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ORTHO PHYSIOTHERAPY

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting millions of people worldwide. It occurs when the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of your bones wears down over time. Although osteoarthritis can damage any joint, the disorder most commonly affects joints in your hands, knees, hips and spine. Osteoarthritis symptoms can usually be managed, although the damage to joints can't be reversed. Staying active, maintaining a healthy weight and some treatments might slow progression of the disease and help improve pain and joint function.

Symptoms

Osteoarthritis symptoms often develop slowly and worsen over time. Signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis include:

  • Osteoarthritis of the spine

    In osteoarthritis of the spine, disks narrow and bone spurs form.

  • Osteoarthritis of the hip

    The hip joint shown on the left side of the image is normal, but the hip joint shown on the right side of the image shows deterioration of cartilage and the formation of bone spurs due to osteoarthritis.

  • Pain. Affected joints might hurt during or after movement.
  • Stiffness. Joint stiffness might be most noticeable upon awakening or after being inactive.
  • Tenderness. Your joint might feel tender when you apply light pressure to or near it.
  • Loss of flexibility. You might not be able to move your joint through its full range of motion.
  • Grating sensation. You might feel a grating sensation when you use the joint, and you might hear popping or crackling.
  • Bone spurs. These extra bits of bone, which feel like hard lumps, can form around the affected joint.
  • Swelling. This might be caused by soft tissue inflammation around the joint.
When to see a doctor

If you have joint pain or stiffness that doesn't go away, make an appointment with your doctor.

Risk factors

Factors that can increase your risk of osteoarthritis include:

  • Older age.
  • Sex.
  • Obesity. Carrying extra body weight contributes to osteoarthritis in several ways, and the more you weigh, the greater your risk. Increased weight adds stress to weight-bearing joints, such as your hips and knees. Also, fat tissue produces proteins that can cause harmful inflammation in and around your joints.
  • Joint injuries.
  • Repeated stress on the joint.
  • Genetics.
  • Bone deformities.
  • Certain metabolic diseases. These include diabetes and a condition in which your body has too much iron (hemochromatosis).
Complications

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that worsens over time, often resulting in chronic pain. Joint pain and stiffness can become severe enough to make daily tasks difficult.

Depression and sleep disturbances can result from the pain and disability of osteoarthritis.

Low back pain

To understand various causes of low back pain, it is important to appreciate the normal design (anatomy) of the tissues of this area of the body. Important structures of the low back that can be related to symptoms in this region include the bony lumbar spine (vertebrae, singular = vertebra), discs between the vertebrae, ligaments around the spine and discs, spinal cord and nerves, muscles of the low back, internal organs of the pelvis and abdomen, and the skin covering the lumbar area. The bony lumbar spine is designed so that vertebrae "stacked" together can provide a movable support structure while also protecting the spinal cord from injury. The spinal cord is composed of nervous tissue that extends down the spinal column from the brain. Each vertebra has a spinous process, a bony prominence behind the spinal cord, which shields the cord's nervous tissue from impact trauma. Vertebrae also have a strong bony "body" (vertebral body) in front of the spinal cord to provide a platform suitable for weight bearing of all tissues above the buttocks. The lumbar vertebrae stack immediately atop the sacrum bone that is situated in between the buttocks. On each side, the sacrum meets the iliac bone of the pelvis to form the sacroiliac joints of the buttocks.

Low back pain facts

Functions of the low back, or lumbar area, include structural support, movement, and protection of certain body tissues. Pain in the low back can be a result of conditions affecting the bony lumbar spine, intervertebral discs (discs between the vertebrae), ligaments around the spine and discs, spinal cord and nerves, muscles of the low back, internal organs of the pelvis and abdomen, and the skin covering the lumbar area. Treatment of low back pain is optimally directed toward a diagnosed or suspected specific cause. For acute back pain from lumbar strain, use of a home remedy initially can be beneficial.


INTERVERTEBRAL DISC PROLAPSE(IVDP)

There is a cartilage like material present in between two vertebrae in the arrangement of vertebral column. It is a capsule having nucleus pulposa at the centre. When there is a rupture to the outer fibers, the inner substance ruptured out of its space. This condition is called as Intervertebral disc prolapse(IVDP) or Herniated disc. The prolapsed disc enters into the spinal canal and causes compression of the spinal cord, specially the spinal nerves. And the disc material can cause a chemical irritation the nerve roots end up in inflammation of the spinal nerves.

Symptoms


Numbness and tingling sensation

Loss of control of bladder and rectum

Pain on the scapular region and buttocks.

 Weakness of body part which is under control of the
affected nerve part.
And many other symptoms are there, which depends on the part of spinal cord affected.
Management of IVDP
IVDP is an usual condition, and almost all the cases settle by themselves with proper rest. Physiotherapy has good results in managing the condition. Exercises are advising to strengthen the muscle besides the affected nerve part. Then the painful contractions of muscles can be altered and it can be controlled. Forward bending is not advised in IVDP. So the patient should follow the exercises and physiotherapy only with the guidance of an expert.

Causes

Intervertebral disc disease results from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Some of these factors have been identified, but many remain unknown. Researchers have identified variations in several genes that may influence the risk of developing intervertebral disc disease. The most commonly associated genes provide instructions for producing proteins called collagens. Collagens are a family of proteins that strengthen and support connective tissues, such as skin, bone, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments.

Neck pain

Our vertebral column is made up of vertebrae which are arranged from neck to the tail end. Cervical vertebrae gives structural arrangement for our neck. Along with the vertebrae, muscles and ligaments holds our neck on its position. Any abnormality, injury or any inflammations causes neck pain. Neck pain is a usual condition and many people feel neck stiffness and pain occasionally. In many cases it is due to overuse or poor posture maintenance. But in some cases the pain came due to serious injury.

Causes of neck pain

Due to muscle tension

It is mainly due to poor posture and overuse. It can be treated by taking proper exercises.

 Injury

Neck is highly vulnerable for injuries. It can be easily affected with falls and any motor vehicle accidents. Injury to the cervical bones can affect the spinal cord and in turn results in serious damages.

 Meningitis

 Other causes like osteoarthritis, cervical spondylitis,

spinal stenosis, fibromyalgia, herniated cervical disc,



cancer of cervical spine are also responsible for severely neck pain.

How can neck pain be treated?
Treatment for neck pain depends on the reasons behind and on the symptoms also. If the pain is because of muscle tension or of any poor posture maintenance, then it should be corrected with proper exercise to relax the muscles. But if the pain is due to any severe damage or any injuries , then the condition should be taken very seriously and sufficient measures should be selected.

• Exercise and physiotherapy
• Cold and heat therapy

• Muscle relaxants

• Neck collar
• Traction

• Pain medications
• Stretching therapy


Frozen shoulder

Among all joints in the body, shoulder joint has a wide range of movements. Thus when there is any thing hamper the joint, it will end up in severe pain of the joint. Shoulder joint is a ball and socket type of joint, in which there is 3 bones ( humerus, clavicle and scapula) and 2 joints (Acromioclavicular join and glenohumeral joint). It is the most mobile joint in the body which allows circular movement of the arm, and all other motions of the shoulder. These movements are possible with the help of rotator cuff muscles.

Causes of shoulder pain


It may be due to any injury during sports and games

By road accidents

After the age of 60, with the degeneration of the soft

tissues surrounding the shoulder joint.

 Due to diseases of cervical spine

 Rotator cuff tendinitis

 • Torn cartilage

• Swollen bursa

• Broken shoulder bone and arm bones
• Joint dislocation
Management of shoulder joint pain
The treatment for pain depends on the causes and symptoms. Immobilisation of the joint is the prime measure of management. For any inflammation like rotator cuff tendinitis, internal medications should be given. Bandage should done to immobilize the joint. If there is any muscle tensions, then stretching exercises can be given. Proper rest should be given after management, if there is dislocation of shoulder joint. Surgey can be done if necessary, depends on the severity of cause. Physiotherapy can also be adopted.