cervical spondylosis

What is Cervical Spondylosis?

Cervical spondylosis is a common, age-related condition that influences the joints and discs in your cervical spine and neck. It’s otherwise called cervical osteoarthritis or neck arthritis. It creates from the mileage of cartilage and bones. While it’s generally the consequence of age, it tends to be brought about by different factors. Specific individuals who have it never experience side effects. For other people, it can cause chronic, severe pain and stiffness. Nonetheless, many individuals who have led normal activities are capable.

CAUSES OF CERVICAL SPONDYLOSIS

The bones and defensive cartilage in your neck are inclined to wear and tear, which can prompt cervical spondylosis. Potential reasons for the condition include:

  • Bone spurs: These abundances of bone are the consequence of the body trying to develop additional unresolved issues to make the spine more grounded. Be that as it may, the extra bone can push on fragile spine areas, like the spinal cord and nerves, resulting in pain.
  • Dehydrated spinal discs: Your spinal bones have disks between them, which are thick, pad like cushions that absorb the shock of lifting, twisting, and other activities. The gel-like material inside these disks can dry out over the long run. It causes your bones (spinal vertebrae) to rub together more, which can be painful.
  • Herniated discs: Spinal disks can develop cracks, which permit leakage of the internal cushioning material. This material can push on the spinal cord and nerves, resulting in side effects, such as arm numbness and pain that radiates down an arm.
  • Injury: If you’ve had an injury to your neck (during a fall or fender bender, for instance), this can speed up the aging system.
  • Ligament stiffness: The extreme cords that associate with your unresolved spinal issues can be considerably stiffer over the long haul, which influences your neck development and causes the neck to feel tight.
  • Overuse: Some occupations or side interests involve dull developments or hard work (for example, development work). It can come down on the spine, resulting in premature wear and tear.

RISK FACTORS FOR THE CONDITION

The most severe risk factor for cervical spondylosis is aging. Cervical spondylosis often develops because of changes in your neck joints as you age. Disk herniation, drying out, and bone prods are consequences of aging. Factors other than aging can increase your risk of cervical spondylosis. These include:

  • neck injuries
  • work-related activities that put extra strain on your neck from heavy lifting
  • holding your neck in an uncomfortable position for prolonged periods or repeating the same neck movements throughout the day (repetitive stress)
  • genetic factors (family history of cervical spondylosis)
  • smoking
  • being overweight and inactive

SYMPTOMS OF CERVICAL SPONDYLOSIS

The vast majority with cervical spondylosis don’t have significant side effects. Assuming side effects do happen, they can range from gentle to severe and may develop continuously or happen unexpectedly. One common side effect is pain around the shoulder bone. Some complain of pain along the arm and in the fingers. The cervical spondylosis pain could increase when:

  • standing
  • sitting
  • sneezing
  • coughing
  • tilting your neck backward

Another common symptom is muscle weakness. Muscle weakness makes it hard to lift the arms or grasp objects firmly.

Other common signs include:

  • a stiff neck that becomes worse
  • headaches that mainly occur in the back of the head
  • tingling or numbness that affects the shoulders and arms primarily, although it can also occur in the legs

Symptoms that occur less frequently often include a loss of balance and a loss of bladder or bowel control. These symptoms warrant immediate medical attention.

CERVICAL SPONDYLOSIS DIAGNOSE

Making a diagnosis of cervical spondylosis involves ruling out other likely conditions, for example, fibromyalgia. Diagnosis involves testing for development and determining the impacted nerves, bones, and muscles. Your doctor might treat your illness or allude you to an orthopedic specialist, neurologist, or neurosurgeon for further testing.

TEST THAT IS TO BE DONE

  • X-rays can be used to check for bone spurs and other abnormalities.
  • A CT scan can provide more detailed images of your neck.
  • An MRI scan, which produces images using radio waves and a magnetic field, helps your doctor locate pinched nerves.
  • In a myelogram, a dye injection highlights specific areas of your spine. CT scans or X-rays are then used to provide more detailed images of these areas.
  • An electromyogram (EMG)checks that your nerves are functioning normally when sending signals to your muscles. This test measures your nerves’ electrical activity.
  • A nerve conduction study checks the speed and strength of the signals a nerve sends. It is done by placing electrodes on your skin where the nerve is located.

TREATING CERVICAL SPONDYLOSIS

Treatments for cervical spondylosis focus on providing pain relief, lowering the risk of permanent damage, and helping you lead an everyday life. Nonsurgical methods are usually very effective.

MEDICATIONS

Your doctor might prescribe certain medications if over the counter (OTC) drugs don’t work. These include:

  • muscle relaxants, such as cyclobenzaprine(Fexmid), to treat muscle spasms
  • narcotics, such as hydrocodone(Norco), for pain relief
  • anti-epileptic drugs, such as gabapentin(Neurontin), to relieve pain caused by nerve damage
  • steroid injections, such as prednisone, to reduce tissue inflammation and subsequently lessen pain
  • prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as diclofenac(Voltaren-XR), to reduce inflammation

SURGERY

If your condition is severe and doesn’t answer other forms of treatment, you could require a medical procedure. It can involve removing bone prods, portions of your neck bones, or herniated disks to give your spinal cord and nerves more space. The medical procedure is seldom essential for cervical spondylosis. Notwithstanding, a doctor might suggest it on the off chance that the pain is severe and affects your capacity to move your arms.

SUMMARY

Cervical spondylosis is a common and often age-related condition that can cause stiffness, discomfort, and migraines related to neck pain. Your doctor will be unable to turn around the situation. However, they can often prescribe moderate medicines to assist you with overcoming discomfort and pain. Are you searching for the best doctor to defeat all your issues? Contact Physiotherapist Dr. Niraj Patel.

Tennis Elbow

Few Important Things to Know About Tennis Elbow

If you feel radiating pain in the elbow after involving in activities that demand continuous movements of the wrist and arm, you might be suffering from tennis elbow. This condition happens due to overburdened tendon muscles of your elbow. Tennis elbow is not only common to sports persons but also to the people involved in the type of work demanding the exertion of arms and wrist. These work types include plumbing, carpentering, painting, etc.

The specific location of the radiating pain of the tennis elbow is where the connective tissue of your forearm and elbow. As it is already said that this is a radiating type of pain, therefore it can also spread to your wrists in some cases.

Tennis elbow is usually treated by preventing wrist and arm movements, over-the-counter medication, or some medical procedure. In this blog, we will discuss certain dimensions of tennis elbow such as its symptoms, causes, etc.

Tennis elbow symptoms

In tennis elbow, symptoms do not develop rapidly rather a weak pain gradually intensifies and other symptoms become prominent with time too. It takes from weeks to months for symptoms of tennis elbow to become completely apparent. These symptoms do not commonly show any sign of injury.

Some of the common symptoms of this condition are:

  • Radiating pain in the elbow
  • Burning sensation in the elbow and forearm
  • No strength in the grip

The most important sign of the tennis elbow is that the pain intensifies with the movement of the arm and wrist from the tasks such as holding something, twisting the wrist, or shaking someone’s hand. Usually, in this condition, your dominant arm becomes the victim of it.

What causes tennis elbow

As stated above, the condition of the tennis elbow is caused due to the overburden in the specific connective tissue of the forearm muscles. This connective tissue connects the forearm muscle to the elbow and provides stabilization to the hand and wrist while keeping the elbow straight. The damage to this tendon, which is connective tissue, is caused by overwork or wear and tear. This results in swelling and inflammation in this region as the blood rushes to the point of damage.

Sometimes osteoarthritis in the elbow is a big contributor to the development of the tennis elbow due to a gradual tear in the muscle of the elbow that connects it with the forearm.

Risk factors of tennis elbow

It is very obvious that athletes come in the first category of people who are at high risk of developing tennis elbow. Apart from them, there are other people involved in vigorous activities who suffer from tennis elbow more often than normal people. These people mostly use their forearm and wrist muscles at least every day.

Many workers like painters, cooks, butchers, and carpenters remain at high risk of this condition. Moreover, there are a few risk factors that contribute to the development of tennis elbow:

  • Age: People at the higher end of the age spectrum tend to remain at high risk of this disease
  • Type of work: As explained above, certain job occupations involve the continuous wrist and arm movements making the person doing it more prone to this problem
  • Type of sports: Athletes do remain at high risk of tennis elbow but some specific sports tend to be more risky with respect to the development of this condition. In particular sports like tennis comes under this category

Diagnosis of tennis elbow

When it comes to the diagnosis of tennis elbow, your doctor will take every symptom and risk factor into account before making any decision about the tests involved in this stage of treatment. Some of the tests included in the diagnosis of tennis elbow are as follows:

  • MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging gives clear pictures of connective tissue  in which the doctor suspects the damage
  • X-Ray: This test gives images of bones to determine whether there is any hand of bone disease to cause tennis elbow
  • EMG: This test is done to determine any problem in the nerve to rule out the potential nerve damage that might be causing the disease

Treatment of tennis elbow

There are numerous treatment options for tennis elbow depending upon the cause and intensity of this condition. Some of the treatment options for this disease are as follows:

  • Taking plenty of rest
  • Medicines to reduce the pain
  • Physiotherapy: This includes certain targeted exercises for muscle strengthening and some heat therapies for better healing
  • Steroid treatment
  • Surgery

Conclusion

Tennis elbow is not a rare disease. It is certainly more common in athletes but many people from different job profiles and day to day activities face this issue too. It is necessary for people to explain their symptoms to the doctor for better diagnosis and treatment.

At Om Physio Plus Nutrition precession in diagnosis is guaranteed for making the treatment more personalized to the patients.

During Pregnancy

How Physiotherapy Can Help During Pregnancy

Physiotherapy, also known as physical therapy, is an evidence-based technique that involves the science of movement to promote healing and holistic fitness. It includes a wide array of exercises and massages. While any person, irrespective of age and gender, can benefit from this technique, physiotherapy during pregnancy has well-defined advantages.

Significance of Physiotherapy For Pregnant Women

Our body produces a hormone known as relaxing. While both men and women form relaxation, this hormone is primarily produced in pregnant women. It is responsible for preventing any damage to a woman’s body during childbirth.

The production of relaxation increases significantly during the second trimester. Primarily, this hormone is aimed at loosening the birth canal and preparing your body for childbirth. However, besides the birth canal, high levels of relaxin result in the loosening of other ligaments in your body.

While on one hand relaxing facilitates the flow of blood, it leads to muscle, joint, and body pain, on the other. This side-effect of relaxing is the fundamental cause of your lower back pain during pregnancy. Physiotherapy during pregnancy is a helpful approach in dealing with the pain resulting from an increase in relaxin. This practice can assist in alleviating muscle pain through the means of specific exercises and massages. The targeted exercises not only help in reducing pain but also maintain the strength of muscles.

Which Issues Can Physiotherapy Address?

As discussed above, physiotherapy can help in reducing pain and improving the strength of muscles. While most pregnant women complain of lower back pain, there are other areas that physical therapy can help with.

Some common issues pregnancy physiotherapy can deal with are:

  • Upper back pain
  • Neck and shoulder pain
  • Sciatica (pain that radiates from the lower back through hips and buttocks to the leg)
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome (a condition that causes numbness, tingling, or weakness in your hand)
  • Pelvic girdle pain (pain in front and back of the pelvis)
  • Bladder issues

Posture changes – posture changes during pregnancy are necessary, but can also be painful or uncomfortable, especially if you have any past injuries that can be aggravated. Physiotherapy can help you accommodate the necessary postural changes and decrease the pain associated with them.

It is important to remember that the source of your pain and discomfort is the increase in levels of relaxation. However, the location of your pain can be unique. The role of physiotherapy in pregnancy is to identify the precise location of the pain and address it to minimize ache.

What are the Benefits of Physiotherapy During Pregnancy?

Physiotherapy benefits pregnant women in multiple ways. The role of physiotherapy in pregnancy has both, long and short-term advantages. Some of the top benefits include:

  • Reliving lower back pain: During the early stages of your pregnancy, your body prepares itself to accommodate the growth of your child. It further continues to prepare for delivery. In its attempt to assist you during this journey, your ligaments stretch and become soft. Simultaneously, as your child grows inside you, your size increases, and you gain weight. Due to this weight gain, your body’s centre of gravity shifts and moves forward leading to additional pressure on your lower back. Physiotherapy and exercise during pregnancy can help in alleviating lower back pain.
  • Strengthening pelvic floor muscles: It is popularly known how pregnancy makes you urinate more. During pregnancy, you will experience an increased flow of blood in your body. This increased blood flow puts your kidneys to extra work and releases extra fluid leading to increased urination. Sometimes, however, increased urination and weakened pelvic floor muscles can cause urinary incontinence. Incontinence is a highly common side-effect of pregnancy. Physiotherapy can help in reducing incontinence by strengthening muscles by offering pelvic floor exercises. There is various exercise during pregnancy such as kegel exercises that you can learn from a verified physiotherapist to train your bladder.
  • Preparing for labour and delivery: While the course of pregnancy may be smooth, childbirth is a highly taxing event. Your body requires high levels of strength and flexibility to naturally induce labour and deliver a fully grown baby. Due to the need for core strength and flexible muscles, pregnant women are asked to consistently remain physically active (unless advised by the doctor). Physiotherapy is a good alternative to monotonous physical activities. A physiotherapist can train you to push effectively during delivery. You can also practice a range of pelvic floor exercises to help you prepare for labour and childbirth.
  • Assisting in posture changes during pregnancy: As discussed above, the centre of your gravity may shift during pregnancy. The increased pressure on your lower back can cause your uterus to move slightly forward. Similarly, the weakened lower back muscles can cause you to lean forward with bent shoulders, neck, and mid-back. The transition in the position of these muscles can change your posture. Physiotherapy is an effective medical tool that helps in correcting posture during pregnancy.
  • Relieving from carpal tunnel syndrome:  Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a common side-effect of pregnancy. It is a medical condition that causes numbness and tingling sensation in the hand and arm. The increased volume of blood in your body during pregnancy can lead to nerve compression, particularly in the wrist area (because it is comparatively narrow). This nerve compression can cause numbness, pain, and tingling in your hand and arm. Physiotherapy addresses Carpal Tunnel Syndrome by focusing on pain management and consistent blood flow.

Conclusion

Your choices during pregnancy will help in deciding the health of your fetus. Physiotherapy during pregnancy is a preferable choice for expectant women who wish to inculcate exercise and relaxation in their life.

Reference

https://www.empowerrehab.ca/how-massage-therapy-physiotherapy-can-help-during-pregnancy
https://www.ckbhospital.com/blogs/physiotherapy-during-pregnancy/-

 

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