FAQ Category: General

Arthritis is a chronic disease and treatment with antiinflammatories can cause significant side effects. That’s why finding alternative ways to treat it is essential. Magnet therapy has been advertised for this condition, but studies are lacking to show if they are safe and effective.

Some published studies support the idea that a static electromagnetic field (SMF) can relieve pain. But there have been conflicting reports, so the data is not consistent. And in all studies, the placebo group also reported less pain when wearing a wrap without magnets.

A recent study from Taiwan showed that a magnetic knee wrap for patients with osteoarthritis is safe, effective, and low cost. Using measures of strength, pain, and function, the patients who used the magnetic wrap showed significant improvement over the control group who wore a placebo wrap.

This low-cost option for home treatment is good news for the many older adults who are limited by their knee arthritis. Getting up from a chair, walking, and going up and down stairs can be very difficult. A simple magnet wrap that can increase strength and reduce pain means better function and improved quality of life.

If this conservative method does not give you the symptom relief you are looking for, there are always other options to look into. Medications, physical therapy, and steroid or hyalurone injections are also available. Talk to your doctor about your plan of care before making your decision. Get all the facts and then apply them to your own individual situation.

You may be referring to a rare condition called man-in-the-barrel (MIB) syndrome. Man-in-the-barrel syndrome (MIBS) presents as complete loss of movement in the arms. This particular symptom is referred to as brachial diplegia. Other symptoms associated with this problem include flat affect (no facial expressions), mild cognitive deficits (decreased mental function), and poor balance while walking. MIBS gives a patient the appearance of being confined within a barrel.

This problem can develop as a result of a loss of blood supply to the region of the brain that controls the arms. The area between the anterior and middle cerebral arteries supplying the temporoparietal region of the brain is the key area affected.

The prognosis for man-in-the-barrel syndrome is usually good. If the blood loss is identified early and treated right away, the condition is completely reversible. That’s why it’s so important for surgeons to be aware of this possible (though rare) adverse effect. Prognosis depends on how severe the blood loss is and how long it lasts. The sooner the blood supply can be restored, the more likely it is that the patient will experience a total recovery.

Sleep disturbances and sleep disorders do seem to be on the rise in the United States. The reasons for this are many and varied and poorly understood. Some people have trouble falling asleep while others have no trouble dropping off to sleep but can’t stay asleep.

Hormone shifts such as occur with menopause are well-known factors in early morning (3 to 5 a.m.) wakefulness. It’s possible that hormone deficiencies or changes have an effect on sleep in patients with fibromyalgia. And since more than 80 per cent of the people who are diagnosed with fibromyalgia are women, there could be multiple hormonal issues involved.

Some experts believe that the electronic age has something to do with sleep disruptions. Research is underway to take a look at this. Poor diet, obesity, sedentary lifestyles and lack of exercise can also contribute to sleep problems.

It’s likely that there are multiple factors with any sleep disturbance. Getting enough sleep is important. If you are having trouble staying awake (or even just attentive) during the day, seek medical help.

There could be a physical reason for your sleep disturbance that could be changed easily. If it’s part of your fibromyalgia and you are having other symptoms, it might be time to review your management program for this chronic condition. Either way, talk with your physician about what’s best for you. Don’t wait until sleep deprivation results in other health concerns.

Heat sensitivity and intolerance are well-known to occur with multiple sclerosis (MS). In other words, when it gets too hot, symptoms associated with MS get worse. This may be due in part to the fatigue that can result from prolonged exposure to high temperatures. High temperatures with high humidity seem to have the worst effects.

Fortunately, this symptomatic response is temporary. As soon as the temperatures are cooled down, the symptoms are relieved. And the opposite is also true. Very cold temperatures and sudden drop in temperature can also cause MS symptoms (especially muscle spasticity) to flare up.

Experts believe that this response to change in temperature occurs because heat causes nerves to conduct electrical signals even efficiently. This is a problem because the outer covering of the nerves (called the myelin sheath) is destroyed by MS. That means nerve transmission is disrupted or slowed. Without those nerve messages, the brain doesn’t keep the body cool (or warm) when it is needed.

People with fibromyalgia tend to do better when temperatures are warmer. This was first noted in response to seasonal changes (e.g., pain levels dropped between January and May). The exact reasons for this are not clear yet. But in general, the influence of temperature on fibromyalgia makes sense since fibromyalgia is linked with dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The autonomic nervous system is the part of your nervous system that controls unconscious functions like breathing, heartbeat, blood pressure, and body temperature.

Whereas patients with multiple sclerosis are told to keep cool, it may be better advice to patients with fibromyalgia to stay warm. This can be done by dressing warmly, keeping the house temperatures at an even temperature according to the season, and exercising. Exercising raises the core body temperature, improves cardiovascular fitness and circulation, and reduces pain associated with fibromyalgia.

You may be describing a problem called man-in-the-barrel syndrome (MIB). Man-in-the-barrel syndrome (MIB) presents as complete loss of movement in the arms. This symptom is referred to as brachial diplegia. The affected individual can feel pain but cannot move in response to it.

There are several possible reasons why someone might develop this problem. It could occur as a result of a loss of blood supply to the region of the brain that controls the arms. Ischemia (blood loss) to the area between the anterior and middle cerebral arteries supplying the temporoparietal region of the brain is the key area affected.

The legs aren’t affected because the corticospinal tracts (spinal pathway to and from the brain) that controls the legs isn’t affected. Experts in brain anatomy say that there are two separate corticospinal tracts: one for the arms and one for the legs. Both can be affected at the same time, but it’s more common for just one area to be affected.

The underlying event leading to this complication could be the sudden loss of blood pressure. Rapid fall in blood pressure can result in brain damage. A previous history of high blood pressure can contribute to the problem. If it happens soon after a surgical procedure, there may be other reasons why this occurs as a complication of the procedure.

Other cases of brachial diplegia have been linked with brain cancer, brain hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, and cardiac arrest. Complications from any surgery but especially spine and heart surgery can also cause ischemia and damage to this area of the brain.

In the case of a spinal cord injury, there isn’t selected brain damage. Instead, the spinal cord (after it has left the brain) has been pressed, cut, or damaged in some way. All sensation and motor control below the damaged area is affected. With today’s new treatments, complete paralysis below the lesion is no longer the rule. Many people experience sparing of function because swelling is kept to a minimum after injury.

Perthes disease (also known as Legg-Calvé-Perthes) is a childhood hip disorder. It can result in a deformed hip with loss of function. Treatment to reshape the head of the femur and keep it in the hip socket is usually successful.

Mild hip pain, slight limp, and leg length difference are commonly reported in adulthood. The leg length difference could be from a couple of different causes. If the head of the femur is flat instead of round, the hip is compressed and the leg is shorter.

If surgery was done and the bone growth was disturbed, the leg can be shorter on that side. In some cases, surgery to shorten or lengthen the muscle/tendon unit results in too much change. Again, the result can be a leg length discrepancy.

Muscle weakness of the hip abductor muscles (muscles that stabilize the pelvis and move the leg away from the body) can result in a lurching or limping gait (walking) pattern. If that’s the case, then an exercise program can help. A physical therapist can assess this problem and prescribe the right exercises for you.

But if it’s caused by a bony or structural change, then surgery may be a possible option. An orthopedic surgeon can examine you and X-rays of your hip to answer this question. It is a good idea to find out what (if anything) can be done now. Years of uneven wear on the joint can lead to arthritis. Treatment early on may be able to prevent degenerative changes that result in painful and disabling arthritis.

The quality of life is a measurement that healthcare professionals use to measure who well or how badly a patient may be doing. Someone who is, medically, having a good quality of life is someone who can move about and do activities without pain or discomfort. Quality of life begins to drop if someone is too ill to get up and enjoy activities, do the groceries, bathe, and so on.

When someone is receiving treatment and it’s been noticed that they have a poor quality of life before the treatment, the healthcare workers will likely be watching for improvements to see if the quality of life is getting better.

Although there are specialists for just about every part of the body, doctors have learned over the years that they should work together to solve a lot of the body’s problems. Rarely is there one physical problem that isn’t somehow affected by or somehow affects another part of the body. Therefore, by working with other healthcare professionals, patients can be treated and kept more comfortable than if each specialist or professional were to do only their job.

A good example of a multidisciplinary team would be a team that works with patients who are being treated for cancer. Usually, the oncologist (cancer specialist) takes care of the actual cancer treatments, but the family doctor still takes care of the patient for the usual type of health issues. In addition, a nutritionist may be involved in ensuring that the patient is eating enough food to encourage healing. A psychologist or counselor may be needed to help the patient cope, and a social worker might be necessary if social services need to be found. And, of course, the nurses who help the patients navigate the system are also part of the team.

What you are describing for your sister’s doctor is a multidisciplinary approach to healthcare. Her doctor has at his or her finger tips, a lot of resources that he may not be familiar with. By having them all under one roof, they professionals can all bounce ideas off each other and work together to help a patient recover.

It isn’t necessarily a better system than referring patients to other professionals, but having a team under one roof often an ideal situation for most.

Most people identify a broken bone with a fall or some sort of accident. A stress fracture happens differently. If someone, like your daughter, is dancing a lot, she is putting a lot of pressure on her feet and legs and the pressure continues over the long hours of practice. After a while, the muscles, which protect the bones, can’t keep up and don’t provide the protection to the bone that the bone is used to. Then, as the dancing continues, instead of the muscles taking the shocks and vibrations, the bones do. After a certain point, the bone can’t tolerate it any longer and breaks.

Hearing that you have a tumor can be very frightening. And, when the doctors use terms like benign or malignant, it can be worse because you might not know what they mean.

Malignant means cancerous. If you have a malignant tumor, you have cancer. Benign, on the other hand, means it’s not cancerous. Many people say “B”enign is “B”etter. However, benign tumor can and do cause problems in many people. They can grow and cause pressure on organs or nerves, causing illness or pain so often they are removed with surgery.

When a tumor is taken out of someone’s body, it is sent to a lab for analysis. There, the doctors check for cancer cells, which are seen under a microscope. If there are no cancer cells, then there is no cancer in the tumor. If the tumor was large, they will likely check sections from different places just to make sure it is the same throughout.

Bony bumps are called exostoses. A more common term for these changes is bone spur. Bone spurs can form as a result of arthritic changes in the nearby joint. Sometimes the uneven pull of a muscle or tendon that attaches to the bone can result in a build-up of bone over many years’ time.

It’s also possible you had a shoulder separation as a child and don’t know it. Or you could have taken a fall and separated your shoulder without knowing it at some point in your adult life. With more severe separations, the ligaments and joint capsule holding the joint together are disrupted.

Without the soft tissue structures to hold the joint in place, there can be some shifting of the structures. With more severe shoulder separations, a noticeable bump can develop on the shoulder. Even with surgery, the bump may remain after recovery has taken place.

If this is something new or if it is getting larger or changing in anyway, you should have your doctor take a look. It may not be anything serious, but early detection and treatment are always advised when a potential problem develops. This can preserve function and save time and money in the long-run.

Women of all ages are more likely than men to have degenerative joint changes associated with osteoarthritis. This doesn’t mean men don’t have their share of arthritic changes affecting the joints. Aging and degenerative changes that come with aging is an issue for both sexes. But studies have linked hormone differences that may account for the gender differences.

Cartilage is sex-hormone-sensitive tissue. There are more estrogen receptors on the facet cartilage of women. The effect of this hormone is to increase motion at the joints. For example, in the lumbar spine, women have more bending motion forward and to the side and more extension backwards. More segmental motion of the vertebrae and facet (spinal) joints leads to more wear and tear and thus, a greater amount of degeneration.

So, in all age groups from early on, women show a higher prevalence of osteoarthritis. Other joint changes may occur after menopause when the estrogen levels drop. But studies to explore and understand the relationship between these two things have not been conclusive.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from severe emphysema or asthma can be very debilitating. And like in your husband’s case, the disease process can be variable. The good news is that studies have shown disability from chronic health problems like COPD can be reversed. The transition to disability can take place quickly. Recovery occurs at a much slower pace.

But the idea that disability is a dynamic process with stages and transition phases in between is a relatively new finding. Identifying these phases has helped us see that people can move in and out of disability states. There are patterns of short-term disability among people with chronic diseases like COPD, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, or hip fracture.

Recovery within a year from the start of the disabling episode is possible if the person is not too frail or too disabled. Those who are in the most severe phase of disability have a smaller chance of recovery compared to people in early stages of disability. Pain and obesity are two risk factors that can slow or delay the process of regaining strength and function.

The most demanding tasks tend to go first. Changing body position (getting in and out of bed, chair, or car) is the first mobility function to be compromised. Physical tasks (cooking, cleaning, self-care) become limited much faster than cognitive function (paying bills, making phone calls).

Physical medicine and rehabilitation experts such as physical and occupational therapists can offer treatment to help your husband regain function and prevent further decline. If you have had hospice, then you are probably familiar with home health services. If your husband is mobile enough to walk and ride in the car, then outpatient services are available. If not, then the home health agency nearest you can provide this type of therapy.

Orthopedic surgeons, doctors who operate on bones and soft tissues like ligaments and tendons, are specialists for the skeletal system. They should be most up-to-date on anything related to orthopedic work. Primary care physicians are the gate keepers of the medical system, so to speak. They have a general knowledge of the human body although, they may have a specific knowledge of certain body systems if they’re interested and study up on it.

General physicians are a great source of health care. That being said, orthopedic surgeons, with their in depth knowledge of the bones and other structures, may sometimes be able to provide a different level of care.

If your mother’s doctor wants her to take residronate, it sounds like she may have osteoporosis, thinning of the bones. People with osteoporosis have a high risk of breaking their bones, especially their hips, wrists, or the bones in their back, the vertebrae.

Although your mother has already had a couple of fractures, if she can tolerate the medication, there’s no reason not to give it to her. It may still do some good in preventing further bone loss, which would make her bones even weaker.

The importance of cost effectiveness of a treatment can’t be forgotten. Some treatments may seem to be the answer to many prayers, but if they’re completely unaffordable, then they’re can’t be considered to be realistic. As well, if there are several treatments, all equally effective, but cost is a factor, it’s important for the prescribing doctors to understand the various costs and benefits.

So, researchers who are investigating the cost effectiveness look at a variety of issues, including the initial outlay for the equipment, how much it will cost to maintain the equipment or keep up the proper amount of medications, and the cost of dealing with any complications that could occur. They also look at how effective the treatments are at helping the patients return to work or become productive again.

Pyomyositis is a bacterial infection of the skeletal muscles. Abscesses form that are filled with pus caused by a staph infection. More specifically, the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus is the major problem.

Pyomyositis can affect any skeletal muscle. Large muscle groups such as the quadriceps (muscles along the front of the thigh), iliopsoas (muscle deep inside the pelvic cavity that flexes the hip), or gluteal (buttock) muscles are commonly affected.

Pyomyositis is rare in healthy individuals. Trauma (sometimes just minor trauma) can start the process that results in pyomyositis. Any immune system problems already present can prevent the body from responding to overcome this infection. People with human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV), diabetes mellitus, cancer, connective-tissue diseases, and cirrhosis of the liver are at increased risk.

Treatment is important. In fact, this is one time when the use of antibiotics early on is especially important. The abscess within the muscle may need to be drained. This can be done percutaneously (through the skin) or with open surgery. Percutaneous aspiration (drawing the pus and fluids out) is done through the guidance of computed tomography (CT) imaging. Draining the abscess is a must if the antibiotic treatment is unsuccessful in clearing up the infection.

That’s a good question because it is possible to give too much of a blood thinner, or anticoagulant. When your doctor wants to give you an anticoagulant, he or she needs some tests done to see how long it takes for your blood to clot. There is a set amount of time that is considered to be normal. If the blood clots too quickly, this can cause blood clots inside your body that can cause severe damage, even death.

Once the doctor has determined that you do need an anticoagulant, then he or she has to decide what type to give you. Once you have begun to receive the anticoagulant, you will get blood tests frequently to monitor how effective the medication is. If your blood still takes longer than normal to clot, the doctor may increase your dose of anticoagulant. If your blood takes too long to clot, the doctor will lower the dose. Sometimes, there may be many dosage adjustments, sometimes they’re rarely needed.