Is your leg under attack? Know from the specialist

Smart people think on their feet and act. And then we stand tall on our feet all day long, walk and run around to get our chores done. So your legs are not just your wheels in the journey of life, but almost have a heart of its own. And yet our legs are perhaps the most neglected body part.  

Often workout and exercise help to keep our strained muscles relaxed, but sudden leg attack is not unheard of either. 

Some professions require people to be on their feet 24x7, like those of a chef, traffic police, doctor, nurse, or an event manager. Standing all day can be detrimental to one’s health. 
Varicose vein and Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) are two diseases which can easily attack people whose daily lifestyle puts a lot of stress on their legs. It is essential to get your leg meticulously checked by expert doctors whenever you see any of these symptoms appearing.

 

Varicose veins are the veins with damage in the return pump valve. Varicose vein is a commonly occurring condition with up to 10-15 % of the women and men are affected with symptoms of pain and swelling of the lower limbs, enlarged blue veins on the thigh or calf and their accompanying problems like leg aching, eczema, lipodermatosclerosis, cellulitis or venous ulcer.Standing for a long period does not cause varicose veins per se, nevertheless hastens the deterioration of malfunctioning valves which aggravates the development of varicose veins.
Symptoms like aching, discomfort and heaviness in the legs, swollen ankle, brown spots on skin are common. Change in skin colour should be an initial indicator to visit a specialist  immediately. Maintain a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise, avoid prolong standing, wearing high heels and take good nutritional supplements. Try elevating your legs when resting, and not crossing them when sitting may prevent the advance of varicose veins.
Accurate diagnosis and proper treatment of varicose veins can ensure that most of them do not recur. Surgery for the varicose veins with any means has got a minimal standard recurrence rate. 

 

However, as the symptoms are unacceptable or unbearable for many people, even if the results of the treatment are not permanent, it is still preferable to no treatment at all. Graduated elastic compression stockings are good for temporary relief of symptoms and are used below knee with standard pressure. Foam Sclerotherapy is an injection of a sclerosing solution into veins and mainly used to treat localized varicosities. 

 

Laser or Radio-frequency treatment involves puncture of the vein under ultrasound guidance and burning the vein with the use of Laser/RF.Laser or Radiofrequency procedure normally takes around 30 minutes for one leg and performed under local anesthesia.The patient can return home the same day of procedure &can resume normal activities within 24 hours. The patient might have a little pain during the procedure as there will be 3-4 small needle pricks to introduce anesthesia and most of the patients can tolerate it very well.
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is often caused by atherosclerosis, where fat deposits (plaques) build up in the arteries and reduce blood flow. In this disease your legs don't receive enough blood flow to keep up with demand. 

 

This causes symptoms, most notably leg pain while walking aka claudication. Intermittent claudication means painful cramps in your hip, thigh or calf muscles after activity, such as walking or climbing stairs. The other features of this disease include coldness in your lower leg or foot, especially when compared with the other side, sores or wounds on your toes, feet or legs that heals slowly and a change in the color of your legs.
The risk of developing PAD includes smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, family history of vascular disease such as PAD, aneurysm, heart attack or stroke & obesity. If peripheral artery disease progresses, it is painful to walk even short distance and it may even occur when you are at rest or when you are lying down. It may be intense enough to disrupt sleep. Hanging your legs over the edge of your bed may temporarily relieve the pain. Severe PAD can lead to loss of limb.  A specialist check for signs of the disease with a simple test of pulses in your feet.
One of the most effective preventive measures of PAD is regular physical activity.You must modify your lifestyle and follow thorough healthy routine in daily life. Eating a nutritious diet can control your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. A diet low saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol ensures lower blood cholesterol levels, but cholesterol-lowering medication and anti-platelet medications to help prevent blood clots may also be necessary. 

 

Tobacco smoking increases your risk of PAD as well as your risk for heart attack and stroke, so quit smoking.If surgery is prescribed then angioplasty is a form of minimally invasive surgery that intend to access many regions of the body via major blood vessels.  In this procedure, dilatation of the arterial stenosis done along with deployment of metallic stent that relief the symptoms. Surgery is only required when symptoms are severe and ability to perform basic functions like walking, standing have been hampered.

 

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                                             FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                                                             https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                                       FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com 

Tips from a Chiropractor to Get Rid of Neck and Back Pain

A chiropractor’s goal is to not only to relieve pain but to keep you pain-free between adjustments. The spinal manipulations used to correct sublaxations (misalignments) of the spine can relieve painful pressure in your neck, back and head, but chiropractors know that to maintain wellness, you should follow these simple tips to keep your back and neck aligned and reduce muscle or nerve pain.

Start your day with a stretchHow you start your day can help determine how much your lower back complains by the end of it. 

Stop doing sit-upsYes, strong abdominals are key to reducing pain in your back. But if you have back pain, traditional crunches and sit-ups actually make the pain worse, says a Dr. Instead, hold yourself in a yoga plank pose -- lie on your stomach and then lift your body so you’re balancing on your hands and your toes, like a push up. Hold the position as long as you can, increasing the time with each attempt.

Side planks will also firm up your core. From the plank position, rotate your body to the left so you are balancing on your outstretched left arm and on your left foot (either stack your right foot on top of your left or place your right foot down if it's necessary for balance). Reach your right arm upward. Hold it as long as you can and then switch sides.

Stretch out those hamstrings“I have more low back pain patients who sit at desk all day than are manual labourers,” says Dr. Our hamstrings get locked up from spending so many hours sitting in a chair. “So when we try to stand up from sitting, our hamstrings pull on our pelvis, causing misalignments in the spine and all kinds of pain." But a few simple stretches can counter this effect. While lying on your back, wrap a yoga belt around your foot and pull your leg up, keeping it straight. Feel the stretch along the back of your leg. Then try to stretch your leg across the groin -- over the left leg to right and vice versa -- and then out and away from your body towards your hips and work yourself up to holding the stretches for 90 seconds.

Stop staring at your smartphoneTake a look at your phone. Notice what you just did? In all likelihood your chin went to your chest and your neck curved into a C-shape. That’s totally bad for your neck. “There’s 12-15 pounds of weight in the human head,” he says. “The further the head is away from our shoulders looking down at our smartphones, [the more it] strains the muscles. The bones and the discs start to mash together and you get pain.” This goes for all handheld electronics, like iPads. To save your neck, prop up your arms so you’re looking at your phone straight on. If you’re using an e-reader in bed, hold it up on your bent knees instead of down on your lap.

Use your car's headrestDespite our best efforts, many of us spend our days staring at screens, our necks craned downwards. Use your drive time to release some of the tension you build up in your neck. While you’re driving, lean your head back against the headrest. Doing so will naturally raise your chin to a comfortable position and take some of the pressure off of your neck muscles, giving them a needed rest. You can get the same release by placing your hands behind your head and gently pushing your head toward your hands.

Stop sleeping on your stomachBelly snoozing is the worst position to sleep in. “You have to turn your head to the left or right, and that creates neck strain,” she says. Instead, either sleep on your back with pillows under your knees or on your side with pillows between your knees. Both positions help maintain the spine’s natural curvature. “In both positions, sleep with a small pillow under your head and pull the pillow down so it’s also supporting your neck.

Don’t cross your legsThis is going to be a hard one. If you sit at a desk all day, make sure your feet are parallel and planted firmly on the ground. If your feet don’t reach the ground, use a box or foot rest to prop them up. This will reduce pressure on your lower back. Also raise your computer screen so it’s at eye level to limit neck strain.

Get an upper body massageIf you’re plagued by headaches, see a massage therapist to relieve tension in your shoulders, neck and jaw. Tight muscles in these areas might be the source of your pain. If you grind or clench your teeth at night, you could be putting too much stress on the temporomandibular (TMJ) joint in your jaw. A night guard, available over-the-counter or from your dentist, could ease your headaches.

Sit up straightWhen your grandmother scolded you about slouching, she was doing more than trying to make you look better. She was likely saving you from a backache. “Sit up on your sit bones, not back on the sacrum, referring to the “fleshier” part of your tush. Think about the curve in your lower back and try to preserve it as you sit. “And whatever you’re working on, your keyboard and your computer screen should be square with your body.” So don’t put your laptop on your lap and hunch over it. You’re much better off putting it on a table.

Get up and moveToo much time spent in any one position -- sitting or standing -- can trigger back pain. The more active you are, the more you stretch out your muscles and get your body accustomed to physical activity so you're the less likely to suffer pain. “You need to eat well, drink well and move well,” he says. “If you get too sedentary you will have more pain.”

All of these strategies can help you stave off pain, but chiropractors also recommend regular adjustments that can help keep the spine aligned, the nervous system functioning properly and reduce the risk of recurring pain. Seeing your chiropractor on a regular basis, whether you’re in pain or not, will help you maintain your balance and your range of motion.

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

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