Top Health Tips on Treating a Spinal Fracture

Ways To Treat Degenerative Disc Disease And Spondylosis!

MD, FIPP
Pain Management Specialist, Kolkata
Ways To Treat Degenerative Disc Disease And Spondylosis!
It is important for you to know about degenerative disc disease (DDD) and spondylosis. Spondylosis is an umbrella term for spine pain, which occurs because of degenerative conditions. Spondylosis refers to several conditions. They include spinal stenosis, which is the abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal, leading to leg pain, degeneration due to DDD and degenerative arthritis or osteoarthritis involving the spine. It may also include cervical osteoarthritis or neck arthritis.

Spondylosis is a common condition, which is age related. The joints and discs present in the neck are specifically affected as a result of this condition. It commonly develops on account of the wear and tear of the cartilage and bones present in the neck. This condition, in spite of being common, worsens with age. In many patients, symptoms are not observed externally, but pain and muscle spasms are experienced.

Many people with spondylosis do not undertake treatment in spite of suffering from the symptoms and pain. In case the symptoms are prevalent over a long time and tend to worsen, you have several modes of treatment to choose from. They may include medicines, corticosteroid injections, physical therapy and even surgery in some extreme cases.

How does DDD or spondylosis occur?

DDD is a spinal condition. It is caused due to the breakdown of the intervertebral discs. With ageing, the spine starts to show signs of wearing and tearing. This happens on account of the discs drying out and shrinking. All these age-related changes are responsible for arthritis, spinal stenosis and disc herniation. Because of these factors, pressure is likely to fall on your nerves and spinal cords, which may further cause back pain. DDD or spondylosis also develops on account of these factors.

Treatment for DDD and spondylosis

There are various modes of treatment, which are available for you to choose from in order to get relief from the symptoms and pain associated with DDD or spondylosis. It can be medicines. You may be prescribed typical painkiller medications, such as non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDS, muscle relaxants, oral steroids,etc, It can be physical therapy like ultrasound and massage, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) etc. When above modalities fails interventional pain management may do miracles. There are few interventional procedures like epidurals, Rami communicantes fibre RF, or some intradiscal procedures. Rarely these patients needs surgery.

Every mode of treatment has got its own benefits, but has its limitations as well.
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Spinach - Know How It Boosts Your Health!

Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery (BAMS)
Ayurvedic Doctor, Pune
Spinach - Know How It Boosts Your Health!
A recent analysis of spinach s nutritional properties placed it at the top of the nutrient-rich foods list. Spinach is a superlative source of manganese, folate, copper, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, and calcium. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 100-gram serving of spinach has 28.1 micrograms of vitamin C, which is equivalent to 34 percent of the recommended dietary allowance. Researchers in England found that including 1.15 servings (a little more than a cup) of spinach in your every day diet reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 14 percent.

Spinach is indeed a promising food, which is loaded with health benefits. Let us find out more about the health benefits of spinach with these quick pieces of information.

Prevents cancer: One of the foremost qualities of eating spinach on a regular basis is that it helps in the prevention of cancer. This is due to the fact that the level of chlorophyll that you may find in spinach, is absolutely apt when it comes to blocking the entry and effect of carcinogenic material and elements in your body. These are the elements that may enter your body due to pollution as well as through some of the processed foods that we consume. Therefore, you should eat plenty of spinach, especially in today s day and age of adulterated food and pollution, to mitigate the effect of these elements and to prevent cancer. Spinach is also highly recommended for those who have a history of cancer in their family and are at a higher risk of developing the same.
Helps in managing diabetes: Alpha lipoic acid is one of the most well-known antioxidants that can be found in spinach. This is one of the rare elements that help in lowering the glucose levels in the body even as it increases sensitivity towards insulin. This, in turn, helps in taking care of your diabetes without constant medication.
Brings down blood pressure: Spinach is of great value for patients who have been suffering from problems like hypertension as it brings down the blood pressure levels. This is because spinach manages to negate the effect of sodium, which may be found in the body. This happens due to the high potassium content, which is present in this leafy green vegetable.
Increases the health of bones: Low consumption of vitamin K has been associated with a higher risk of bone fracture. Adequate consumption of vitamin K is important as it acts as a modifier of bone matrix proteins - improves absorption of calcium and reduces excretion of calcium through urinary.
Gives you good skin and hair: With the constant ingestion of spinach, you can also get shinning hair and glowing skin due to Vitamin C and collagen element that is found in abundance in this vegetable.
In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!
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Fracture Pain - How To Deal With It?

MD, FIPP
Pain Management Specialist, Kolkata
Fracture Pain - How To Deal With It?
A fracture is a complete or incomplete crack, which appears on a bone due to application of intense pressure or force. A fracture results in extreme pain, and the bone becomes immobile. Any kind of movement boosts the pain. Fracture pain occurs in three distinct stages. Acute pain is felt immediately after a fracture while sub acute pain occurs over the weeks that follow after a fracture. The third stage or chronic pain occurs when the fracture and soft tissues around it have healed.

Fracture pain is quite intense in nature and proper precautions should be taken while dealing with them:

Development of fracture pain: When a bone undergoes a fracture, the ligaments and tendons are also damaged. While the bone slowly heals, ligaments and tendons fail to heal equally well or completely. Post fracture pain also develops when the outside of the bone does not heal completely. This usually does not appear in an X-ray.
Treatment of fracture pain: Modern medications can be utilized to treat a fracture pain. Steroid injections and prescribed anti-inflammatory medicines help in treating a fracture pain. However, these remedies cause side effects, which are harmful for the body. Cortisone shots are utilized for the same purpose as well.
Prolotherapy: Prolotherapy is an approach where ligament and tendon strengthening is stimulated along with repairing. This technique ensures complete treatment of the fracture, and the risk of long-term complications like arthritis is absent. In cases of fracture pain, which occurs due to the incomplete healing of the outer part of the bone, Prolotherapy helps in strengthening the fibro-osseous junction at the source of the pain. This will stop the nerve endings from firing. Prolotherapy provides speedy recovery and accounts for making the injured bone stronger than before. This process is often undergone by athletes. The procedure is undertaken only after thorough examinations for detection of the root cause of the pain. Prolotherapy is considered to be the best treatment for repairing tendons and ligaments, which commonly cause fracture pain. The body is simply stimulated and the painful areas are repaired. This is done by the introduction of a mild inflammatory reaction to the area of the weak tendons and cartilages. The results obtained after Prolotherapy are permanent and the fracture pain is unlikely to reoccur.
Other measures:

Splints are utilized to stop the movement of fractured bone and braces can be used to support the bone. Plaster cast also supports and immobilizes the fractured bone. Traction and surgical implants are other treatment measures.
Fracture pain occurs not only because of the broken bone, but also because of the weakened ligaments and tendons around the bone. Fracture pain should be handled very carefully, and proper control measures should be applied.
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Calcium tablets - Are They Good or Bad?

MBBS
Pain Management Specialist, Bangalore
Calcium tablets - Are They Good or Bad?
For many people, popping a calcium tablet is something which has benefits, but at the same time does no harm. After all, who does not want to have strong bones and healthy teeth? The unfortunate part is that things are not so simple and a lot of research has debunked this.

Take, for example, the findings that when an old woman has calcium, the fracture rates are not all that different as compared to one who has not had calcium supplements. In addition to this, it was also found as part of a study that there is no positive impact on the mineral density of the hip.

As a matter of fact, calcium tablets and supplements can pose a significant risk, as well. While it is true that calcium does help in the effort of getting heart disease, an amount which is greater than the dietary limit does not. Actually, the excess calcium may increase the risk. This is true when it comes to calcium from supplements and not calcium which is absorbed by the way of food. So, what sort of additional risk is there? A study found that people who receive calcium from a tablet or another similar source have about a 140% greater chance of a heart attack!

How much is too much?

A thousand milligrammes of calcium in excess of the requirement on a daily basis is said to increase the risk of death from CVD or cardiovascular disease by about a fifth. Not a trivial amount, by any measure.

But why does this happen?

The key to answering this question comes from how the calcium is absorbed by the body. When calcium from food is eaten, the rate of it being released is a lot slower as compared to calcium from tablets. Also, when there is excess calcium, it is not absorbed and kept in reserve by the body but is excreted in the form of urine. So, this calcium going through the kidneys can cause some trouble there, as well!

Yes or No?

So, what is to be done in order to make sure one is having a sufficient amount of calcium? Well, there are a lot of sources and consuming things such as dairy products and fish, along with dark leafy vegetables are some great ways to get natural calcium. Only if a person has very low calcium levels should calcium tablets be consumed? It is well worth remembering that too much of a good thing is a bad thing!
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Slip Disk Problem - How To Avert It?

Multi Speciality, Chandigarh
Slip Disk Problem - How To Avert It?
Slip disk is a condition of the spinal column which consists of a stack of vertebras from the cervical, thoracic and the lumbar spine. The bones of the spine are cushioned by disks that are present to absorb shocks. Trauma to the spine may cause the disk to bulge or be ruptured. This may lead to pain in the neck and the back.

Causes of slip disk

Slip disk is caused when the jelly-like substance present in the disks bulges out. The damaged disk thus puts pressure on the adjacent nerve causing excruciating pain. The various causes of a slipped disk are:

1. Incorrect form during exercise
If you are into weight lifting, it is important that you use proper form during exercising. Moves like barbell squat and deadlifts can put pressure on the spine and lead to disk problems, if not done correctly. Make sure you work on your core strength and keep your lower back straight while exercising.

2. Smoking
Smoking causes the disks to lose their flexibility and thus, increases the risk of slipped disk.

3. Ageing
Ageing decreases the content of water in the spine, thus leading to inflexibility.

Symptoms

The symptoms of slip disk are:

1. Pain on one side of the body that tends to aggravate over time
2. Activities such as sitting and coughing may lead to pressure on the spine causing pain
3. Your range of motion on certain movements may be restricted
4. Pain in the neck while moving it
5. Numbness in the shoulder and the neck region
6. You may experience tingling sensations in the genitals, hips and the legs
7. You may have muscles spasms which lead to a sudden contraction of the muscles
8. It may also lead to partial paralysis of the lower body

Prevention

1. If you are overweight, try to reduce weight and then focus on maintaining healthy weight levels
2. Maintain proper posture while sitting or standing
3. Exercise on a regular basis to build strength and keep your joints healthy
4. Don't remain in seated position for an extended period of time. Take small breaks in between to stretch
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Knee Joint Related Issue

Physiotherapist, Mumbai
Play video
Hello all,

This is Dr. Nilesh Makwana. I am a physiotherapist by profession and I am practicing since 10 years in Mumbai. I have done my specialization in spine and various other certifications from different institute which is regarding spine, sports science and sports physiotherapy. Knee joint is one of the major weight bearing joint in the body. Majority of our weight whether we do stair climbing, going for a walk or some of the activities, knee joint is one of the major joints which is always under the stress. Stress being this is always under the pressure and if you do not have a proper strengthening of your thigh muscle, your calf muscle, your hip region muscles there are high chances that you may get some sort of aches or pains or some sort of injuries as well whether you are a normal individual lifestyle whether you are living in normal individual lifestyle or athletic population.

We have treated many of the knee conditions which are having not exactly the knee problem but the knee problem has occurred due to the hip problems as well. So it s always better to evaluate, examine properly if at all is there any knee issues or knee pain in relation to either hip or ankle. We also have a foot assessment that can also one of the major contributing factor for the knee pain. If at all anybody is runner and having the knee pain after the running or during the run, we try to evaluate the foot as well. Foot basically because there is a ground reaction force it can negatively impact the knee in terms of pressure and as per the ground reaction force as well. So this makes us a completely different holistic approach in terms of treating the knee cases as well. Thank for watching this video. You can contact me on lybrate.com.

Thank you!
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Sign and Symptoms of Slipped Disc

BAMS, MD - Ayurveda Medicine
Ayurvedic Doctor, Jaipur
Sign and Symptoms of Slipped Disc
When do you know that one of your discs from the spine has been slipped off from its original position? Here are some conditions and cases, as per our knowledge and these are different from low back and neck. First let s talk about the neck; it s more upper and closer to the brain!

Giddiness, Pain travelling in the arms, pain and tenderness in the cardiac region of chest and certainly you can have numbness and tingling sensations in your hands- all this is not about any of the heart problems, always! These are the most common signs and symptoms of the cervical disc compression and in most the cases patients reached to us with some complaints of cardiac problems in all such cases.

Besides this, other patients start feeling that they have something in their brain and they would have gone for MRI or CAT SCAN of Brain for the same condition because of severe headache and giddiness with some nausea along with these!

Why does the pain reflect on the different locations?

When the disc compresses any segment of the spinal cord or one of the nerves emerging from the part, the nerve will carry the sensation, without any external trigger for the pain or burning sensation in the area, supplied by that part of the spine or corresponding nerves. Certainly, if nerves are tingling these will affect the muscles for sure, supplied by the same nerves.

When this condition appears in neck, it will affect the parts supplied by the cervical nerves which emerge from between C1-C2/ C2-C3/ C4-C4/ C4-C5/ C5-C6/C6-C7/C7-C8 or C8-T1 vertebral bodies. These nerves from cervical region supplies to the muscles of head, upper back, arms, neck itself, chest region and sides of the chest. So wherever the supply goes, pain appears in the corresponding regions.



Same is the story of the lower back well known as Lumbar Region or Lumbo-sacral region of the spine. Nerves emerging from the lumbar region, supply to the lower limbs up to the toe, lower back and

The symptoms of a herniated disc: symptoms will be according to the location. The mostly affected areas are cervical region (neck); and lumber region (lower back).

When it is in neck region the symptoms will be as follows:

Pain which may radiate in arms.
Numbness/ tingling sensation in arms
Stiffness in neck
Difficulty in neck movements
Headache and giddiness, specially, while rising from bed
Symptoms of herniated disc in lower back are:

Pain in lower back which radiates into one or both legs
Numbness or tingling or sensation of in areas of one or both legs
Stiffness in lower back
Pain increases if fellow remains in same posture for long time period.
Muscle weakness or wasting of muscle mass in certain muscles of one or both legs
Loss of the reflexes in one or both legs
Depending on the nerve affected by the herniated disc the location of above said symptoms will differ and not surprisingly, both the areas of the spine might be effected at a single time, because vertebral column is a unit, certainly it will behave like a unit. If you wish to discuss any specific problem, you can consult an ayurveda.
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Lower Back Pain - 4 Yoga Asanas For Treating it

MD, DYA, PGDCR
Ayurvedic Doctor, Nashik
Lower Back Pain - 4 Yoga Asanas For Treating it
Lower back pain is one of the most common ailments among adults all across the world. You may wake up in the morning with an energising drink before going out to work. After you arrive at work, you may have to sit there till lunch, which involves further sitting and you are required to sit for more hours for completing the remaining work. Then you come back home by sitting in the car and have the night s meal while again sitting. Did you know sitting through the day is the major culprit behind your back pain? Thankfully, yoga has effective ways of treating back pain to a considerable degree.

You can choose to do the following yoga poses for alleviating your back ache:

Supine hamstring stretch: You will have to lie back on your back and bend the right knee to the chest. Then you will have to place a rolled-up towel around the football and straighten the leg towards the ceiling and press both the heels. In case your lower back feels strained, you can bend your left knee and place the foot right on the ground. Hold the position for about 3 to 5 minutes and practice regularly for soothing back pain.
Two knee twist: You will have to bend your knees to the chest while lying on the back and try to bring out the arms forming a T-shape. Then try to exhale and lower down the knees on the ground towards your right side. Keep both the shoulders pressed down firmly and hold this position for about 2 minutes for best results.
Sphinx: You will have to prop yourself on the forearms while lying on the stomach. You will then have to align the elbows right under the shoulders and press through the tops and palms of the feet. You are likely to feel terrific sensations down your lower back, but it is advised to bear through it as it allows the flow of blood to that region which is required for healing. Practice the position regularly and hold it for at least one minute.
Thread the needle: This is quite an easier pose where you will have to lie flat on your back by bending both the knees with your feet flat on the ground. You will now have to bend the right knee by placing the outer left ankle through the right thigh. You will have to thread the right hand between the leg and interlace the hands behind the left thigh.
These positions would help in soothing your lower back pain, but it is recommended to consult a doctor if the pain still persists. Ayurvedic Tiktaksheer basti, massage therapy and certain oral medicines can help a lot in speedy recovery from spine/back related problems.

Ayurved has a very unique way of drug administration called Basti in which various medicines are given through the anus ( Rectal route)...For Lumbosacral / spine disorders a very specialised form of enema Tiktaksheer Basti (Medicated Bitter Milk enema) is given which shows amazing results. Kindly consult a specialized Ayurvedic practitioner for additional details.

Kati Basti (Vasti) is a traditional Ayurvedic treatment used for lower backache and disorders of lumbosacral region, including slip disc, lumbar spondylosis, sciatica, spinal problems etc. Kati Vasti is a part of external oleation (Snehana) therapy in Ayurveda. It is very safe, non-invasive and green category procedure.

In this procedure, you will get instant relief from backache. After completing a course of 7 to 21 days, you may not need any kind of oral medicines. It is a complete therapy for back pain and lumbosacral disorders.

However, the results vary person to person, but in most of cases, people get quick relief after the procedure.
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Disc Related Problem - Do you Think You Need Surgery?

B.P.T, M.P.T
Physiotherapist, Hyderabad
Disc Related Problem - Do you Think You Need Surgery?
You might be an elite athlete or just a commoner. There is always a possibility for you to develop back pain while carrying out your daily activities. You might not be aware, but regular activities like sitting at the computer, running on the treadmill or simply crawling into your bed for a good night's sleep can affect the health of your spine. You are always at the risk of damaging your spine. These damages lead to back pain. It has been found that faulty postures can cause back pain by causing straining of the back muscles, injuring the tendons and damaging the vertebrae or ligaments. Back pain can be caused due to the overuse of a particular activity or for undertaking a new activity. Besides all these possibilities, most people put the blame on their discs for back pain.

What is a disc?

The human spine is composed of 24 bony vertebrae. These are placed one on top of the other. There is a thin intervertebral disc between each vertebrae. These discs look like jam doughnuts. They are made up of a hard outer shell known as the annulus fibrosis. They have a soft, jelly-like inner core known as the nucleus pulposus. They are shock absorbers.

What Happens To The Discs When An Injury Occurs?

The jelly-like soft core in the discs can often get shifted as a result of the accident or injury. Thus, the discs become a reason behind back pain. The pain could be due to the problems with the disc while carrying out tasks like

Prolonged sitting

Bending

Lifting

Twisting

Pulling

Symptoms Of Disc-Related Pain:

Symptoms tend to vary due to the nature of the injury and the damage caused. However, some common symptoms have been listed below:

Localised back pain

Pain in thighs, lower legs and feet

Tingling sensations

Numbness or muscular weakness

Treatment-

It is best to consult a doctor to know about the treatment needed for back pain related to disc. Initial treatment after detection of the problem includes the following ways:

Intake of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and pain medication.

Application of heat and ice packs.

Physiotherapy.

Home exercise program as suggested by the doctor.

Practicing of core and lumbar strengthening exercises.

One must stop movements that aggravate the pain and don t take difficult physical activities. You must take adequate rest to set things right.

Do You Need Any Surgery?

It is not always needed for all disc related problems. Most issues with the disc vanish after a week. Surgery is sought only after nonsurgical treatments prove useless. The decision must be taken by a doctor.
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Cure for Slipped Disc

MD - Ayurveda
Ayurvedic Doctor, Jaipur
Cure for Slipped Disc
We have cured almost 10000 patients for slipped disc, few of them were in a complicated state and were not able to walk or move for few steps too. Those were relieved with complete Ayurvedic treatments and that too without any surgery or further distress. We do it by all Ayurvedic way, through Ayurvedic Remedies, Panchakarma and Yoga.testimonial_cured_withoutSurgery

How do we cure Slipped Disc?
When we claim that we can cure a condition where surgery is just like a mandatory condition- it sounds a false statement, a hoax call or just another overconfidence claim? This might sound like this! Not an issue!! We don t believe in making some calls, we do rely on the feedback of cured patients of slipped disc. This is all about those persons, patients who came to us crying with pain and departed with smiles on their faces.

We align the spine in its normal position- this is how we cure the condition! Yes, we do exactly the same. Spine or vertebral column is just like an axis of the body and if this axis shifts on one side- due to any reason- this will certainly imbalance the body. This imbalance is exerted on the spine in form of spasm of muscles and that forces the vertebrae to move out of its place and press the nerves. This slipped or protruded disc exerts pressure on the nerves which translates in making mild to severe pain in low back to the lowest of the leg. We do all this in three different steps-

Oleation of the spine and surrounding muscles
Relaxing the muscles and body
Aligning the spine in its real shape.
Oleation of the Spine and Surrounding muscles:

Stiff things are hard to move and if we force these to move, surely we will hurt the stiffened tissue. This is what modern conventional chiropractors and physiotherapists keep on doing in all these cases and have least success with them. We do it according to the ancient Vedic Knowledge and some time-tested techniques of Panchakarma and Ayurveda as per one s requirements and body type.

Relaxing the muscles and nerves of the body:

Along with the first step, we keep on relaxing the muscles so that there won t be a single percent of stiffness and hardness in the body. This is being done to make the neuromuscular junctions smooth and easy to maintain. This step ensures that we will be able to place the things in the right place in next step. This is done through Ayurvedic Medicines.

Aligning the spine in its real shape:

Spine is inverted S shaped and if we can maintain the curves of the spine everything will be in its own place. This we do with help of some Yoga techniques, we have developed in previous years.

These are the three steps we perform one by one or all together for making the spinal column in its own shape. This is what we do with a perfection and we have almost 95% percent results in curing the slipped disc condition without surgery. 5% patients are those who became very careless with the time and were not able to continue the treatment or follow the regime. Our team of dedicated physicians and therapists is well trained and we are working since last 7 years in field of Ayurveda.
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