Sitting or standing slouched does not only look bad but also has a bad effect on your spine. If not addressed in time, bad posture can become a person’s second nature. Over time bad posture can change the natural curvature of your spine and lead to a number of health issues. Here are a few tips that could help:
1. Follow the structure of the chair
We spend a lot of time on office chairs. A well-designed chair will follow ergonomic guidelines to support your body. However, this can help only if you sit on the chair properly. Distribute your weight evenly on the chair. Try to align your body to the center of the chair. To do this try keeping your ears, shoulder, and hips in a straight line. Alternate between sitting at the edge of your seat and against the backrest to relieve your back muscles.
2. Change Positions
Though you can’t change your desk every few hours, you can change how you sit. Tiredness is one of the leading causes for slumping and bad posture. Thus, to maintain a good posture try changing positions frequently. Stretch every half hour or so. Getting up from your table and walking over to a colleague to tell them something instead of calling them can give your muscles a break.
3. Use posture-friendly props
Along with ergonomic chairs, there are a number of other ergonomic props that could help maintain good posture. This includes footrests, pillows to support the lower back and lumbar back supports. These props can help ease the strain on the back muscles. Using a chair with an adjustable back is also a good idea. While walking, invest in bags and backpacks that are ergonomically designed to distribute their weight evenly over the entire back.
4. Exercise right
Improved posture is one of the many benefits of regular exercise. Cardiovascular exercises such as walking, running, and swimming help condition the body and maintain a good balance. Exercises that strengthen the back muscles are also great for posture. These exercises support the muscles of the upper body and relieve stress on the back muscles.
5. Wear the right footwear
Wear shoes that fit right and support the arches of your foot. This can help you maintain your balance and improve posture. Avoid wearing high heels for extended periods of time as they could have a negative effect on your center of gravity. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!
Heel pain is the most common cause in females from the last 30 -40 years. It can decrease the quality of life.
Advanced treatments which can bypass a lot of analgesics are -
1. Platelet-rich plasma injection using ultrasound
2. Local anesthetic with steroid injection under ultrasound guidance
The toes and heels are the most loads 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 of 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.
It is, however, advisable to visit the doctor if the pain persists and take specialized medical care in more complicated cases wherein the pain is prolonged.
Pain management begins at home. Of course, your doctor is the expert you need to go to to check the possible causes and treatment methods to alleviate pain. However, sometimes, the pain can be managed well as home as well. For example, it is possible to manage back strain at home with the help of simple remedies. Some of these remedies include the following:
A knee sprain is a disorder that is characterized by tearing of the ligaments of the knee. The ligaments are tissues in the knee, whose function is to keep the bones together. They also help in keeping the bones and the knee joint in their proper position. In terms of function, they help you walk, turn and twist. Usually, ligaments get sprained due to sports or exercise-related injuries.
Causes
Symptoms
The symptoms of knee sprain are pain in the knee joint, impaired movement and swelling. You will have difficulty while walking as the knee may give out or buckle. In some cases, you may also hear a painful pop from the knee joint.
Treatment
The treatment of a knee sprain begins with a proper diagnosis wherein you may have to undergo various tests such as X-rays or MRI. Once the diagnosis confirms that it is a knee sprain, treatment will begin. The various modes of treatment include:
In addition to the treatment, plenty of rest is required. Do not carry out tasks that require you to move your knee excessively as it may damage it further. Perform stretches and strengthening exercises to keep the joints strong and mobile. Sometimes ligament injuries are serious and do not settle down with the above measures. If the problem persists, you must visit your nearest sports injury specialist.
Nerve compression is a condition caused by direct pressure on a nerve. It occurs when a nerve is squeezed or compacted. It is also known as compression neuropathy or entrapment neuropathy.
It typically occurs at a single location. Nerves in the torso, limbs, and extremities may be affected. Common symptoms include pain, numbness, and muscle weakness at the site of the nerve.
Nerve compression syndrome is also known as:
Types
Mentioned below are few of the most common types of nerve compression syndromes:
Causes
Signs and Symptoms
Management
When was the last time you visited an ophthalmologist? Chances are that unless you faced a problem in your eyes recently, it must have been months or even years. Most people only visit an eye specialist’s clinic when they experience some eye problem.
This is not a good practice since the best way to avoid severe eye complications is to detect them in their early stages. Since some eye conditions are asymptomatic in their early stages, these conditions cannot be detected without a comprehensive eye exam. Either you must be aware of warning signs or visit an ophthalmologist once a year to avoid eye problems getting severe.
Warning signs that need immediate attention:
Prevention is always better than cure and eyes are one part of your body that you most likely ignore unless the problems start looming large. When the warning signs are felt, it is better to seek medical attention to rule out any sort of complication.
Ankle instability is often caused by damage to the lateral ankle ligaments. This typically causes strain and in further severe forms results in injury to the ligaments. This may further cause a feeling of instability in the ankle and eventually predispose the individual to get recurrent ankle sprains even with very minimal twists.
Symptoms:
The symptoms of ankle instability include weakness and wobbliness in the ankle or a continuous feeling of falling down while walking on uneven surfaces. People with ankle instability often experience the feeling of rolling outwards or giving way. Sometimes, after the initial injury that led to the condition of the unstable ankle, patients often feel that something has not been right ever since that injury causing them to frequently lose their balance. The condition may result in the swelling of the ankle and increased vulnerability towards twists or sprains resulting from the weakness in the ankle and its inability to support the body weight.
Treatment:
More often than not, patients with ankle instability may be treated without surgery by merely supporting the muscles that control the hinge joint of the ankle. This is done using supportive braces or shoes to reduce the threat of frequent ankle sprains and by avoiding activities that involve higher risk.
The treatment for ankle instability involves a range of exercises that focus on the strengthening of muscles to account for the balance provided by the ligament formerly. If pain is encountered while performing specific activities, patients are advised to use a tape or special shoes while performing the activity. If the problem still persists and goes extreme, the individual is recommended to opt for surgery.
The surgical intervention for ankle instability can be categorized under anatomic reconstruction and peroneal substitution ligament reconstruction. The former aims to allow the stretched or torn ligament to heal in a shortened position by using the individual's own tissue or a cadaver tendon. In the latter, the torn ligament is completely replaced by using another tendon from the patient's own ankle.
Both the methods have their own pros and cons and the choice of a particular method is dependent on the physician after careful examination of the individual case. In most cases, the patient is advised physiotherapy or exercise and surgery is, but rarely advised. Even after the surgery, patients are asked to undergo a variety of exercise techniques and therapy.
In today’s world, most of the work that you do is on your computer. With an increasingly digitized world, computers can’t be replaced. Though they have made your work easier, they do come with certain disadvantages as well. The rays emitted by a computer screen can be harmful to your eyes if exposed for an extended duration.
It is important that you take certain precautionary measures to protect your eyes:
1. Wash your eyes: Wash your eyes on a regular basis; it facilitates cooling and relaxation of the eyes. Make it a routine to wash your eyes at least 5 to 6 times a day.
2. Get computer glasses: Use computer glasses to protect your eyes as they help to minimize the effect of the radiation from the screen. If you work for long hours in front of the computer, then you should consider getting a pair of computer glasses.
3. The position of your screen: The screen should ideally be positioned at an arm’s length and the viewing angle of the monitor should be around 35 degrees. Make sure you position your chair accordingly keeping these tips in mind.
4. Eye exercise: You should exercise your eyes to reduce the strain and relax your eyes. Follow the 20-20 rule wherein after working on your computer for 20 minutes, you redirect your gaze to an object that is around 20 feet away. This helps your eye muscles to relax and thus, improves your eye health.
5. Don’t work at a stretch: Take breaks in between your work sessions to reduce fatigue in your eyes. Constantly staring at a screen for an extended amount of time can cause problems in your eye. Take 2-minute breaks for every 30 minutes you spend working on your computer. This helps to reduce the strain on your eyes also helps to release tension in the muscles of the neck and back.
6. Blink more than usual: Blinking moistens your eyes and causes tear production which does not allow the eye to suffer from dryness. It also prevents eye irritation and helps in clearing out dirt from the eyes.
Technology is both boon and bane. Most jobs nowadays are partially automated, and it has become necessary for many to work long hours on the computer. If you are one such person, then you might be experiencing one or many symptoms related to eyes. The eye muscles get fatigued when eyes stare on the computer screen for a long time, and this can cause a host of eye problems. Referred to as Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS), the condition can range from eye pain to problems with eyesight.
The following is a short account of a few simple but effective measures that you can follow to avoid eye problems caused by extensive use of computers.
Simple Tips to Follow - Eye care regimen should be followed by everyone, but special care needs to be taken by the individuals who always works on the computers and has to look on the screen at all the times. The current digital age has greatly altered the way we use our eyes. Here are a few simple tips you can follow in this regard.
Apart from these practices, adopting healthy lifestyle habits such as eating a balanced diet, exercising, quitting smoking and wearing sunglasses while out can help preserve eye health in general. Also, it is essential to undergo regular eye check-up to catch any eye problems at its early stages.
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:
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:
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.