SOME CAUSES OF BACK PAIN

Back pain could be due to various reasons-
1) Muscle spasms- If you've hurt the tissues or muscles around the spine, it will go into spasm to protect the area. It will flax and stay that way, until the muscles relaxes. Spasms can also be caused due to slipped discs or injuries to the spinal tissues.
Treatment- depending on age, rest and at times over the counter pain relievers may help. At times, rubbing the area with some pain relieving ointment may help. When all these don't help, the physician may prescribe some muscle relaxing medication. If nothing helps and the problem is more severe, you may need more tests and may be surgery, if it is a disk problem.

 2) Kidney stones- these are tiny hard stones which at times can get lodged in ureter , then it can cause severe pain in your lower back, lower abdomen and sides.
Treatment- at times, smaller kidney stones may come out when you drink plenty of water. One can also drink juice of banana stem, by crushing a cup of stem finely chopped with water, strain and drink it at least once a day. By doing so, normally smaller stones may pass out on its own without causing much pain. If the stones are bigger and at times get lodged in some odd place, then one may need "Lithotripsy", to break the stones or may need surgery if that doesn't work.

3) Herniated disk- the disk are soft cushions between each vertebrae.They’re kind of like little jelly-filled doughnuts that sit between each bone. Sometimes they crack and the “jelly” oozes out. If it pushes on your spinal cord or nerves, it can cause back pain that can spread to your legs or arms.
Treatment- if the pain is mild, then rest is advised for some days. If the pain is more, then may be some pain-killer tablets and physical therapy to strengthen and stretch your lower back is tried. If this also doesn't help and the pain persists for some months, then surgery is advised.

4) Arthritis- it is inflammation, stiffness and pain in your joints. A type of spinal arthritis called, spondyloarthropathies, that affect your lower back. It carries more of your body's weight.
Treatment- The Dr. will mostly prescribe rest and anti-inflammatory tablets and some pain killer tablets.If that doesn't help, the Dr. may prescribe steroids, to ease pain and inflammation. But always remember to tell the doctor of the various medications you're already taking.

5) Spinal stenosis- When the spaces in your spinal column narrows, it can put pressure on your spinal cord and the nerves that run from your spine to your arms and legs. That can cause numbness and make it hard for you to move around. Arthritis, tumors, and certain inherited diseases can cause it, and it’s more common after age 50.
 Treatment- Most people will need rest, physical therapy and some strength medication along with pain reliever. But if all these don't help, then surgery may be suggested to relieve the pressure on the spine.

6) Spinal infection- This is a more serious and rare condition that happens when bacteria, a virus, or fungus infects the fluid around your spine or the bones or soft tissues that make up your spinal column. It usually happens after spinal surgery or an accident or injury to your spine.
TREATMENT-you may be given intravenously medicine to fight the infection and may need to be hospitalised for a few days with bed rest. If this also doesn't help, then surgery may be advised.

7)Spondylolisthesis- this happens when one of the vertebrae slips out of place and onto the one below it.  This may put more pressure on that nerve, making it hurt. This normally happens in lower back.

Treatment-Rest, exercise, and medication -- mostly over-the-counter drugs that help with pain and inflammation -- are the most common treatments for this. Your doctor also may suggest physical therapy, or possibly surgery in more severe cases.

 this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.
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Kidney Stones

Kidneys filter waste from the blood, to create urine. Sometimes, salts and other minerals in urine stick together to form small kidney stones. These range from the size of a sugar crystal to a ping pong ball, but they are rarely noticed unless they cause a blockage. They may cause intense pain if they break loose and push into the ureters, the narrow ducts leading to the bladder.

Effects of  kidney stones move through the urinary tract-

• Severe pain in the back, stomach, or groin
• Frequent or painful urination
• Blood in the urine
• Nausea and vomiting

Small stones may pass without causing symptoms.
 If you have sudden, severe pain in the back or belly, it's best to seek medical care right away. Abdominal pain is associated with many other conditions, including emergencies like appendicitis and ectopic pregnancy. Painful urination is also a common symptom of a urinary tract infection or an STD.

Smaller stones normally pass out on its own. Best is to drink plenty of water.  If the stone is between 5 mm and 10 mm, the odds are 50%. If a stone is too large to pass on its own, several treatment options are available.
Tablets known as alpha-blockers relax the walls of the ureter. This widens the passages so a stone can fit through more easily. Side effects are generally mild and may include headache or dizziness. Other types of medications can help prevent new stones from forming.

Treatments
The most common medical procedure for treating kidney stones is known as extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL). This therapy uses high-energy shock waves to break a kidney stone into little pieces. The small pieces can then move through the urinary tract more easily. Side effects can include bleeding, bruising, or pain after the procedure.

 Ureteroscopy
When a stone has made its way out of the kidney and is close to the bladder, the most common procedure is ureteroscopy. A thin tube is passed through the urinary tract to the location of the stone. A surgeon breaks up the stone and removes the fragments through the tube. No incisions are made in the body. For very large stones, surgical procedures may be needed.

  Nearly 80% of kidney stones are calcium-based. The remainder are made primarily of uric acid, struvite, or cystine. A chemical analysis can determine which type of stone you have. Once you know, you can take steps to prevent new ones from forming in the future.

 Kidney stones may form when there's a change in the normal balance of the water, salts, and minerals found in urine. Different kinds of changes result in different types of kidney stones. There are many factors that can trigger changes in the urine, ranging from chronic medical conditions to what you eat and drink.

The most common cause of kidney stones is drinking too little water.  Eating a lot of protein, sodium, and high-oxalate foods, such as chocolate or dark green vegetables, can boost the risk for kidney stones in some people. Other risk factors include putting on weight and taking certain medications.

Risk factors- family history, high blood pressure, certain medical conditions, gout, urinary tract infections. Once these problems are under control, then it helps prevent stone formation. Those soldiers fighting in hot climates are also prone to kidney stones, as many of them suffer from dehydration.This results in urine with high mineral deposits, which clump together to form kidney stones.

Prevention- If you had calcium stone, then the doctor will suggest cutting back on salt and sodium, which cause the body to dispense more calcium into the urine. You may also be advised to avoid high-oxalate foods, including chocolate, instant coffee, tea, beans, berries, dark leafy greens, oranges, tofu, and sweet potatoes. The best way to ward off new kidney stones is to drink enough water to keep urine clear.
 

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.

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https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes 

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KIDNEY STONES- ALL YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT

Kidneys are always hard at work, removing the toxic build up from our body. Sadly, at times, due to the food we eat & our body’s predisposition, a hardened mass can form in our kidneys from the crystals naturally present in urine. These pebble like ‘stones’ can hinder kidney functions. They can also travel to the ureter & lodge themselves there. Eliminating this can be excruciatingly painful. Kidney stone formation can happen to anyone & usually 5-10% of the population are affected by this condition. Men are more vulnerable than women. Women are protected by the hormone, oestrogen, which plays a vital role in preventing stone formation. But women are also at risk after menopause & sometimes a family history can make women prone to this condition. Lifestyle factors too are to be blamed. For instance, lack of sufficient fluid intake, obesity, eating deep fried foods, can aggravate stone formation.

Dehydration remains a major cause. Chronic dehydration causes a super-saturated urine utput, which can put you at risk. Everyone should drink at least 8-10 glasses of water & fluids, i.e., 2- 2 ½ litres , a day/ if you’ve suffered from stones before or have a family history, you require a daily fluid intake of 3 litres. Fluids can include buttermilk, fruit juices, tender coconut water also. Most fluid intake should be from water. Remember the less concentrated the urine is, the better.

Myths & misconceptions

Kidneys stones are formed from the deposits of many different kinds of chemicals, but the most common one, making up nearly 80% of all stones if calcium oxalate. For this reason, many people tend to think that cutting down on calcium intake can help prevent the formation of this kind of stone. This is a widespread misconception & is just not true. Cutting back on calcium can actually be harmful because inadequate calcium in your sustem can have the opposite effect & even hasten stone formation. For this reason, be sure to make calcium, from antural sources, an important part of your diet, especially if you’re over 50. Buttermilk with minimum salt is highly recommended. Avoid animal proteins, junk foods, chat items, pickles, processed & packaged foods, deep fried items & salty fare. Vegetables & fresh fruit juices are ideal but there are some restrictions. Avoid chickoo & grapes that have seeds. Home-made fresh foods are best.

Banana stem, vazhathandu, juice is highly recommended. Too much of this juice can actually cause the formation of oxalate. Even the sautéed form of banana stem as vegetable is good, as it has lot of fiber.

Oxalate foods- limiting high oxalate foods may help reduce the risk of forming oxalate stones. Foods that are rich in oxalate are- peanuts, tea, instant coffee ( more than 8 ounces a day), rhubarb, beets, beans, berries(, strawberries, gooseberries), chocolate, Concord grapes, dark leafy vegetables, oranges, tofu, sweet potatoes & draught beer.

Risks from metabolic factors- parathyroid disease changes the way your body metabolises calcium. With such a condition, regardless of your diet or lifestyle, you’ll be at risk of developing calcium oxalate kidney stones. Nearly 15% of kidney stones are the result of uric acid deposits. If you’re affected by gout, you’ld be more prone tp uric acid stones. Obesity & diabetes can leave one vulnerable also. Treating these metabolic conditions & going in for regulat screening for stones by taking an ultrasound of the abdomen & the kidneys every year is important.

Most small stones pass out in urine by themselves, but today there is help at hand for chronic sufferers & invasive treatment is kept at a minimum. The most preferred treatment for stone removal is called extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL). In this technique, small stones, less than 1 cm are broken down into fragments by high energy shock waves from a device outside the body. For larger stones, treatment options include, percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL), which involves making a small perforation & inserting a tube to endoscopically disperse the stone, without affecting the kidney tissue. Prevention is still the best option.