DARADIA: The Pain Clinic

Spondylitis is when you experience chronic back pain, especially in your upper back. What is annoying about this problem is that it not only causes you pain after you have exerted yourself, but it also leads to more pain when you have done no physical exertion at all. In addition, it stiffens your back as well as your neck. However, here are a few ways with which you can treat your spondylitis pain:

1. Stretching: Try to do some normal stretching exercises every day. If that does not work out for you, consult a physiotherapist. He/she can recommend exercises that best suit the kind of pain you have been having. Even a little bit of yoga and a regular backstretch can be very beneficial.
2. Maintaining a good posture: A good posture is usually hard to maintain, especially if you have been sitting in a slouchy manner from your very childhood. In order to correct your posture now, you might feel like it is causing you a lot of pain. However, over the long run, it is the best choice for you.
3. A good sleeping position: The position you sleep in makes a lot of difference to spondylitis. You need to have a firm bed and a pillow. For better results, try to avoid sleeping with a pillow. You need to keep your neck in alignment to your body. Try to lie down with your face inside the bed and your back towards the ceiling. Do not sleep on a soft mattress with a huge pillow or cushion.
4. Acupuncture: Acupuncture, like always, is the best remedy for many problems in your body. It helps regulate blood flow and also helps in relaxing the muscles that might be stiff. Spondylitis pain usually occurs when the muscles in your back are really stiff. Acupuncture helps unwind these muscles at the exact pressure points.
5. Massage: A warm massage can be very helpful. Like acupuncture, you can feel the tension go away later. However, you will feel a little bit of pain while the procedure takes place. This pain is very relaxing most of the times.
6. Yoga: Yoga is a natural pain reliever in every sense. However, do not be hyper flexible and opt for difficult poses. You need to start with the basic stretch poses and then advance further as you keep on getting flexible. Doing yoga on a daily basis will help you realize how far you have come and gotten rid of the pain caused by spondylitis.

There are many treatments like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and other kinds of medications that can help you with spondylitis. Even surgeries are performed in the worst case scenarios. However, the above-mentioned are some of the tried, tested and most effective methods to get rid of spondylitis pain.

Chronic pain is one that lasts for a long time or might even last a lifetime. It could either be seasonal - that you would experience only in winters, or it may persist throughout the year. There are many ways to cope with or get rid of chronic pain. Mentioned below are ten ways in which you can deal with chronic pain: 

1. Meditation: Meditation and deep breathing can help ease pain and strain on the muscles. Concentrating on the breath, overlooking your thoughts, causes the body to unwind. While you can learn to meditate by yourself, taking a class is a better idea. 
2. Lessen stress in your life: Negative sentiments like depression, uneasiness, stress, and outrage can make the body more sensitive to pain. By figuring out how to take control of anxiety, you may discover some relief from pain. 
3. Help get rid of pain with the natural endorphins from exercising: Endorphins are cerebrum chemicals that enhance your mindset while blocking pain signals. 
4. Exercise has another pain decreasing impact - it reinforces muscles, preventing re-damage and further pain. Furthermore, practice can hold your weight down, decrease heart problems and control glucose levels - particularly critical if you have diabetes. 
5. Cutting down on alcohol: It is not easy to rest with pain and liquor can aggravate pain issues. In case you are living with chronic pain, drinking less or no liquor can increase your pain improvement process. 
6. Join a care group, meet others living with chronic pain: When you are with individuals who have chronic pain and share what you are experiencing, you don't feel alone. You additionally gain advantage from their knowledge in adapting to the situation. 
7. Try not to smoke: Smoking can intensify pain flow issues and increase danger of heart or respiratory diseases 
8. Track your pain level and exercises each day: To treat the pain, your specialist needs to know how you have been feeling between visits. This will help in prescribing the right kind of exercise so that your muscles get their strength. Keeping a log or diary of your everyday "pain score" will help you track it. Towards the end of every day, take note of your agony level on the 1 to 10 pain scale. 
9. A sound eating routine: A nutritious diet is essential from multiple points of view - supporting your digestive system, reducing the risk of heart diseases, keeping your weight under control, and enhancing glucose levels. To eat a low-fat, low-sodium diet, these are important: new leafy foods; cooked dried beans and peas; entire grain breads and oats; low-fat cheese, milk and yogurt. 
10. Discover approaches to keep yourself occupied: When you concentrate on pain, it worsens as opposed to getting better. Rather, discover something you like doing - a movement that keeps you occupied and thinking about things other than your pain. You will not have the capacity to maintain a distance from pain, but rather you can take control of your life. 
11. Visit a doctor to make a diagnosis: Self-treatment is always dangerous. Have a diagnosis from a pain physician and treat it early.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Nerve pain or peripheral neuropathy, as it is medically known, is characterized by pain, numbness and weakness that arise out of nerve damage. This pain is usually restricted to the feet and the hands.

What are the common causes?

Diabetes is the most common cause for this condition. However, other causes, such as injuries, infections and prolonged exposure to certain toxins can also trigger nerve pain.

How can you control nerve pain?

Nerve pain can be managed and taken care of at home taking into consideration the points that have been mentioned below:

1. Topical Painkillers: Certain over the counter ointments and creams can help relieve nerve pain. These medications act as local anesthetics; that is they numb the area of the pain. Capsaicin, a derivative of chili peppers, is one of the major ingredients used in these medicines. Others use botanical oils as the major ingredients.

2. Painkillers: There are painkillers available OTC which can curb nerve pain. However, painkillers such as ibuprofen, aspirin and acetaminophen do not really work well for severe pain of the nerves.

3. Supplements: The lack of Vitamin B12 is considered to be a very important cause, and at times, a catalyst for nerve pain. In a case such as this, Vitamin B12 supplements or injections might be administered. Although more research needs to go into this, but certain supplements, especially gamma-linolenic and alpha-lipoic acid can help soothe nerve pain caused by diabetes.

4. Acupuncture: This time-honored Chinese approach is a proven alleviator of nerve pain. Acupuncture releases chemicals which numb the pain, or prevent the pain signals from travelling to the brain.

5. Physical Therapy and Massages: Physical Therapy can especially heal and strengthen weak muscles that can stem from acute nerve damage and pain. Though more evidence is needed, according to a few sufferers of this condition, massages can be helpful with the tremendously painful muscle spasms that can so often result from nerve pain.

6. Relaxation Techniques: In combination with the abovementioned approaches, relaxation techniques can go a long way in relieving debilitating neural pain. Besides being helpful with dealing and reducing a few stress phases of life which can cause nerve pain, these techniques might actually root out the actual pain itself.

7. Lifestyle Modifications: This one’s always a winner! Eating a well-balanced diet that guarantees all nutrients in uniform amounts can never go wrong. Regular exercises for about 30-45 minutes can remedy different types of pain; nerve pain being one of them. Try and limit alcohol intake (a peg once a week won’t harm one, but binge drinking can play the ultimate spoilsport and make all health plans go topsy-turvy!). Abstain from smoking or chewing tobacco as this is usually the primary contributor towards any medical condition or disorder. 

8. Interventional pain management. When every other options has failed, interventional pain management, like neuro-modulations, nerve blocks, spinal cord stimulation can do miracle in relieving pain.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Whether it is the dipping winter temperature, chilling effect of the air conditioning or a lower temperature caused due to rain, we complain about the body pain. It is quite normal when our body experiences lower temperature than it is comfortable with, various forms of aches crop up, esp. if you already have a condition or have been physically hurt.

Winters are typically associated with several types of body pains. Particularly, we’ve seen higher incidences of nerve – related pain, joint pains and vascular pains during the season.

Manage your pains by following these 6 tips:

1. Keep yourself warm: Needless to say, it’s extremely important to keep yourself warm when its gets uncomfortably cold. Clinical research has shown higher incidence of nerve – related, vascular pain and joint pains if your body is exposed to low temperatures for long periods. This is especially true if you are 60+ in age. So, dress appropriately with body warmers, sweaters and jackets

2. Keep yourself physically active: A colder weather reduces average activity levels. An average person walks up to 1,000 lesser steps when its cold. To avoid pain in knees and other joints, it’s especially important to keep up activity levels. Try and take out time for walking in the afternoons or evenings, even if it is inside your house or office.

3. Take care of your diet: It is important to ensure that your intake of Vitamin D, Calcium and Vitamin B complex is adequate. Make sure that your diet remains rich in dal, green leafy vegetables (Vitamin B complex), milk (Calcium) and cheese and egg yolk (Vitamin D).

4. Get enough exposure to sunlight: Lesser exposure to the sun causes Vitamin D deficiency during winters, which can result in fatigue, lethargy and general body pains. Make sure to get at least 15-20 minutes of sunlight exposure, ideally in the mornings around 9am to 10am.

5. Avoid the wrong foods: Actively manage your diseases like diabetes and hypertension to stay pain free. If you suffer from diabetes, make sure that you do not overeat foods with high glycemic index. If you suffer from hypertension, it is important to keep away from spicy and oily foods.

6. Get expert advice: Visit your pain specialist if your pains continue for more than 2 weeks. Be regular with your prescribed pain medications, but strictly avoid self-medication or overuse of painkillers.

Most diseases, small or big, acute or chronic, accident or infection, have one common factor - pain. In most cases, in addition to reducing the severity of the infection or the impact to various structures from the trauma, managing pain assumes a bigger role. It is only when the pain is controlled can the bigger picture of disease management be done, as the patient would be inconsolable.

To this effect, in addition to pain killers, the most inexpensive and easily available modes of pain management are heat and cold. Though all are not aware, there are specific instances where heat and cold should be used as listed below.

Heat: Some of the common modes to heat therapy include heat pads, warm baths, paraffin wax system, hot water bottles, air-activated heat pack, or warm oils. Heat acts by improving blood circulation and nutritional supply to the body parts and is best suited for stiff joints and muscle soreness. 

Some common ways to heat therapy include:

1. A warm shower or bath in the morning - this will ease morning stiffness and get you ready for exercise.
2. Apply a heating pad on the sore/stiff areas for up to 20 minutes - Use optimal, bearable temperature to avoid skin burns.
3. Wrap the affected area for 15 to 20 minutes with a moist heat pad. A wet towel can be put in the freezer and then warmed up in the microwave. Moist heat pads are also available with local pharmacies.
4. Warm mineral oils can be applied to the stiff joints of hands and legs. Leave it in place for 15 to 20 minutes before washing it off.
5. For sore hand and foot joints, warm paraffin wax can be applied using the equipment available at drug stores. This will help ease the pain and soreness. Soak in a warm whirlpool.

Contrary to heat therapy, cold therapy acts by reducing blood flow to the affected area and numbing the nerve endings, thereby reducing the perception of pain. It works well for acute pain cases like fresh injuries and post-exercise inflammation.

1. A cold wrap with ice cubes can be applied to the painful area for about 15 to 20 minutes. This can be repeated if required after a break.
2. Alternately, a wet towel can be put in a plastic bag and kept in the freezer for 15 minutes and then used as a cold pack.
3. The affected joint can be submerged in a container of ice and water.
4. Cold gel packs are available at stores - these won't leak, will stay cold longer and can be easily wrapped around a joint.

Cryotherapy, as cold therapy is also called, is not as effective as heat therapy, though it does provide immediate relief.

Sports injuries can happen to any person who engages in sporting activities. These affect full-time athletes as well as those who partake in sports and exercising on an occasional basis. Most sports injuries are acute and affect the muscles and skeletal system. Usually, they are not chronic unless caused by a grave accident or left untreated.

The most common types of injuries caused due to sports are as follows:

•  Ankle sprain
•  Wrist sprain
•  Concussion
•  Knee injury
•  Tennis elbow
•  Hamstring pull
•  Cartilage damage

Treatment of sports injuries depends on a number of factors such as the type of injury, part of the body affected, the intensity of the pain, and the patient's age and medical history.

Accordingly, the most common ways of approaching the pain caused by sports injuries are:

1. Immediate remedies: Several quick aid, home remedies are used to treat pain that is caused by minor injuries to muscles, such as sprains and strains. It involves alleviation of pain through rest, using ice packs and hot water bags, wearing supports and elastic compression bandages.
2. Medication: Many medicines such as painkillers and anti-inflammatory pills, creams and sprays effectively reduce pain caused by sports injuries. In extreme cases, morphine and codeine are also prescribed.
3. Physical therapy: A number of injuries can be treated and cured through certain exercise and workout routines. These aim at stretching and strengthening the affected area to provide pain relief through increased flexibility and muscle activity.
4. Injections: Various substances and chemical compounds can be injected into the injured area which works on the affected ligaments, tendons, and cartilage to reduce inflammation and relieve pain.
5. Surgical procedures: This is generally resorted to in case of damage to the skeleton in the form of broken bones and cracked ribs.
6. Interventional Pain relieving procedures: These include regenerative or stem cell therapy, and neuromodulation techniques using radio frequency current. They may result in best results without any tissue cutting or damage. A pain specialist may be able to help you best in that case.

Devising the exact treatment method requires a thorough examination of the injury. Diagnosis can only be provided after taking into consideration the many factors that affect treatment. The method of treatment varies from case to case and consequently, the recovery time also differs. 

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Are you worried about the labour pain? It is perhaps the most difficult phase of a woman's life. But today, there is no reason to worry for. Thanks to epidurals, you can give birth to your baby without experiencing the pain involved.

Epidural is the new age anaesthesia. It is used to block pain in a specific region of the body. A patient is not made unconscious fully at the time of any surgery. He or she is given epidural for regional anaesthesia. Its use has become popular during childbirth. A pregnant woman is given epidural at the time of labour or c-section. It provides relief from the pain rather than cutting off the patient's feelings or senses.

Although it has become a widely accepted technique, women worry about the safety of epidurals. They are concerned about the safety of the baby and their health. But it is absolutely safe.

• How do these work?: There are nerves in our body, which carry the pain signals to the brain. These nerves pass through epidural spaces. Therefore, anaesthesia is injected into these spaces to stop the pain signal from reaching the brain. This blocks the pain. If you are pregnant and thinking whether to go for epidural or not, you will have a lot of questions in mind. Here's all that you need to know about epidurals:
• Effect on baby's and mother's health: Use of epidurals tends to increase the time of labour by 20 minutes approximately. The mother may develop fever. However, it blocks the pain. This is some relief to the mother. As there is no pain, stress hormones are not released. Thus, blood will not be diverted from uterus and placenta. Baby's supply of nutrients and oxygen will remain intact.
• How painful it is?: Women mostly worry about the painful insertion of the epidural needle. However, this will not hurt you. A small needle is first inserted to make the area numb. Thereafter the bigger needle is inserted. You may feel the discomfort for five seconds. The epidural medicine starts functioning just after 5 minutes of insertion.
• Procedure: First the patient is made to take the suitable position. While some may be asked to lie sideways, others may be asked to sit straight. The area is cleaned with a solution. The small needle is first inserted to create numbness in the area. Once the area is numb, the bigger needle is inserted. You might feel a pinching sensation. Thereafter, a catheter is threaded to the epidural space, where the nerve carrying signal of pain passes through. Epidural medicines are pushed into the region via the catheter. Epidurals don't affect your nerve endings or spinal cord. They are pushed into the epidural space.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

The sciatic nerve spreads down the spine till the legs. The pain in this nerve can feel like sparks running down your back of leg from buttock area. Anything that puts weight on or aggravates this nerve can cause pain that shoots down the back of one butt cheek or thigh. The amount of pain can increase gradually. Sciatica may feel like a gentle ache, a sharp sensation or extreme uneasiness. Sciatica can bring feelings of shivering, numbness and weakness. 

Sitting, standing up, coughing, sneezing, lifting, or straining for a very long time, might aggravate pain. Now and then, individuals experience numbness or shivering in the leg, too. 

Some of the most regular symptoms of sciatic pain include: 

1. Pain in the buttock and/or back of leg when sitting or walking 
2. Hip pain 
3. Burning sensation in the leg 
4. Numbness or trouble moving the leg or foot 
5. Shooting pain that makes it hard to stand up properly 

The most common causes of sciatic pain include: 

1. Lumbar spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal channel in the lower back) 
2. Degenerative disk disease (breakdown of discs, which go about as pads between the vertebrae) 
3. Spondylolisthesis (a condition in which one vertebra slips over another) 
4. Piriformis syndrome
5. Muscle spasms 

How to treat: 

Visit doctor early, have a proper diagnosis. As you can see that several diseases can cause sciatica, diagnosis is very important before starting treatment. Outline of treatment: 

1. No exercises during acute painful condition. No absolute rest is also needed. Do normal daily activities. 
2. Medications to relieve nerve pain, like pregabalin etc. 
3. Interventional pain management is the best way to confirm the diagnosis, relieve pain, and cure the condition.
4. Surgery is rarely needed.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

How should you approach pain caused due to sports injuries?

Sports injuries can happen to any person who engages in sporting activities. These affect full-time athletes as well as those who partake in sports and exercising on an occasional basis. Most sports injuries are acute and affect the muscles and skeletal system. Usually, they are not chronic unless caused by a grave accident or left untreated.

The most common types of injuries caused due to sports are as follows:

•  ankle sprain
•  wrist sprain
•  concussion
•  knee injury
•  tennis elbow
•  hamstring pull
•  cartilage damage

Treatment of sports injuries depends on a number of factors such as the type of injury, part of the body affected, the intensity of the pain, and the patient's age and medical history.

Accordingly, the most common ways of approaching the pain caused by sports injuries are:

1. Immediate remedies

Several quick aid, home remedies are used to treat pain that is caused by minor injuries to muscles, such as sprains and strains. It involves alleviation of pain through rest, using ice packs and hot water bags, wearing supports and elastic compression bandages.

2. Medication

Many medicines such as painkillers and anti-inflammatory pills, creams and sprays effectively reduce pain caused by sports injuries. In extreme cases, morphine and codeine are also prescribed.

3. Physical therapy

A number of injuries can be treated and cured through certain exercise and workout routines. These aim at stretching and strengthening the affected area to provide pain relief through increased flexibility and muscle activity.

4. Injections

Various substances and chemical compounds can be injected into the injured area which works on the affected ligaments, tendons, and cartilage to reduced inflammation and relieves pain.

5. Surgical procedures

If the injury is too severe and the pain too intense, the best option for treatment is surgery. This is generally resorted to in case of damage to the skeleton in the form of broken bones and cracked ribs.

Devising the exact treatment method requires a thorough examination of the injury. Diagnosis can only be provided after taking into consideration the many factors that affect treatment. The method of treatment varies from case to case and consequently, the recovery time also differs. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Spondylitis includes swelling of the vertebra. It happens because of wear and tear of the ligament and bones found in your cervical spine, which is in your neck. While it is to a great extent because of age, it can be brought on by other reasons too. Side effects incorporate pain and stiffness starting from the neck to the lower back. The spine's bones (vertebrae) get fused, bringing about an unbending spine. These changes might be mellow or extreme, and may prompt a stooped-over posture. Some of the non-surgical methods to treat spondylitis are as follows- 

1. Exercise based recovery/physiotherapy: Your specialist may send you to a physiotherapist for treatment. Non-intrusive treatment helps you extend your neck and shoulder muscles. This makes them more grounded and at last, relieves pain. You may neck traction, which includes using weights to build the space between the cervical joints and decreasing pressure on the cervical disc and nerve roots. 
2. Medications: Your specialist may prescribe you certain medicines if over-the-counter medications do not work. These include: 
   • Muscle relaxants, for example, cyclobenzaprine, to treat muscle fits 
   • Opiates, for example, hydrocodone, for pain relief 
   • Epileptic medications, for example, gabapentin, to ease pain created by nerve damage 
   • Steroid infusions, for example, prednisone, to decrease tissue irritation and diminish pain 
3. Home treatment: In case your condition is less severe, you can attempt a couple of things at home to treat it: 
   • Take an over-the-counter pain reliever, for example, acetaminophen or a calming medication, for example, Advil or Aleve. 
   • Use a warming cushion or an ice pack on your neck to give pain alleviation to sore muscles. 
   • Exercise routinely to help you recover quickly. 
   • Wear a delicate neck prop or neckline to get transitory help. In any case, you shouldn't wear a neck brace for temporary pain relief. 
4. Interventional Pain Management: It is a highly effective treatment for back and neck pain. 
5. Bed Rest: Severe instances of spondylitis may require bed rest for close to 1-3 days. Long-term bed rest must be avoided as it puts the patient at danger for profound vein thrombosis (DVT, blood clots in the legs). 
6. Support/brace use: Temporary bracing (1 week) may help get rid of the symptoms, however, long-term use is not encouraged. Supports worn for a long time weaken the spinal muscles and can increase pain if not continually worn. Exercise based recovery is more beneficial as it reinforces the muscles. 
7. Lifestyle: Losing weight and eating nutritious food with consistent workouts can help. Quitting smoking is essential healthy habits to help the spine function properly at any age.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!