Alternative Treatments for Back Pain

Most of us have experienced back pain, and it is estimated that around eight in ten people suffer with bouts of back pain at one stage or another. The back is extremely complex with numerous different muscles at work, and so in many cases it can be difficult to diagnose specific causes; organ pain such as kidney and even stomach problems can cause pain that is felt in the back. Obvious causes of back pain can include a lifting or twisting injury, or trauma such as during strenuous activity or a car accident. However in many cases, back pain is documented as ‘non specific’ as an obvious medical cause cannot be found.

In today’s fast paced lifestyle any kind of pain can really hold you back- taking time off work, missing meetings and finding appropriate childcare is often not an option for most people when a backache materialises. So for many of us reaching for pain killers and medication is often the first port of call, they are accessible and inexpensive and do tend to provide some relief for the most part. 

However if your pain is recurring, taking painkillers on a regular basis can be damaging to your body and may even become less effective over time. There are a number of drug free options to reducing back pain, and some may even actually improve the condition rather than simply masking the symptoms. As some of these methods include stretching and exercise, be sure to consult your GP first to ensure that these are suitable for your specific back problem.

Yoga

Yoga can reduce stress and improve general wellbeing, as well as gently stretch and exercise the muscles. If your back pain due in part to tense muscles and stress, yoga is likely to improve your symptoms as well as make you stronger and less prone to further strain or injury.

Gentle Exercise

Exercise is an important preventative to many kinds of back pain; the stronger your muscles are and the more hardy and robust your body is, the less likely you are to strain or injure yourself. However gentle exercise can also help to improve an existing back problem, low impact activities such as swimming mean that you are able to strengthen and exercise your back safely due to the support of the water.

Meditation

This method is not only helpful to ease stress and tension which can cause back pain, but can also help those suffering with any kind of back pain to relax and refresh their mind. Being stressed will accentuate any pain you are already feeling, and so taking the time to unwind will help you to better manage your symptoms.

Hot Baths/ Hot Water Bottle

The same principle applies above, allowing time to unwind helps to relieve muscles and well as to relax. A hot water bottle can provide comforting relief to specific areas of pain. Some causes of back pain such as injury or slipped disks may mean that you are unable to exercise to improve your condition, and so by using heat you can relax without risking further injury. Deep heat cream or self adhesive medicated heat patches can also be used if you are unable to sit with a hot water bottle such as at work.

Massage

Whether massage is done by a physiotherapist, as a spa or salon treatment or just by a partner the results can be significant and can provide excellent relief for those suffering with back pain.

If you suffer from chronic back pain, or with a condition that requires medication it is highly advisable to stick to your doctor’s orders. But if your back pain is acute or non specific these methods are likely to improve your symptoms as well as your general wellbeing.

Read More

Natural pain relief in labour

Pregnancy is certainly a source of one of the happiest feelings that a woman experiences in her lifetime. However, after the initial overjoyed state of mind, women have to deal with one of the biggest concerns of her life; pain of labour. More than the pain itself, it’s about the moments of anxiousness and restlessness that can make any would be mother worried about the impending child birth. So what should be the viable options to deal with the pain and more importantly to deal with the anxious moments? The solution is to gather as much information as possible with regarding the complications that can arise during the labour. While the internet and all the physical media is full of information about the labour pain and its possible solutions, but this can lead to information overload and some of the information may cause more harm rather than doing any good. Therefore, you should only concentrate on the natural pain relief remedies during the labour. Synthetic drugs not only harm your body, but studies have proven that these pain relieving drugs also have adverse effects on the baby. With keeping that in mind, let’s have a look at some of the most effective natural pain relieving remedies.

One of the most effective ways to get pain relief is to keep the affected area warm. Warming the area will relax the tense muscles and provide a temporary but effective relief from pain. You can use warm water bottles or even warm baths for this purpose.

Our body has its own set of chemicals or hormones that work as the best pain killers. These hormones are called endorphins. There is a fantastic machine called the TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) Machine that uses the electrodes to transmit the electrical signals from the back of women, to increase the endorphins production effectively.

Deep breathing is another effective technique to take your mind away from the labour pain. Whenever the pain occurs, take a deep breath and try to relax as you breathe out, concentrated on your breathing pattern.

There is another simple yet effective technique to get relief from the labour pain. The technique is called the Bowen Technique and it uses some simple moves to get you rid of the labour pain. The technique is super effective and pretty easy to learn.

If this is your first pregnancy, you will be amazed to discover that it would be a totally different experience than what you have been told by you near and dear ones. Getting pregnant is truly a peculiar feeling and you should not spoil it by thinking about the accompanied labour pain as there are enough effective natural remedies to take care of that.

Read More

Understanding Rheumatoid Arthritis

In principal rheumatoid arthritis attacks the flexible joints on our hands and feet. However the disorder may attack tissue and even some organs too. The early signs of rheumatoid arthritis in your joints include a feeling of warmth or stiffness which restricts free flowing movement. If you wish to get professional advice on your condition, visit your local GP for accurate rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis.

Over the course of time rheumatoid arthritis will eventually affect all the joints in your body, this is why it is important to get a proper rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis in early. The smaller joints are usually the first to feel the effect of pain, warmth and stiffness. The joints in the cervical spine and the small knuckle joints on your hand and feet are usually the early signs of rheumatoid arthritis.

In a normal joint, one which has not been affected by rheumatoid arthritis you will see muscle, cartilage and tendons wrap comfortably over the joint. In a rheumatoid arthritis affected joint, one would see cartilage loss and some degree of bone loss and erosion. This action causes the synovium to inflame, a process known as synovitis.

In some cases rheumatoid arthritis can affect the lungs and other organs. Fibrosis of the lungs is a well known responder to rheumatoid arthritis disease. Rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis is usually undertaken by a series of X-Rays. If you have joint pain in the hands and the feet (polyarthritis) then images are taken of both extremities and rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis follows.

It is probably understandable that if you are diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis then there is likely to be some emotional anxiety. The prognosis for people with rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis today is much better than it was decades ago. Providing early and positive treatments are implemented after you have determined the early signs of rheumatoid arthritis, it is still possible to lead a normal life.

Even if you fail in your standard treatment course, there are effective and modern drugs to help. It is also worth noting that research into rheumatoid arthritis is moving forward in leaps and bounds and the discovery of new medicines and drugs are believed to become available within months.

In the UK, more than 700,000 people live with the condition. This is around 10 percent of the population. It has a tendency to affect women more so than men and although the early signs of rheumatoid arthritis kick in after 40 years of age, it can happen at any point in one's life.

The good news is that  rheumatoid arthritis can also be diagnosed early so that treatments can be administered to slow down it's progression. A home rheumatoid arthritis test called CCPoint is available find out more about the CCPoint here.

Read More

Osteoarthritis Knee Pain

Osteoarthritis in the knee is more common in people over the age of 50 and tends to affect women more than men. The symptoms are pain, immobility, muscular weakness and muscle atrophy. The knee may also be very stiff and the muscles on the front of your thighs may also show signs of atrophy particularly if they have seen little exercise due to osteoarthritis knee pain.

Osteoarthritis knee pain is caused by a wear and tear process over several years. Over years the cartilage is slowly worn away but can be more rapidly eroded following trauma or accident. Ultimately the most common form of osteoarthritis knee pain is where the cartilage is torn. The most effective pain relief for osteoarthritis is exercise and maintaining mobility. A sedentary lifestyle is not recommended as the knee needs to gain strength in order to act as an effective pain relief for osteoarthritis.

There are several types of arthritis and osteoarthritis in among the most common. It is estimated that one in ten people in the Western world suffer from osteoarthritis with that figure increasing to one in four for those over 50. In fact osteoarthritis knee pain is far more common we think. It is not exclusive to older people either. Osteoarthritis knee pain can be common among active teenagers, particular following trauma and many athletes suffer knee pain and regular injury.

In some occasions a knee injury can cause tiny fragments of bone to get stuck in the joint. If the cartilage has been torn then there can be several pieces of cartilage tissue floating around in the joint. Pain relief for osteoarthritis can be a combination of medicines, therapies and exercise techniques that are designed to strengthen the area and make the overall knee health much improved in order to fight pain more effectively.

Pain relief for osteoarthritis can be injections. Some athletes use pain-killing injections which treat muscular knotting, sometimes known as the trigger for pain in the knee. There are also injections available for nerve ending blocking. This prevents pain travelling all the way down the nerve and effectively numbs the area in a way similar to a local anaesthetic.

Osteoarthritis in the knee can also be caused by knee dislocation. This is rare but the knee cap can sometimes slide out of its housing, which in turn causes pain, swelling and possible osteoarthritis in the knee. Fluid build up behind the knee is another trauma which can cause the onset of osteoarthritis in the knee. 

A good home based treatment for knee pain is the Kneease unit, which is designed by an orthopaedic surgeon and uses a patented vibration therapy to help relieve your knee pain. This is available to order online, click here to view product details

Read More

What is Pain

What is pain? Generally speaking, pain can be referred to as a sensation that hurts. However because we all interpret incidents and sensations differently, pain is a very individual experience. Whereas one person may feel minor discomfort, another may feel extreme agony for a similar injury or ailment.

Pain threshold is the point at which pain is felt. Pain threshold tends to be quite low in children and is something that usually increases with time; however some individuals tend to have naturally higher or lower pain thresholds. A high pain threshold can be developed over time, or taught with practice. Athletes for example tend to have higher pain thresholds; one theory of this is that regular exercise increases pain threshold, but the fact that they experience and deal with pain regularly may mean they have simply taught themselves how to better deal with pain sensations. One explanation for those with a lower pain threshold is that they may have had a bad experience with pain in childhood or early in life, and their reaction to pain may be almost like a phobic response.

Scientists and doctors classify pain in three ways: somatic, neuropathic, and visceral. There is also a fourth type, which is the result of a combination of two of the different types of pain.  Somatic refers to pain that can be felt in the skin, bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints. This type of pain is the most common, and is generally sore, aching or sharp. Typical examples of somatic pain include head, back and neck ache, as well as pain occurring from an injury, burn or inflammation. Painkillers or anti inflammatory medication are effective in these cases. Neuropathic pain can be classified as a burning or tingling feeling; this type of pain is often the result of trapped nerves, and is usually felt as stabbing, shooting or electric shock type sensation. Painkillers will rarely resolve this type of pain, whereas antidepressant or epilepsy medication is usually more effective. Visceral pain is a deep, cramping, sensation which is the result of injury or inflammation of the soft body tissues and organs. Menstrual cramps are classified as visceral pain, as well any pain in the stomach, liver or kidneys. The fourth type of pain occurs with no physical causes, and is often associated with ailments such as ongoing back problems which have no obvious sign of injury.

In terms of sensation, pain is considered ‘sharp’ or ‘dull.’ Sharp pains are generally shooting or stabbing sensations, most injuries will begin with a sharp pain and fade out into duller pain. Dull pain can be throbbing or burning, and tends to last for a longer time than sharp pain. Acute and chronic pain refer not to the amount of pain felt by an individual, but rather how long the pain lasts; therefore it is possible have extreme acute pain (such as childbirth) or mild chronic pain such as psoriasis. Pain is usually considered chronic once it has been present for longer than six months, and acute pain can develop into chronic pain if it is left untreated.

Due to the diverse nature of pain, and also because it is experienced differently by each individual, the treatment for pain is also diverse. Pain treatments range from steroids to narcotics, to nerve blocks to surgery; depending on the cause and type of pain, sometimes a combination of treatment will be most effective. However, in most cases mild to moderate acute pain can be treated at home with simple painkillers and rest. At home remedies such as applying ice to a swollen joint, or deep heat cream for a still back are often very effective and do not require a trip to the doctors. Any new pain should be closely monitored, especially if there are no obvious causes.

Read More