Pain Management and Pain Relief Information

Archive for January, 2011

Disc problems including sciatica pain, degenerative disc disease and disc prolapse are the serious health aliments that can produce bothersome symptoms. Spinal discs act as a cushion between the back bones and are very susceptible to injury or disease, causing severe pain in the back and legs. These problems greatly affect aging individuals because of wear and tear in the spine disc cartilage, causing the loss of normal function or structure and decrease quality of life. Proper pain management for disc problems is decisive to deal with this painful health ailment and prevent any serious outcome.

Symptoms of Disc Problems

The symptoms of degenerative disc issue include:

• Chronic low back pain which occasionally radiates to hips
• Pain in buttocks, thighs while walking
• Sporadic tingling and weakness in the knees
• Numbness sensation in the legs
• Severe pain in legs
• Bad posture and poor body mechanics
• Chronic neck, shoulder, arms and hands pain

What are the Causes of Disc Problems?

There are several factors that can contribute to cause rupture in the discs and lead to severe pain and inflammation.

• Back injuries
• Bending over awkwardly
• Sports injuries
• Weight lifting
• Sitting for prolonged periods
• Obesity
• Aging

Pain Management through Holistic Medicine

To address the extreme debilitating pain, taking immediate pain management treatment is critical to prevent permanent spinal disc damage. Holistic medicine is an ideal solution to treat the manifestation of illness or injury. It includes various non invasive hands-on techniques, strengthening exercises, mobilization and manipulating techniques that all contribute to treating injuries, reducing pain, inflammation and other symptoms of disc problems.

Holistic Medicine – Helps Treat Disc Problems

Holistic medicine is an effective pain management technique that can successfully deal with disc problems. Integrative manual therapy is a holistic treatment that involves gentle and profound body touch and helps alleviate pain relief and associated symptoms of disc diseases. A massage therapist provides techniques to increase spinal mobility, reduce acute or chronic low back pain, improve spinal dysfunction and disability with functional and structural rehabilitation.

Stretching Exercises – Improve Spinal Flexibility

Physical therapy is another type of holistic pain management technique that can also successfully treat disc problems, providing adequate pain relief and improve associated troubling symptoms. A physical therapist provides various stretching exercises to maintain the disc structure and improve the spinal function. As disc injuries cause pain and inflammation that can limit spine flexibility therefore, physical therapy focuses in improving the muscle and ligaments functions to enhance flexibility. Strengthening the back, neck and core muscle through physical therapy also provide support to spine and help alleviate pain.

Disc damage or injury can cause a serious debilitating pain and can have a more negative impact on life, bringing helplessness and severe agony. Holistic medicine is a worthwhile pain management technique that can effectively deal with chronic pain and discomfort of disc problems. It will not only help reduce pain but will also improve spine function and provide better structural support to spine.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, or TENS, is used for such pain conditions as post-surgical, visceral, neurological, sympathetically mediated, arthritic, myofacial and low back. It is also used to treat bladder incontinence. It is one of the most commonly used types of electro analgesia. Neuromodulation is produced by restoration of afferent input, direct inhibition of abnormally excited nerves, endogenous pain control and presynaptic inhibition in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord.

The unit includes one or more electrical signal generators, electrodes and a battery. It is programmable and small and can deliver stimuli with changeable current, pulse widths and pulse rates. Biphasic is the favorite waveform. Patients are advised to experiment with intensities and frequencies to find the best setting to provide pain control. Electrodes are placed over the area of pain and other points such as acupuncture sites, trigger points and cutaneous nerves.

There are three standard setting options used that include conventional, acupuncture-like and pulsed.

• With the conventional setting it uses a high frequency and low setting of intensity. The duration of the pulse is short. Pain relief is effective while the device is on but pain returns when it is off. Patients will leave the electrodes on all day and turn them on in 30 minute intervals. In some patients the effects can last beyond the stimulus intervals.

• The acupuncture-like setting delivers a low frequency high intensity stimulus. It can be uncomfortable and some patients cannot tolerate it, it is used when the conventional method does not work.

• Pulsed uses low intensity firing in high frequency bursts.

The comfort of the patient is very important in determining the efficacy of the treatment. The higher pulse widths are more painful and the higher intensity impulse is as well. Electroconductive gel is applied on skin under the electrodes to minimize any blockage of the current. Complications are rare but sometimes people will have skin irritation. The tape used on the electrodes can cause irritation. People with pacemakers can have problems as well.

Initial relief of pain is experienced in 70 to 80 percent of patients but it decreases after a few months to around 20 to 30 percent. Many patients use the device on a daily basis. Pulse frequencies and patterns are adjusted consistently. The range of outcomes fluctuates a great deal, most are favorable.

After surgery TENS is very effective in treating mild to moderate pain but is not effective in treating severe pain. There have been beneficial results in using it for myofacial and lower back pain. It has been helpful in treating diabetic neuropathy, urge incontinence and angina pecoria. For regaining motor function in stroke patients and to help with nausea in patients in chemotherapy it has been successful.

TENS should not be used on patients who have pacemakers. It may cause premature labor in pregnant women. It should not be applied over the carotid sinuses or the anterior neck. Electrodes should not be placed over areas that have been burned. TENS should be used carefully with patients that have an intrathecal pump or a spinal cord stimulator.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation may help to relieve some types of pain. It is good for short-term relief as it is not as effective on chronic pain. It stimulates the production of endorphins.

Upper back pain stretches can prove very effective in alleviating symptoms and improving muscles strength and flexibility in sufferers of this type of pain. There are many people that suffer from aches and pains in the upper region of the back, and this is often caused by weak muscles and muscle strains, although it can also be caused by injuries that have been sustained.

Anyone that experiences this type of pain, which does not subside in the space of several days, should seek advice from a healthcare professional such as their doctor, as leaving any back problem that persists rather than subsiding can result in the pain becoming chronic and becoming a long term problem.

When you visit a doctor or another healthcare professional about your pain you may find that you are given specific stretches and exercises to do in order to help ease the problem and alleviate the discomfort and pain that can stem from problems with the upper back.

Easing the strain with stretches

Effective upper back pain stretches can really help when it comes to easing the strain and discomfort, and doing these stretches can benefit you in a number of ways.

Stretching is a simple and effective way of improving the pains and aching, and some of the ways in which it can help to alleviate the symptoms include:

• Stretching the muscles of the upper back
• Strengthening the back and muscles
• Increasing flexibility of the muscles in the upper part of the back
• Reducing strain and tension in the upper region of the back
• Increasing blood flow to the region to aid movement and flexibility

 
By doing stretches you can improve the way that you feel in yourself simply by relieving the tension and strain in your back, as well as easing the pain and boosting flexibility and movement.

There are different types of stretches that you can do to ease the pain and discomfort in the upper part of the back, as well as to improve mobility and muscle strength, and these can be done alone or with the help of props such as a Swiss ball for extra support.

Summary of the benefits of stretching the upper back

In summary, doing stretches to help with upper back problems can benefit you in a number of ways, from increasing strength and movement to easing pain and discomfort. If you go to see a healthcare professional he or she may have recommendations with regards to which stretches to do for maximum benefits, and you will also find that if you are doing exercises to alleviate pain and discomfort then this can be greatly helped by starting with some gentle upper back pain stretches.

Arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery has been very successful in treating the common shoulder injury known as a rotator cuff tear. A tear to the rotator cuff can occur from traumatic shoulder impact, repetitive heavy lifting, strong pull, or years of bone spurs rubbing against the shoulder tendon. When this shoulder injury happens, the cuff muscles essentially tear off the humerus bone. A simple definition of the rotator cuff is a group of tendons and muscles that connects the humurus and scapula facilitating over head motions. Surgical and non surgical approaches are used to treat this common shoulder injury.

Symptoms of this shoulder injury include pain on outer side of arm, loss of shoulder mobility, shoulder pain while trying to sleep, and weakness lifting arm overhead. This injury is common in sports and activities involving repetitive arm motion. Shoulders are a very complex joint involving multiple muscle groups, joints, and nerves. The rotator cuff is made up of four different tendons and muscles that coordinate arm movement at the shoulder joint. These cuff muscles are responsible for shoulder rotation and maintaining proper alignment by securing the shoulders in the socket. During shoulder movement, cuff muscles are the stabilizers and help properly position the humeral head and scapula.

The overall severity of this injury can vary. Mild strains with some cuff inflammation often results into no permanent damage and doesn’t require surgery. However, partial or complete tears to these muscles and tendons could progressively get worse if left untreated. A partial rotator cuff tear happens when the cuff muscle continously rubs against bone spurs. Partial tears commonly lead to complete ruptures after years of repetitive contact with bone spurs. One basic strategy used by shoulder surgeons for this injury is the removal of bone spurs if necessary and cleaning up the inflamed tissue.

Arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery involves removing bone spurs that are pushing against the cuff and reattaching the tendon to the humurus bone. Shoulder surgeons can repair this injury arthroscopically which is a lot less trauma to the patient, little scarring (three or four small holes), and less discomfort. Surgery is performed as an outpatient so returning home the same day is standard protocol.

Orthopedic surgeons can examine the inside of the shoulder using the small surgical camera (arthroscope) and analyze the tear and even “clean up” inflamed tissue and bone spurs. This style of surgery is referred to as being minimally invasive. The surgical tools are inserted into the shoulder through three or four small holes and everything is viewed on a TV monitor that’s also being digitally recorded. Sutures and rivets are used to reattach the rotator cuff if a tear is discovered.

Following arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery patients will go through a well planned out four phase recovery. The first six weeks is a passive motion only phase were patients can not put any tension on the repair. No lifting of the arm for the first four to six weeks. Phase two is about active shoulder motion meaning only arm movement without resistance. The active motion phase lasts up to twelve weeks following surgery. Phase three of recovery is the strengthening phase in which light weight lifting and resistance band exercises begin. Full recovery (phase four) and getting back to your previous level of activities can take five to six months or longer. Your physical therapist will let you know when to progress to the next phase of recovery. Key determining factors on a speedy recovery are dedication to physical therapy, size of the tear, patients ability to heal, and experience of the shoulder surgeon doing the rotator cuff surgery.

Yoga exercise for back pain conditions is known as a gentle way of acquiring knowledge on the way to move your body in ways that are natural for it, and not filling up your body with chemicals which may lessen the pain sensation however usually do not do anything about treating the root cause of the ailment. This particular exercise greatly helps your body, but only if how well you are progressing is monitored by an experienced yoga instructor who knows how to teach yoga without causing more harm along the way.
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Most often, lower back pain happens resulting from having a bad posture. That’s why guaranteeing good posture is generally beneficial to lessen lumbar pain. A balanced posture will allow the body to be freed from pressure while keeping an upright posture. The use of yoga exercises implies that you are determined to combat the pain physically instead of simply depending on medication.

Bear in mind that yoga exercise for back pain will not be effective in every condition. Given that this particular approach will not issue, then yoga exercises may well be more best for you than any kind of physical rehabilitation as it will help you learn the right posture needed for your body rather than just handling the regions where you have the pain at the moment. Alternatively, you could commence both remedies and see if you’re able to compare how much better you truly feel right after the yoga session has worked your entire body as opposed to just a little bit of it.

Having back pain can be exhausting, but yoga exercise is known as an efficient method to ease your pain. But, be sure you speak with your medical doctor before beginning any exercise for back pain. Also, make sure you understand correct techniques along with the instruction of a skilled yoga instructor so that you don’t wind up making your problem a whole lot worse rather than treating it.

Yoga works particularly well in providing relief for hip muscles which have been overworked. Yoga assists your body muscles to fully stretch and then go back to their natural posture, and yoga exercise for back pain will likely do this for your sides. In the event that your doctor sympathizes to alternative techniques of healing discomfort, and supports that yoga exercise for back pain is a great idea for your condition, he might have the ability to persuade your insurance provider to cover your sessions – at least until the your lumbar pain is eliminated.

Our body is just like a machine. It needs to be taken care of otherwise it is bound to come up with certain problems. Similarly, overwork also leads to complications inside the body. Physical pain is something that every individual wishes to stay away from. However, everyone has to experience this pain at some point or the other.

Pain associated with muscles and joints is no less than a nightmare. One of the drawbacks of this kind of pain is the fact that it limits your body movements which can be extremely uncomfortable. People who suffer from this type of pain often look for a product or a medication that would provide them instant relief and offer relaxation.

Cobroxin is one such product which has gained a lot of popularity in the past few years. The product is relatively new in the market. However, the kind of demand it has clearly shows that it is mighty effective. Over the years, many companies and manufacturers have come up with products that claim relief from joint and muscle pain. However, it seems that Cobroxin is certainly one of the best pain relief products ever produced.

Lower back pain is one of the worst forms of pains an individual can ever go through. Almost every human movement involves the back and hence it is very important that your back is functioning in the best possible manner. Unfortunately, due to excessive physical activities associated with the present fast and hectic life, the lower back is the region which gets affected first and in a worst manner. Pain in the lower back can be so severe that a person would not be able to bear it. Cobroxin has shown amazing results in curing the lower back pain. It has the ability to offer instant relief to the sufferer and regular usage of cobroxin would ensure that they pain is no longer there and the treatment is permanent.

This is one of the highlights of cobroxin as most of the other products tend to give temporary relief to the sufferer. Once the effect of the product dies down, the individual starts to feel the pain all over again and hence he/she is never comfortable.

Another major problem faced by many people around the world is arthritis. This is a complication which usually pops up once the individual gets into his/her 40s or 50s. However, with the kind of mental and physical stress people have these days; this complication can be seen in young people as well. Cobroxin is one of the best remedies against arthritis. You can either go for the topical gel form of this product or massage it well on all the body parts which experience pain. You can even opt for the oral spray form of the product.

Cobroxin is undoubtedly one of the best products when it comes to body pain. You would be shocked to see the kind of positive effect it has on your body.

What does the medical term “Halo” mean?

If you have ever wondered what a “Halo” is then this article was written for you. (No, it has nothing to do with the video game with the same name.)

1.) Definition of a Halo: This orthosis (brace) is a medical device that is applied to someone to help eliminate motion in the transverse, sagittal and coronal planes of the cervical spine. What this means in English is that it will stop movement in the cervical spine in all directions. If applied correctly, there should be no movement. Whether we like to believe it or not, here are times when you want no movement of the cervical spine.

2.) Why Use a Halo?

When someone has severely fractured their vertebrae in their cervical spine, you will need to call upon the use of a halo. Typically it is an odontoid fracture or any type of cervical fracture which will potentially compromise a patient’s neurological function if it continued to be unstable. However, it can be other places in the cervical spine that have been severely injured and you will need a halo as well. These kinds of cervical orthoses (halos) are considered to be the most restrictive cervical brace; above and beyond the use of a soft or rigid cervical collar, or even a CTO (cervical thoracic orthosis) for example.

3.) Halos: Children vs Adults

Typically there are head pins used with a halo. These pins penetrate the skin and are placed into the skull. 4 pins for adults and more for children. Often times you will see for an adult that the halo’s head pins are torqued to 8″ lbs. For children, the rule of thumb is that you apply 1″ lbs of torque per year of life, maxing out at 8″ lbs. Every manufacturer is different so check with them for specifics on their design, but this is a general rule of thumb. If you do apply less torque lbs for a child, sometimes more pins are used to help make up the difference in terms of fixation.

4.) Head Pins & The Patient’s Skin

When it comes to the head pins that enter the skull, it is important to take good care of the patient’s skin after application. Different methods are used to clean a patient’s skin, but it is important for you to be in touch with the manufacturers guidelines after a halo is applied.

5.) Why Its Important to Work With A Professional

Typically, you will find that an individual called an orthotist (professional brace provider) and a physician will be present when a halo is applied. Physicians are needed when correct cervical placement is required and for the injection of lidocaine to help numb any painful sensations from pin placement.

Most back pain sufferers are known to have difficulties in getting a good sleep every night. This is further worsened by the use of wrong bed and wrong sleeping posture. The aim here is to suggest ways by which sleep problems associated with back pain can be corrected.

The use of soft bed is recommended as a way to treat sleep problems associated with back pain. Such bed gives support to the lower back, by allowing those parts of your body that are heavy to sink in a little. Hard and sagging beds could worsen such sleep problems. Before buying any mattress, make sure you sleep on it for a few minutes to ensure that it is not too hard for the back. Mattresses that are too firm exert unnecessary strain on the back, by not allowing the hips and shoulders to sink in. However, new mattresses to be bought need to be moderately firm.

Just as sleeping on a mattress that is too firm is not good, so also is sleeping on one that is too soft. Excessively soft mattresses do cause sleep problems as a result of back pain that it could cause. However, a board that is long enough to, at least, reach the knees from the shoulders could be placed between the springs of the bed and the soft mattress to firm it up. This does not apply to platform beds and captain beds. Alternatively, to help treat the sleep problems associated with back pain, you may try sleeping on the floor lying on a blanket.

Proper resting posture can also help in the treating the sleep problems associated with back pain. Whenever you are reading or watching TV in a reclining position, use a wedge-shaped pillow, available in stores selling bedding materials, to provide support for your head, neck and back. You could also improvise with pillows at home to produce similar effect. This may be done by arranging the pillows in a downward sloping manner from your head to the lower back region.

Good body movement in bed could also prove useful in treating sleep problems associated with back pain. When rolling over while in bed, effort should be made to move your entire body together. This would ensure that you feel no pain.

Another good way to treat sleep problems associated with back pain is to either sleep lying down on your side or back. Put a couple of pillows between your legs when sleeping on your side to help keep your body well-aligned; you may also place a pillow below your waist. When lying on your back, place a small-sized pillow beneath your lower back to provide support, and you may also put a couple of pillows under your knees for that great comfort. Though lying on the stomach is not comfortable, you can change that by placing a couple of pillows below your stomach.

Chiropractic has become a widely accepted method of healing that even the medical community has begun to embrace it. The question that adults face, however, is whether the benefits of spinal manipulation are safe or effective for children. We know that kids tend to be very sensitive because their bodies are generally underdeveloped or are still a work in progress. However, time and again, chiropractors have been firm in their word when they say that the method is completely safe for children as long as it is performed with these kids’ special requirements in mind.

The premise that chiropractors use when proving that chiropractic is fit for children is the fact that we all need to have an efficiently functioning nervous systems in order to achieve good health. Regardless of the patient’s age, he will need an efficiently functioning nervous system. Hence, spinal manipulations will work with anyone.

In adults, the common reasons for coming for chiropractic treatment are back, hip or neck problems, but for children, it could be anything from ear infections to colic. Chiropractic banks on the belief that various conditions arise from spinal misalignment and other related abnormalities. For children, manipulating the spine can mean a general improvement in health arising from enhanced nervous functions. A study was conducted among children undergoing chiropractic care and findings included reports of improved sleep patterns, improved immune functions and even better behavior.

The ways to perform chiropractic in children is naturally different from how it is done in adults. Very light pressure is applied but the goal is one and the same. With children, the approach is different, such as lifting toddlers in the air to perform the adjustments. There are certain chiropractors who specialize in pediatric patients. The techniques they use are specifically suited to this age group and parents can be assured that there is no unnecessary pressure or procedure that will not be safe.

If you would like to bring your whole family to a chiropractor, look for one who is into family wellness practice. There are those who will not accept kids as patients but some chiropractors are actually trained to handle patients of any age. Better yet, if you want a child chiropractic specialist, opt for those clinics that cater only to kids. To make a good choice of a chiropractor, explore the Internet and take time to read reviews or testimonials of chiropractic patients.

What is a diabetic CAM Walker?

• Description

To start, the acronym “CAM” stands for controlled ankle motion. When someone has a problem with an ankle or a foot injury their physician might recommend that they use a CAM walker. When the problem the patient has also includes the diagnosis of a diabetes, then the special use of a diabetic CAM walker may be needed.The types of orthoses (braces) have a special component in the plantar surface (under the foot) which can allow for a “relief”, if an individual has a diabetic foot ulcer. In other words, a framework of small cushions exist in a diabetic CAM walkers that exist under a patient’s foot. If the sore is located under the “big toe” for example, some of these small cushions are removed and in this way less contact should result with the patient’s foot at the site of the sore.

• What Diabetic CAM Walkers Don’t Do

The orthosis does not necessarily heal you, but it does allow a person with an ankle injury and/or a diabetic ulcer a chance to heal themselves. This happens because the motions of the foot are controlled and a person does not have the opportunity to constantly agitate their foot when they walk.

• Where To Get A Diabetic CAM Walker

It is important to get one of these kinds of braces from a licensed orthotist. These individuals are brace professionals and they have fit more CAM walkers than they can probably remember. As a result of working with a brace professional you can benefit in 3 ways.

1. Guidance during the initial application stage – When you first get a CAM Walker, it will probably be something that you have worn before. The orthotist is the person who can help you through all of your initial questions about the brace.
2. If there are any needed adjustments or if the patient has questions after their delivery visit, the patient can see a specialist in braces. This is so important because just think about getting a CAM walker from a website, but now you need an adjustment… Chances are, the only thing you are going to do is send the brace back to the website to get your money back.
3. A person’s insurance can be billed often times for these kinds of orthopedic braces. Moreover, a brace company can often times help patient’s facilitate claims to the insurance company on your behalf. This can save you, in many cases a lot of money.

This is health information. Medical advice should be received from your physician and licensed orthotist about diabetic CAM walkers.