Essential Medical Facts

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Strategies to prevent lower back injuries.

Join us for a Facebook Live Webinar with ABTP's expert Physiotherapist, Dr. Ankur Lal on "Strategies to Prevent Lower Back Injuries"

Date: 29 June 2020
Time: 04:30 PM

To join, Like our page and visit at given time: facebook.com/abtpindia

Cracking of your fingers does not actually hurt your bones or cause arthritis. The sound that you hear is actually carbon dioxide cavitation bubbles bursting.

Picture courtesy : Google

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)

It is a muscle pain that begins post-workout. The pain is usually caused by high-intensity exercise that results in microtrauma in the muscle fibers. The body naturally heals this damage by increasing the inflammation which may lead to DOMS.

The pain is usually not felt during the exercise as the body is warm at that time. However, the pain starts a day or two after work out, peaks for two to three days, and then ease up after that.

Symptoms:
Tenderness
Reduced range of motion of the joints
Swelling
Muscle fatigue

Treatment:
* Cold bath for 10 to 15 minutes
* Protein intake - It helps in healing the micro trauma that has occurred in the muscles.
* Massage
* Stretching

Picture courtesy: Google

9 Truths about Tendinopathy.

1) Tendinopathy does not improve with rest – the pain may settle but returning to activity is often painful again because rest does nothing to increase the tolerance of the tendon to load.
2) Although there are some inflammatory biochemical and cells involved in tendinopathy, it is not considered to be a classic inflammatory response. Anti inflammatories may help if you have very high pain levels but it is unclear what effect they have on the actual cells and pathology.
3) Tendinopathy can be caused by many different risk factors. The main factor is a sudden change in certain activities – these activities include 1) those that require the tendon to store energy (i.e. walking, running, jumping), and 2) loads that compress the tendon. Some people are predisposed because of biomechanics (e.g. poor muscle capacity or endurance) or systemic factors (e.g. age, menopause, elevated cholesterol, increased susceptibility to pain, etc). Predisposed people may develop tendon pain with even subtle changes in their activity.
4) Exercise is the most evidence based treatment for tendinopathy – tendons need to be loaded progressively so that they can develop greater tolerance to the loads that an individual needs to endure in their day-to-day life. In a vast majority of cases (but not all) tendinopathy will not improve without this vital load stimulus.
5) Modifying load is important in settling tendon pain. This often involves reducing (at least in the short-term) abusive tendon load that involves energy storage and compression.
6) Pathology on imaging is NOT equal to pain – pathology is common in people without pain. Also, if you have been told you have ‘severe pathology’ or even ‘tears’ this DOES NOT necessarily mean you will not get better or have a poorer outcome. Further, we know that even with the best intentioned treatment (exercise, injections, etc) the pathology is not likely to reverse in most cases. Therefore, most treatments are targeted towards improving pain and function, rather than tissue healing, although this still is a consideration.
7) Tendinopathy rarely improves long term with only passive treatments such as massage, therapeutic ultrasound, injections, shock-wave therapy etc. Exercise is often the vital ingredient and passive treatments are adjuncts. Multiple injections in particular should be avoided, as this is often associated with a poorer outcome.
8) Exercise needs to be individualised. This is based on the individual’s pain and function presentation. There should be progressive increase in load to enable restoration of goal function whilst respecting pain.
9) Tendinopathy responds very slowly to exercise. You need to have patience, ensure that exercise is correct and progressed appropriately, and try and resist the common temptation to accept ‘short cuts’ like injections and surgery. There are often no short cuts.

A yawn is a natural human reflex. It involves the inhalation of air, stretching of the eardrums, and is followed by a large exhalation of breath. Yawning is associated with tiredness, stress, lack of stimulation, and boredom. It is one of the most bizarre human functions. Yawning can be infectious and is triggered by seeing others yawn, hearing a yawn, or talking on the phone with someone who is yawning. A number of theories have been proposed that attempt to explain why animals yawn, but nothing has been substantiated. One theory states that yawning occurs
when a person’s blood contains an increased amount of carbon dioxide and needs oxygen.
However, other studies show that yawning decreases oxygen intake. Another theory states that yawning is a person’s way of controlling brain temperature. It has been suggested that a yawn
can reduce or increase blood pressure in the brain. This theory has been supported by the fact
that people get a desire to yawn while making a drastic change in elevation. Another speculated
reason for yawning is the desire to stretch one’s muscles. Contagious yawning may be a
way of keeping a group of animals alert. It may be an instinctual reaction from one member of the herd to the next, reminding everyone to stay alert. Anecdotal evidence suggests that
yawning helps increase the state of alertness.

7 Healing Foods to fight common cold.

In common cold you may hesitate what foods should be taken, what not, here is a list of foods are best for fighting common cold.

1. Chicken soup
why: It’s been called nature’s penicillin and is at the top of the list for its curative powers. Hot chicken soup helps clear clogged airways,

2. Hot and spicy food

why? : chillis or spicy sauces to help ease congestion. Cook Indian or other ethnic foods that contain these ingredients, or simply add a spicy sauce to foods for extra zip

3. Garlic

why: This fragrant bulb contains a flavoring agent called alliin which acts as a decongestant. Garlic is also believed to act as an antioxidant and destroy free-radicals, the active oxygen molecules that damage cells

4. Fluids
Why: To keep you liquefied.

5. Citrus fruits

why: Reach for citrus fruits to increase your vitamin C intake. Drink orange juice for breakfast, snack on half a grapefruit, or add tangerine slices to a lunchtime salad. Getting an increased amount of vitamin C is especially important if you smoke, as smoking increases both your risk of catching a cold and your body's need for this protective vitamin.

6. Ginger

why: Many people find fresh ginger root helps treat the coughing and fever that often accompany colds and flu. Try making a ginger tea:

7. Vitamin C sources

why: Citrus fruits aren't the only foods high in vitamin C. Potatoes, green peppers, strawberries and pineapple can help as your daily cold-fighting food arsenal.

Sleeping with mobile under your pillow could be dangerous.