Arthritis
Arthritis is notably the most common of disabling diseases known to man. At least ten percent of the world population experiences experience arthritis with thirteen million people in the U.S. alone. Many sufferers restrict daily activities and 750,000 people are so disabled they are unable to attend school, work, or perform daily functional tasks.
Two Kinds of Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis develops usually before age 45, and deforms the bones and joints through inflammation caused by substances found in the blood. Osteoarthritis is usually present after the age of 45, and is the natural ageing and “wear and tear” on the joints of the body due to age and activity. Both forms of arthritis cause inflammation of the joints and tendons causing pain and movement restriction.
Spinal Osteoarthritis can also be experienced in the form of Osteophytes, which can cause trouble with discs, and contribute to degenerative disc disease.
What You Notice
Arthritis sufferers may begin to notice stiffness in walking and in the movement of the hands and feet. Dull aches that seem non-specific may be identified, as well as pain and redness/swelling in specific joints. Sufferers may experience mild fatigue, loss of grip strength in the hands, and other muscle weakness that may cause imbalance when standing or walking.
What It Feels Like
- Stiffness in the legs, feet, hands, knees, elbows
- Difficulty using feet and balancing
- Thick feeling in fingers, inability to make a fist
- Difficulty sitting for long periods
- Inability to squat or kneel
- Pain moving or lifting the arms, or moving legs
- Pain using hands to operate scissors, pens, etc.
Back Pain
Back pain can be a dull, never-ending ache to a sudden, sharp, intense pain. Back pain can come on suddenly and last for only af few days, or can last a few weeks. If you experience back pain that continues on for an extended period of time (over three months), or even years, it is called is called chronic back pain.
Taking over-the-counter pain relied medications may help some pains, but generally, the root cause of the pain must be identified and healed, or the pain may persist and become worse. Usually, staying in bed only increases the pain.
What You Notice
You’ll usually first feel back pain just after you lift a heavy object, move suddenly, sit in one position for a long time, or have an injury or accident. Acute low back pain is most often caused by a sudden injury to the muscles, ligaments, bones, and nerves in the spine. (Medline Plus 2010)
What It Feels Like
- Tingling and an prickling or burning sensations
- Sharp shooting pains
- Dull persistent aching
- Throbbing and burning
- Shaking and limb weakness
- Intense leg pain
- Inability to bend or lift
- Pain or discomfort sitting for extended periods
Bulging Disc
A Bulging Disc is not the same as a Herniated Disc, but a lot of the symptoms are the same, and in many ways they are similar.
A herniated disc is a rupture… a hernia. When the hernia occurs, the gel-like pulpous leaks from the center, and pushes against the disc outer wall. If it ruptures, a chemical is released that causes the nerves to swell. Bulging discs “bulge out” from between the vertebrae and press on the spinal cord and nerves causing mild to intense pain.
What You Notice
Pain from a bulged disc is similar to that of a herniated disc. Pain is more noticeable when you’re active, and seems to get better when you’re resting. Coughing, sneezing, sitting, driving and bending forward may make the pain worse. The pain gets worse because these movements put more pressure on the nerve.
The location of the pain depends on which disc is weak. How bad the pain is depends on how much of the disc is pressing on the nerve. Some people have pain in both legs. In some people, the legs or feet feel numb or tingly.
What It Feels Like
- Mild or intense back pain
- Shooting pains down one or both legs
- Sharp pain when twisting to the left or right
- Trouble controlling limbs, loss of balance
- Numbness and tingling in feet or legs
- Pain moving or lifting the arms, or moving legs
- Sciatic symptoms
Facet Syndrome
Facet syndrome is a condition in which the joints in the back of the spine degenerate and subsequently cause pain.
The facet joints are found at every level on both sides of the lumbar spine. They provide about 20 percent of the twisting stability in the low back. Each facet joint is positioned at each level of the spine to provide the needed support especially with rotation.
Facet joints also prevent each vertebra from slipping over the one below. A small capsule surrounds each facet joint providing a nourishing lubricant for the joint.
Also, each joint has a rich supply of tiny nerve fibers that provide a painful stimulus when the joint is injured or irritated. Inflamed facets can cause a powerful muscle spasm.
Facet joints are in almost constant motion with the spine and it is quite common for them to simply wear out in many patients. When facet joints become worn or torn, the cartilage may become thin or disappear. The bone in the joint underneath can produce an overgrowth of bone spurs and an enlargement of the joints. When that happens, we say the joint has arthritic changes, or osteoarthritis, which can produce considerable back pain when a person moves. This condition may also be referred to as facet joint disease, or facet joint syndrome.
Herniated Disc
Some of the terms commonly used to describe and injury to the disc that sits between two vertebrae include herniated disc, prolapsed disc, and ruptured disc.
Calling this injury a “slipped disc” is misleading, as an inter vertebral disc is tightly sandwiched between two vertebrae that the disc is actually attached to, so it cannot slip. The disc is actually grown together with the adjacent vertebrae and can become damaged by being squeezed, stretched and twisted, all in small degrees. It can also be torn, ripped, herniated, and degenerated.
What You Notice
Pain from a herniated disc will be more noticeable when you’re active, and seems to get better when you’re resting. Coughing, sneezing, sitting, driving and bending forward may make the pain worse. The pain gets worse because these movements put more pressure on the nerve. The location of the pain depends on which disc is weak. How bad the pain is depends on how much of the disc is pressing on the nerve. Some people have pain in both legs. In some people, the legs or feet feel numb or tingly.
What It Feels Like
- Mild or intense back pain
- Shooting pains down one or both legs
- Sharp pain when twisting to the left or right
- Trouble controlling limbs, loss of balance
- Numbness and tingling in feet or legs
- Pain moving or lifting the arms, or moving legs
- Sciatic symptoms
Inflamation
When you think of arthritis, you think of inflammation. Inflammation is a process in which the body’s white blood cells and chemicals help protect us from infection and foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses. In some diseases, however, the body’s defense system (immune system) triggers an inflammatory response when there are no foreign substances to fight off. In these diseases, called autoimmune diseases, the body’s normally protective immune system causes damage to its own tissues. The body responds as if normal tissues are infected or somehow abnormal.
Leg Pain
Leg pain is a very common complaint many people suffer from. Even though it sounds simple, diagnosing the cause of leg pain can be difficult, because there are so many things that cause it.
What You Notice
You may begin to notice a dull, consistent pain in your leg, and the inability to keep your foot warm. Leg cramping, or “charley horse” spasms causing involuntary contraction of muscles may occur. You may experience imbalance, and swelling of the joints, or arthritic stiffness, or shooting pains from sciatic involvement causing difficulty in sitting or walking.
Other illnesses such as Lupus, Lyme Disease, or bacterial infections can also be the source of pain.
What It Feels Like
- Leg cramps and spasms
- Muscle pain and myalgia
- Numbness and tingling in feet
- Deep throbbing pain
- Numbness and tingling in feet or legs
- Pain moving or lifting the arms, or moving legs
- Sciatic symptoms
Migraine
Type Migraine Therapy into your search engine and be amazed that there are over one MILLION responses! With that kind of PR, it seems strange that every 10 seconds, somebody goes to a hospital emergency room with a migraine headache. Some say that in at least 10% of the population or 1 in 4 homes there is someone who suffers from Migraine headaches. You will find articles and various treatments with which to educate yourself. If you know a migraine sufferer, learn how to help. If you suffer them yourself, you will be pleased to know you have someone on your side to help you deal with a specific Migraine Therapy. Call us and ask about the many Migraine Therapies available. There will be a treatment for you that will make you both happy.
Is It A Migraine?
Symptoms of different types of headaches:
- Affects 18% of women and 6% of men in the USA
- Pulsing or throbbing pain
- Sensitivity to light and noise
- Nausea or vomiting
- Often on one side of the head
- Lasts four hours to three days
Neck Pain
Neck Pain is a very common complaint involving the cervical vertebrae at the top of the spine and just below the base of the skull.
What You Notice
You may begin to notice a dull, consistent pain in your neck, and begin to “favor” the sore side by tilting the head. Mild to intense headaches may occur, as well as problems with vision.
What It Feels Like
- Throbbing and pulsing pain
- Spasms-A sensation of “heavy” rolling within the skull
- Piercing pain strikes behind the eye sockets
- Stiffness and inability to turn head
- Radiating pain down the back
Neuropathy
Neuropathy is a condition that simply means “nerve pain”. A common form is referred to as Peripheral Neuropathy, a disorder that is separate from the spinal cord and the brain, but causes extreme discomfort. Peripheral neuropathy, also called distal symmetric neuropathy or sensorimotor neuropathy, is nerve damage in the arms and legs. Other types of neuropathies include Autonomic Neuropathy, Proximal Neuropathy, and Focal Neuropathy. Most of these nerve conditions are caused by diabetes.
What You Notice
Peripheral Neuropathy produces muscle weakness and loss of reflexes, especially at the ankle, leading to changes in walking. Foot deformities may develop such as hammertoes and the arch may collapse. Blisters and sores may start to appear on numb foot areas due to unnoticed pressure or injury. These injuries can become infected, spreading to the bone, resuling in amputation. It is estimated that half of amputations are preventable if issues are found and treated.
Autonomic Neuropathy affects the nerves of the heart, affecting blood pressure and blood glucose levels. It also affects internal organs, causing problems with digestion, respiratory function, urination, sexual response, and vision.
What It Feels Like
- Numbness, loss of sensitivity
- Tingling and an prickling or burning sensation
- Sharp pains and cramps
- Loss of balance or coordination
- Sensitivity to touch, even light touching
- Shaking and lightheadedness
- High heart rate
- Severe pain in pelvis, eyes, chest, shins, abdomen
- Bell’s Palsy on one side of the face
Post Surgical
Content Following surgeries, other disorders can develop into a “musical chairs” scenario of disorders involving the affected area. We call this “Pain Roulette,” as patients struggle to discover what the next most effective “magic bullet” will be to solve their pain issues.
What You Notice
Following surgery, you may find that there are other pains developing that were not there before; or that the pain you were seeking to get rid of has returned. Some patients also experience an increasing dependence on, and eventually even an addiction to painkilling drugs as they try to cope with the disorder by making their body unaware of the real problem.
What It Feels Like
- Numbness, loss of sensitivity
- Tingling and an prickling or burning sensation
- Sharp pains and cramps
- Difficulty sitting or standing for long periods of time
- Loss of balance or coordination
- Bell’s Palsy on one side of the face
Sciatica
The term “Sciatica” can include a number of different resulting conditions all stemming from a root cause. Sciatica is a set of symptoms including pain caused by general compression and/or irritation of one of five spinal nerve roots, or irritation of the left or right or both sciatic nerves.
What You Notice
You will notice a burning sensation, numbness, or tingling radiating from the lower back and upper buttock down the back of the thigh to the back of the leg. Sciatica can make walking difficult if not impossible.
What It Feels Like
- Shooting pain when walking or bending at the waist
- Sharp stabbing pains when moving the legs in certain positions
- Pain lying or reclining in positions you begin to notice as consistently painful
- Numbness in the feet and toes
- Trouble controlling limb, loss of balance
- Shooting Pains
Spinal Stenosis
Spinal Stenosis is a common back problem as the spine ages. As the spine compresses with age, the bone fans and bulges creating irregularities that can damage the nerves in the spinal cord.
What You Notice
Symptoms will gradually become noticeable, then intensify and worsen over time. Usually, one side or the other of the body is affected, not both. As the symptoms progress, if not treated, they can become intensely painful, and if the injury to the nerve is serious enough, it may kill the nerve, or make healing impossible. Symptoms are more likely to be present or get worse when you stand or walk upright. They will often lessen or disappear when you sit down or lean forward. Most people with spinal stenosis cannot walk for a long period of time.
What It Feels Like
- Numbness, cramping, or pain in the back, buttocks, thighs, or calves, or in the neck, shoulders, or arms
- Weakness of a portion of a leg or arm
- Difficulty or imbalance when walking
- Problems controlling urine or bowel movements
- Problems urinating or having a bowel movement
Whiplash
Whiplash and whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) can be exhibited as a range of injuries to the neck caused by or related to a sudden distortion of the neck called extension. Although it is commonly associated with rear-impact motor vehicle accidents, the injury can be sustained in many other ways, including falls from bicycles, chairs and stools, or even horses. It is one of the main injuries covered by car insurers.
What You Notice
You may notice an immediate pain and aching, or nothing at all in the beginning stages. Whiplash can gradually invade your life with headaches, back and neck pain, memory loss and weakness in limbs. Mild to progressively severely disability has been reported
What It Feels Like
- Mild or intense neck pain
- Stiffness and tension, inability to rotate the head
- Mild or intense headaches
- Migraines, sensory deficits with hearing and smell
- Trouble controlling limbs, loss of balance
- Cerebral blood flow interruption causing dizziness
- Pain moving or lifting the arms
- Dislocation, spinal damage, herniated disc symptoms