Urinary incontinence in males

A brief about incontinence

Incontinence is a common problem occurring in males over 45-50 years of age. The patient loses normal control over urine passage and keeps voiding urine in small amounts in frequent intervals. Incontinence could be of any type depending upon the root cause and can result as overflow, urge, stress and functional incontinence.

 What are the pre disposing factors for incontinence?

•          Loss of bladder control due to spinal cord injuries.
•          Prostate gland enlargement.
•          Extensive infections of urinary tract.
•          Ageing problems causing brain disorders and mental confusions.
•          Neurological disorders like multiple sclerosis, Parkinsonism etc.
•          Tumors of brain and spinal cord.
•          Excess intoxication of alcohol.
•          Intake of certain medications which relax the bladder sphincter and cause urine loss.

Effective ayurvedic treatments for painful diabetic neuropathy

What produces pain in diabetic patients?

Diabetes being a common problem in both men and women is known to cause quite a few complications. One of them is painful diabetic neuropathy, which is mainly a disorder of nerves. As nerves are not healed under the presence of excessive glucose and toxins, they are not able to transmit impulses from one to another from the level of spinal cord and brain. As a result, pain, tingling and burning is felt in hands, feet or legs. Ayurveda puts the fire element of the body in place which is the prime reason for neuropathy.

Ayurvedic diagnostic methods

a)      Patient’s history:

Physical making, attitude, age, sex, family history and current medical problems including history of previous surgery are noted at the first attempt. This is the first step to detailed diagnosis to comprehend imbalance of functional elements.

b)      Pulse rate:

 Disturbed elements of the body like water, fire or air are checked as the doctors notes the pulse rate which could be feeble, fast or normal.

Body builders now taking electrical muscle stimulations

Importance of our musculature

One of the most important tissues of the body is our muscles which are structured in a way to provide maximum benefits to the body. These are the connecting tissues between two consecutive bones which form a joint and are responsible for plenty of activities. 

For an activity to take place like bending of knee joint, the muscle receptors send a signal to brain which sends the motor signal to the muscle to contract efficiently. The muscle start constricting just like a wave rolling and a planned coordinated activity takes place. 

There are slow twitch red fibers and fast twitch white fibers in the muscle. The red fibers contract first, conserve energy and get exhausted soon. The white fibers are strong and manage the excess load and thus act more as reserve. Hence, it is actually impossible to activate all muscle fibers simultaneously.

Use of electrical muscle stimulators for body building

What is the normal functioning of our muscles?

As soon as we plan an activity, a stimulus is sent to the brain and brain sends an impulse to contract the muscle fiber.  As the muscle contracts, a wave rolls through it and a co ordinate forceful movement takes place.

Single group of muscle fibers get easily exhausted, hence body has adopted strategies to provide a longer endurance. The energy efficient ‘red’ or slow twitch fibers are used first during a voluntary contraction, but they are not very powerful. After this, strong ‘white’ or fast twitch fibers take over to handle the overload. There are some white fibers are left by the muscle to act as reserve to meet more demands hence, it is relatively impossible to willingly contract all fibers simultaneously.

Alternatives to total hip replacement surgery for young people

Hip surgery

Hip joint being one of the most mobile and weight bearing joints of the body, is subjected to many internal disturbances. Hip problems once belonged to only older generations but lately many surgeons are being consulted by younger individuals about general hip problems they encounter in their day to day life.

Hip surgery is a simple solution for relieving the hip joint of pain and aligning it in such a way that the ball and socket part of the joint does not get fractioned and it is aligned in a well manner. Taking up a hip replacement is a challenge for the patient and the doctor due to its after effects. Hence most people these days opt for hip replacement alternatives. 

Common ailments requiring a surgery

•          Hip injuries
•          Early osteoarthritis
•          Avascular necrosis
•          Rheumatoid arthritis
•          Osteonecrosis
•          Hip bursitis
•          Complicated hip fractures e.g. fracture of neck of femur.

Does shoulder replacement surgery offer any benefits?

A brief about shoulder replacement surgery

The shoulder joint is a ball and socket type of joint, highly flexible and has a good range of motion. With advancing age shoulder is most prone to wear and tear and shows complex anatomical changes like roughened edges, decrease in joint space, loss of flexibility and pain. This becomes an important reason to seek relief by getting an artificial prosthesis fixed or resorting to other alternatives to shoulder replacement surgery.

How is shoulder resurfacing done?

Shoulder resurfacing aims at restoration of natural tissue of the joint since it involves resection of the damaged part only instead of the entire joint. This does not only give higher results in bringing back all the shoulder functions but also imparts pain relief and thus becomes one of the tried and tested procedure to be done by many physicians. 

SURGICAL MANAGEMENT FOR INFECTIONS OF SPINE

What are spinal infections?

Our spinal cord is the most vulnerable organ and is naturally covered by dural sac and vertebral bones so that it is protected by external forces. Spinal infections though rare, they can be extremely destructive in nature at times and can lead to a number of instabilities and neurological disturbances in the body.

A spinal infection can develop as inflammation to the disc, an abscess formation within the spinal canal or a much intense form as osteomyelitis which is infection in the vertebral bodies. Infections are largely bacterial or fungal, and tuberculous. 

Surgical treatment for spinal infections

Spinal infections – what are they?

Spinal cord in the human body is one of the most susceptible organs at risk for injuries and traumas. It can get damage easily; hence naturally it is covered by a protective sheath called dural sac and vertebrae which provide stability to spine.

Spinal cord infection may manifest itself as discitis or disc inflammation, a pus filled abscess adjacent to spinal cord or as osteomyelitis which is a severe infection of vertebral bodies. Spinal infections are bacterial, fungal or tuberculous in nature and can be devastating resulting in many internal instabilities and neurological problems.

Spinal stenosis – Various locations and clinical symptoms

What makes stenosis to occur?

Spinal stenosis is a serious condition responsible for many pathological disturbances, blood circulatory defects and neurological deficits. Within the spinal canal or anywhere between the peripheral nervous system, the hindrance to normal functioning is largely caused by an infected cavity, a tumor growth, prolapsed disc, and fracture in the vertebral body or dislocation of the vertebra like in spondylolisthesis.

How does spinal structuring contribute to severity of stenosis?

The making of our spine is such that it protects all its vital components out of which spinal cord is of most importance.

Shoulder bursitis and its therapeutic management

What is bursitis or impingement syndrome?

To understand the mechanism of impingement it is important to know a bit of shoulder anatomy. There are four small muscles which collectively form a band or cuff around the shoulder joint to give it more stability. The bones and ligaments supporting the shoulder form an arch over this band or ‘rotator cuff’ within the joint cavity. In between the arch and the rotator cuff there is a fluid filled sac called as subacromial bursa which is naturally designed to prevent friction. 

Repeated shoulder movements and overhead abduction leads to inflammation and irritation of this bursa and patient experiences peculiar kind of pain as he moves shoulder beyond 90 degrees.

Shoulder impingement syndrome

Brief about impingement syndrome

Impingement at the shoulder or more commonly known as bursitis is the inflammation of subacromial bursa which is a natural fluid filled cavity present to prevent friction. Anatomically, there are four muscles which encircle the shoulder to form a cuff so that shoulder’s stability is enhanced. Ligaments and bones of shoulder arch over this cuff. The shoulder bursa is present between this arch and the cuff.

Inflammation in this fluid sac occurs mainly when there are excessive shoulder movements and overhead abduction of the arm. 

Living with cancer in a healthier manner

How does a tumor grow?

A tumor is rapid multiplication of cells in an abnormal way in any part of the body forming a dense mass or a lump. These cells can be restricted to a particular body part while constantly damaging it and is known as benign tumor.

But when it becomes more extensive in nature and starts expanding to other vital organs to disturb their functioning it is termed as malignant tumor or cancer. Cancer is common worldwide and is known to affect both men and women equally.

BREAST CANCER STAGING AND DETERMINATION OF BREAST CANCER

What is breast cancer?

A collection of cancer cells within the breast tissue which is most likely to get malignant with time i.e. the tumor cells may spread across the entire breast or to other parts of the body, is commonly called as breast cancer. 

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer among women. It differs in the location and size of the tumor growth, while there are also mixed types of tumor observed. The rate of cure largely depends upon non malignancy and early breast cancer diagnosis.

Recent advancements in sports injuries management

Introduction to sports injuries

There are athletes for various kinds of sports at all ages and playing at all levels and thus a growing demand for professional coaches and other health care professionals on whom the sports persons can rely upon. Over training, overdoing or not having proper knowledge to handle your own body during sports can result in sports injuries. Sports injuries can also be caused due to any fall, sudden twisting or hit by a fellow player. Hence it is important to train the athlete in such a way that his body is well prepared to tackle stress during the sports event.

What can be the common sports injuries?

Common injuries are ligament and tendon sprains, fractures including simple or complex fractures like vertebrae, knee injuries, compartment syndrome, Achilles tendon injuries and shoulder dislocations.

New management advancements for sports injuries

What are sports injuries?

In simpler terms, sports injuries are the ones likely to occur during a sports event, practice or warm up sessions. Sports are played by athletes of all ages; hence it is vital for any health professional or a sports coach to be aware of the person’s capacity and about training the individual in a balanced way to meet his sports needs. 

The body of sportsperson should be conditioned prior to participate in an activity and he must know to protect its own body during the event.

Common sports injuries

•          Sprains- Muscular, Ligamentous and tendinus.
•          Simple and complicated fractures.
•          Meniscal injuries.
•          Knee internal degeneration.
•          Achilles tendon stretch injuries.
•          Shoulder dislocations.