Wednesday, November 28, 2012

What are Some New Choices In Breast Cancer Surgery And Reconstruction?

If you are interested in immediate reconstruction- discuss it before with your surgeon.

Here are some suggestions for certain questions to ask your plastic surgeon.

  •     Would you advise me to have breast reconstruction at the same time as the cancer treatment surgery? If so, please explain why.
  •     Which method would be best for me? Do I have a choice?
  •     What are the advantages and the risks involved with each method?
  •     Will I have scars after the surgery?
  •     Which complications are most common?
  •     Can I have nipple reconstruction too?
Well, when to have the reconstruction done and which procedure must be followed; can only be worked upon considering the following things into account.

  •     The type and the stage of your breast cancer.
  •     The cancer treatment you are undertaking.
  •     Your choices and preferences.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

All about an orthopedic hand surgeon

You brush your teeth with them, you eat with them and you do a lot of other things with them and yet, you never acknowledge them. For the most part of our lives we are highly dependent on our hands and unless it is injured, we do not realize their importance in our lives. It is important to take care of your hands and keep them in excellent health. Hence, if you suffer from a deep hand injury or are going through difficulties with moving your hands or have been suffering from pain for a really long time then you quickly ought to visit an orthopedic hand surgeon.

A visit to an orthopedic hand surgeon

This visit is virtually going to cost you nothing but it will dissolve all your doubts pertaining to your hand and you will be able to heave a sigh of relief. Even if the doctor tells you that you require a surgery then you do not have to worry so much, the doctor is on your side and will make you feel completely comfortable with the procedure. Hence, do not fret.

ACL SURGERY AND PHYSICAL THERAPY

Sports persons who have knee injuries while playing a sport most often require ACL surgeries. After a successful ACL surgery, the rehabilitation process is done via physical therapy. Persons who are graduates of accredited physical therapy programs and have the necessary skills and expertise are known as professional physical therapists. They assist persons with diverse needs and backgrounds by thorough examination, evaluation and treatment with various equipments and interventions to lead a better and healthier life.

ACL surgeries are estimated to be on the rise recently. An injury or accident caused near the knee joint, which tears off the anterior cruciate ligament results in an ACL surgery. During this surgery, the ACL is surgically grafted following an ACL injury. Though some doctors might advise the use of braces after a surgery, its usefulness is not proven. However, a regular, timely and proper course of physical therapy taken under the guidance of an expert physical therapist largely helps in the recovery and healing of the knee. Every patient undergoing ACL reconstruction surgery is advised to compulsorily take a course of postoperative physical therapy for faster and better results.

Discover Three Common Reasons for Back Muscle Spasms

An excruciating pain originating in your back region and radiating towards the periphery could be a warning signal of back spasms. A painful condition seen in people of all sections of the society, back spasms occur when there is an unwanted contraction of muscles in the region, preventing the person from using the affected muscles until they relax by themselves.

Reasons for Back Muscle Spasms

Injury, inadequate fluid intake, nervous damage, incorrect posture or disc displacements are some of the numerous reasons that could cause an incidence of muscle spasm in your body. Read on to discover how and why these medical conditions could force your body’s muscles to act in an inappropriate manner leading to spasms or strains.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

What are the different Side Effects of Chemotherapy


Cancer is due to the excessive and uncontrolled growth of cells. Most times they evade the space of organs or tissues and hence there is potential danger to life. The growth is not stopped naturally and treatment is suggested with chemotherapy. After removing a cancerous tissue from the body, chemotherapy is suggested as a means for effective therapy. A single drug or combination of drugs is suggested by cancer specialists at cancer center, depending on the reports, observation and view point of an oncologist. Cells that are multiplying have to be stopped and hence chemotherapy is administered orally or through the intravenous procedure. Essentially, chemo therapy has side effects which can be tolerated with proper counseling, life style changes and a positive attitude.

The procedure of chemotherapy has some side effects

After administering chemotherapy, through intravenous procedure or oral procedure, an oncologist will supervise the case and suggest the sessions. The drugs used for thwarting the cancer cells are effective but it comes with side effects which can be treated with a few changes. The cell growth is stopped by also cutting the supply of blood to the part. Lowering the cell growth is also looked into as part of the treatment. Oncology is a vast study on cancer and triggering cell suicide or apoptosis is suggested. The side effects are mentioned here below.

What are Clinical Trials and its Phases


As a cancer patient, you may keep looking for new treatment options and drugs that are more effective. In order to formulate such drugs and treatments, researchers undertake extensive research and keep testing the new formulations until they are able to find the best cure. The new drugs are first researched under controlled lab condition, then they are tested upon animals and lastly on humans. Clinical trials are the last and most important step as the effectiveness and side effects of the drug are tested at this stage.

Phases of Clinical Trials

Clinical trial takes place in phases over a span of several years. Controlled groups are studied at every stage to determine the effectiveness of the drug. Cancer center lists the following phases of a typical cancer clinical trial;

Phase I: The earliest stage of a trial, phase I recruits less people for study. The trial is usually open to all type of cancer patients. Only 20-30 people are required at this stage. This phase is required to determine the safe dosage, the side effects and how the body reacts and copes with the drug. It also studies what the drug/ treatment does to the tumor.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Advanced Medical Techniques Help Sports Injuries to Heal Faster

Injury is a part of a sports person’s life. Several joints like ankles, knee, elbow and shoulder are prone to injuries, which can upset the careers of many deserving sports people. Earlier the medical help was very limited and it involved a simple first aid technique or a basic injection to treat their pain. Bed rest too was a routine advice to treat pain. But now there is a lot of improvement with new age technology, diagnosis and method. The approach towards sports related injuries is a dedicated one and it includes the efforts of many doctors who are now providing specialized treatment and looking into ways of minimal rehab phase so that they can perform well. The efforts of sports doctors and their method is also getting popular

The need for a dedicated medical system for sports persons

Earlier a simple painkiller or an ice pack was the most common method to treat an injury. But with advancement there are better systems now available for people to get back on the track soon. Previously, the sports person went about with their injuries with minimal techniques, support, and would continue their sports activity. This caused more stress to the key joints like knee, wrist and shoulder. The trauma also affected the functioning and hence this hampered the performance. Many times, it cost them their career.

Avoiding Back Complications After Surgery with Robotic Help

The technical expertise used in spine surgery brings more precision. With the help of research, specialized acumen and computerization, surgeries are now attaining more accuracy and patients are experiencing speedy recovery. It is quite common for a patient to have presumptions about a surgery. Though a marginal amount of people report ineffectiveness after a surgery this can surely be one major reason for people to avoid an operation. Sometimes it is about luck or some fault, which can cause more traumas. To avoid the same, technical help is desired and now Robots are being looked upon for treating spinal problems. This also brings more support to the team of orthopedic surgeons.


Spine Assist – A robotic assistance for surgeries

It is now getting common for doctors to conduct surgeries with very little invasion. Prof Moshe Shoham was a pioneer to bring the virtues of robotic assistance in spinal surgeries with the Spine Assist system. The Technion institute has to be lauded for this major innovation. Orthopedicians are now more confident while conducting the surgeries as there is a lot of precision here. The entire procedure is done based on the customized anatomy of the patient. There is now more demand for this type of surgery. At the Haifa Technion Israel institute of Technology, this innovation is appreciated. The marketing and popularity is also due to Mazor Robotics.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Alternative knee treatment with stem cell therapy

Stem cell therapy

New advancement in medical science which has brought a ray of hope in lives of many patients is stem cell therapy. Nowadays apart from being a part of most treatments, stem cells are now being used as an efficient alternative to knee replacement surgery. Patients who are too apprehensive of surgical procedures are now willingly opting for stem cell treatment.

Stem cells are mesenchymal cells of one’s body which when implanted or infused into the affected joint or area produce many changes and give rise to proliferation of more and more active cells.

When can I take a stem cell treatment?

Before taking up the treatment you must consult your orthopedic specialist about the procedure and consequences. You may be advised a stem cell therapy if you have recently suffered a knee injury, knees are painful, tendon or ligament strain, mild joint deformity or suffering from osteoarthritis which damages the cartilage and restricts everyday chores.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Chiropractic treatment for neck care

What is chiropractic therapy?

Our neck is subjected to most problems due to the lifestyle followed in this modern era which entails long working hours, stressful driving and hunching at the work stations. Hence, quite a lot of people experience various problems seek chiropractic treatment for neck care.

Chiropractic therapy is recently evolved alternative treatment which deals with balance between spine and nervous system without the intervention of surgery. The chiropractic uses only hands to make many therapeutic adjustments in the body like mobilization, manipulations, shiatsu, massage or acupressure etc to relieve the patient from any discomfort, pain and muscular spasms.

Which neck conditions treated with chiropractic approach?

  •     Cervical sprain
  •     Facet joint syndrome
  •     Whiplash injuries
  •     Degenerative joint problems
  •     Cervical disc injuries that do not need a surgery.
  •     Pinched nerves
  •     Ligament strains
  •     Repetitive stress injuries causing discomfort again and again.
  •     Headaches