurvedic dietary modifications are also required to be undertaken by people with metabolic disorders and those suffering from neuromuscular diseases.
3. Several Ayurvedic herbs are used for treating neuromuscular disorders. These herbs should become a part of your regular diet.
4. Ayurvedic treatment helps in slowing down or stopping the progression of muscle degeneration, which is likely in case of neuromuscular disorders.
5. It is ideal to apply a combined Ayurvedic strategy for treating neuromuscular disorders, which includes mamsagni rasayana, yoga, pizhichil, anuvasana vasti and Til Mash Pinda. These are undertaken for long-term management.

Mamsagni rasayana

1. This is an Ayurvedic formula or preparation that was developed as a remedy for neuromuscular disorders. The medicine should be taken before meals with honey.
2. It contains several active and highly beneficial ingredients such as triphala, gurvel, marich, kuchla, gold bhasma, and guggul.
3. It helps in the regulation of muscle metabolism and is ideal for the management of neuromuscular disorders and muscular dystrophies.
4. The mixture is very effective in correcting membrane defects and regulating fat metabolism.
5. Among the various ingredients, kuchla helps in boosting the neuromuscular tone, gold bhasma prevents muscle degeneration, and gurvel helps with immunity modulation.
6. The combined effect of all the ingredients helps in balancing your neuromuscular vata, pitta, and kapha.
7. You will observe results coming in the form of weight loss, decrease in your difficulty to walk, decrease in your blood CPK levels, and an increase in your neuromuscular tone. Your muscle power enhances and you get an improved weight ratio by taking this Ayurvedic solution.

You should consult an Ayurvedic physician, if you seek Ayurvedic treatment for overcoming neuromuscular disorders. An experienced doctor would be able to prescribe you the best solutions based on your condition, symptoms, and severity.

एंकिलॉज़िंग स्पॉन्डिलाइटिस (Ankylosing spondylitis – AS) क्या है ?

एंकिलॉज़िंग (Ankylosing) का अर्थ होता है – जुड़ाव (फ्यूज़न) (Fusion ) |

स्पॉन्डिलाइटिस (spondylitis) का अर्थ होता है – स्पाइन (Spine) या रीड क़ी हडडी के मनकों की सूजन (inflammation) |

एंकिलॉज़िंग स्पॉन्डिलाइटिस एक ऐसा रोग है जो पीठ, गर्दन, और कभी कभी कूल्हों और एड़ी में दर्द और जकडन का कारण बनता है | यह एक प्रकार का वात या गठिया रोग है (Gathiya / vaat rog), जिसे आर्थराइटिस (arthritis)भी कहा जाता है। 

अमूमन यह मान्यता होती है की गठिया रोग बुढापे का रोग है | रहेयूमेटोलोजी (Rheumatology) एक ऐसा मेडिकल फिल्ड है जिसमे अनेक प्रकार के गठिया रोगों का समावेश होता है | रह्युमेटोलॉजिस्ट (Rheumatologist) एक ऐसा डॉक्टर होता है, जो इन गठिया रोगों के प्रकार का पता लगाकर इनका इलाज (treatment) करते हैं। ऐसे बहुत सारे गठिया रोग या वात रोग हैं जो किसी को अल्पायु में ही ग्रसित कर सकते हैं। AS ऐसा रोग है। 

एंकिलॉज़िंग स्पॉन्डिलाइटिस वात रीढ़ की हड्डी ( spine vertebra) के आसपास या कुछ जोड़ों (joint) में सूजन के साथ शुरू होता है  । यह किशोर या वयस्क अवस्था के युवक या युवतियों (ज्यादात्तर युवको) को ग्रसित करता है । इस रोग की शुरुआत बचपन में भी हो सकती है। कभी कभी, इस बिमारी से रीढ़ की हड्डियों का एक साथ फ्यूज़न (fusion) या जुड़ाव हो सकता है  |