Feel it in your bones
Your Health
DR GITA MATHAI
When babies are born, they have about 350 bones. Many of these eventually fuse and adults are left with 208 bones. Locomotion and movement are possible because the bones form joints, which “articulate” with each other. Carpenters have taken a leaf out of God’s book and based the joints in their trade on this. Like us, they too have metal and plastic sliding, hinged and ball and socket joints. Just like in mechanical joints, in human joints too mechanical failure, slipping and degeneration can occur with age, overuse, lack of proper lubrication and misalignment.
Unlike carpentry joints, human joints are protected from injury by muscles and tendons. Wear and tear and overuse can cause microscopic tears in these. Calcium gets deposited in the tears, forming bony projections called spurs, which are meant to actually protect the joint.
The symptoms caused by spurs depend on their location. Spurs are usually too deep to be felt. They can be asymptomatic and be discovered accidently in an X-ray taken for some other reason. But they can cause discomfort if they press on nerves.
One of the commonest locations for spurs is the heel. If you feel a severe shooting pain, especially while placing the foot on the ground first thing in the morning, be sure it is a spur. It affects 10 per cent of the population at some point in their life.
Spurs are common in women, especially if you have gained weight. It is yet another symptom brought on by the “middle aged spread”. Feet have to bear the weight of the entire body, and an increase in weight tends to increase the pressure on the heels. Other factors that can bring on a spur are a faulty gait with the foot turned too far inwards or prolonged use of footwear with hard unyielding soles.
Heel pain and spurs can also occur if the calf muscle becomes tight and contracted. These muscles are attached to the heel. If they are not adequately stretched before and after exercise, they can pull on the heel, causing pain.
The heel is attached to the front of the foot by thick tissue called plantar fascia. Shortening or injury of this fascia can also cause strain on the back of the heel and result in spurs.
In the neck vertebrae, spur formation can press on nerves, leading to dizziness and giddiness, especially with a change in posture. It can press on the oesophagus, causing difficulty in swallowing.
Further down in the lumbar vertebra, osteophytes can press on the nerves going to the leg. They can cause pain, weakness in the legs, loss of sensation and difficulty in sitting and squatting.
Osteoarthritic changes in the fingers cause spurs to develop. The fingers appear disfigured and knotted. The range of movement is restricted. Sudden incapacitating shooting pains can also develop.
The shoulder needs to move in a full circle. Spurs restrict this so that the hand can be lifted only to 90 degrees. Combing hair and dressing become difficult.
Spur formation and degenerative changes are not a disease of old people alone. They can form in athletes and people who exercise. It tends to occur when proper stretching techniques before and after exercise are not followed.
Sometimes the extra bone formed breaks off and enters the joint space. It can suddenly make the joint painfully stuck and “locked” in an awkward position.
Symptomatic spurs require treatment. In 95 per cent of cases, simple remedial measures are sufficient and the pain disappears in six months. Ice packs alternating with hot compresses relieve pain rapidly. This may need to be combined with physiotherapy. Active and passive exercises to improve the range of motion and strengthen the muscles around the joint are essential for quick improvement. Shock wave therapy using ultrasound is also very effective.
A short course of NSAIDs (non steroidal anti inflammatory agents) will help to relieve pain in the acute phase. They should not be taken for longer than two weeks continuously as they have side effects.
Corticosteroid can be injected into the joints. The relief is significant and may last four to six months. But it can cause further degeneration of the joint if given too frequently.
Loose bodies that get stuck have to be surgically removed. Endoscopic minimally invasive surgery means hospital stay is minimal. Surgery is also indicated if there is compression on a nerve, resulting in wasting and weakness in addition to pain.
Dr Gita Mathai is a paediatrician with a family practice at Vellore. Questions on health issues may be emailed to her at yourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in
Gita Mathai
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
memories
Why you forget
Why you forget
Your Health
DR GITA MATHAI
No matter which stage of life you are in, memory lapses will be a cause of consternation; for the young it will affect their marks, for professionals it will mean missed appointments and for the elderly the fear that it may signal Alzheimer’s or dementia. A rule of thumb is that if you are more concerned about it than the people around you, it probably isn’t serious.
Memory starts in the brain with the encoding of data. The brain scans inputs much like a computer and files it away for retrieval at a later date. This process requires chemical reactions in the brain with enzymes, vitamins and essential minerals.
Schools in India emphasise rote learning so our brains become efficient at retention and immediate recall. But often parents complain that whatever is learnt the previous day is forgotten the next morning.
These children have to be tested for anaemia, lead poisoning, thyroid functions and learning disabilities. Their eyesight and hearing need to be checked. If all is normal, the social environment should be investigated. Most often the problem is in the parenting.
Part of the problem may be that children’s lives are very full. The competitive environment makes parents enrol them in tutorial schools. At home television viewing (especially while eating) may further cut into their time. Even if they do not watch TV and only the adults do, the set is often left on permanently, creating a “white noise”. The rapidly flashing images and noise depletes chemicals in the brain. The same thing happens with electronic games on phones, computers or hand-held devices. Much of the information gathered in school and in the tutorials is not encoded properly and is lost for later recall. The areas of the brain responsible for original thought are not stimulated and do not develop to their potential.
Children need adequate sleep to function at their peak scholastically. This is because chemicals in the brain regenerate during “rest time”. Although the number of hours that a child sleeps is very individual, preteen children need around 10 hours and teenagers about eight. While sleep deprived adults become grouchy and bad tempered, children may become hyperactive and unreasonable, with delayed response time. Attentiveness, particularly in school and to homework, may be unsatisfactory. Short-term memory may decrease. Memory improves with physical exercise — an hour of activity replenishes brain chemicals.
Instead of correcting these factors, parents purchase expensive herbal products and health supplements to improve performance. But unless the home environment is corrected, there will be no improvement.
In adults, some memory loss as you age is inevitable. People are afraid they have Alzheimer’s or dementia when they forget things like names or where they left their keys. In these serious disorders you are more likely to forget how to use the key rather than where you left it.
Normal forgetfulness is aggravated by anxiety, stress and depression. Addiction to alcohol, tobacco products or recreational drugs also produces detrimental changes in brain function. Memory becomes poor if there is uncontrolled diabetes, lung, kidney or liver diseases, vitamin B12 or thiamine deficiency. It, therefore, becomes important to maintain your health and prevent and control diseases, as you grow older.
People who eat too much are at risk of lifestyle diseases, which increases their risk for strokes. These destroy small areas in the brain, causing brain ageing and memory loss. Small changes in lifestyle can slow down brain ageing — enough mental activity, physical fitness, stress reduction and a healthy diet. Also, many people miss out on the necessary amount of antioxidants as they do not eat the required 4-6 helpings a day of fruits and vegetables.
Children and adults need a healthy diet, regular and adequate exercise, social interaction and intellectual stimulation to develop a good memory and maintain it. If all else fails, you can always make notes and lists to remind yourself.
Dr Gita Mathai is a paediatrician with a family practice at Vellore. Questions on health issues may be emailed to her at yourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in
Why you forget
Your Health
DR GITA MATHAI
No matter which stage of life you are in, memory lapses will be a cause of consternation; for the young it will affect their marks, for professionals it will mean missed appointments and for the elderly the fear that it may signal Alzheimer’s or dementia. A rule of thumb is that if you are more concerned about it than the people around you, it probably isn’t serious.
Memory starts in the brain with the encoding of data. The brain scans inputs much like a computer and files it away for retrieval at a later date. This process requires chemical reactions in the brain with enzymes, vitamins and essential minerals.
Schools in India emphasise rote learning so our brains become efficient at retention and immediate recall. But often parents complain that whatever is learnt the previous day is forgotten the next morning.
These children have to be tested for anaemia, lead poisoning, thyroid functions and learning disabilities. Their eyesight and hearing need to be checked. If all is normal, the social environment should be investigated. Most often the problem is in the parenting.
Part of the problem may be that children’s lives are very full. The competitive environment makes parents enrol them in tutorial schools. At home television viewing (especially while eating) may further cut into their time. Even if they do not watch TV and only the adults do, the set is often left on permanently, creating a “white noise”. The rapidly flashing images and noise depletes chemicals in the brain. The same thing happens with electronic games on phones, computers or hand-held devices. Much of the information gathered in school and in the tutorials is not encoded properly and is lost for later recall. The areas of the brain responsible for original thought are not stimulated and do not develop to their potential.
Children need adequate sleep to function at their peak scholastically. This is because chemicals in the brain regenerate during “rest time”. Although the number of hours that a child sleeps is very individual, preteen children need around 10 hours and teenagers about eight. While sleep deprived adults become grouchy and bad tempered, children may become hyperactive and unreasonable, with delayed response time. Attentiveness, particularly in school and to homework, may be unsatisfactory. Short-term memory may decrease. Memory improves with physical exercise — an hour of activity replenishes brain chemicals.
Instead of correcting these factors, parents purchase expensive herbal products and health supplements to improve performance. But unless the home environment is corrected, there will be no improvement.
In adults, some memory loss as you age is inevitable. People are afraid they have Alzheimer’s or dementia when they forget things like names or where they left their keys. In these serious disorders you are more likely to forget how to use the key rather than where you left it.
Normal forgetfulness is aggravated by anxiety, stress and depression. Addiction to alcohol, tobacco products or recreational drugs also produces detrimental changes in brain function. Memory becomes poor if there is uncontrolled diabetes, lung, kidney or liver diseases, vitamin B12 or thiamine deficiency. It, therefore, becomes important to maintain your health and prevent and control diseases, as you grow older.
People who eat too much are at risk of lifestyle diseases, which increases their risk for strokes. These destroy small areas in the brain, causing brain ageing and memory loss. Small changes in lifestyle can slow down brain ageing — enough mental activity, physical fitness, stress reduction and a healthy diet. Also, many people miss out on the necessary amount of antioxidants as they do not eat the required 4-6 helpings a day of fruits and vegetables.
Children and adults need a healthy diet, regular and adequate exercise, social interaction and intellectual stimulation to develop a good memory and maintain it. If all else fails, you can always make notes and lists to remind yourself.
Dr Gita Mathai is a paediatrician with a family practice at Vellore. Questions on health issues may be emailed to her at yourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
