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Coping With Ankle Arthritis

September 30th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

If you have ankle arthritis, not only is the condition painful, but it can also make you unsteady on your feet.

There are a number of causes of ankle arthritis, and a case of this condition can often be attributed to a specific event or injury. This means that if you suffer an injury to your ankle in your earlier years of life, arthritis is a condition that you should be on the lookout for as you age. The good news is that there are a number of possible treatment options for this condition, and they can range from changing your footwear to a variety of surgical options. Your doctor will be the best source of information in diagnosing and treating your ankle arthritis.

There are a number of reasons why you might be diagnosed with ankle arthritis, and one of the most common is a previous injury to the area, such as a sprain or fracture. These types of injuries can lead to damaged cartilage in the ankle, and may result in accelerated arthritis in the joint as well. It is also possible to develop arthritis in your ankle if you are overweight and placing undue stress on the joints. Another possible cause of ankle arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis that can spread to any of the joints of the body, including the ankle joint.

Symptoms of ankle arthritis include pain, stiffness and swelling around the ankle joint. You may also notice that you develop bone spurs in the area, or that the joint itself becomes deformed. Another symptom of this type of arthritis is the feeling that the joint will give out, or you may feel that you are not completely stable on your feet. If you are noticing any of these symptoms, you should talk to your doctor about the possibility that you have ankle arthritis and begin weighing your treatment options.

Treatment for ankle arthritus

Treatment for ankle arthritis can range from gentle strengthening exercises like yoga, to medication and cortisone injections, and even surgery in some cases. One of the first treatments that you can try is a simple modification of your footwear. Many who suffer from ankle arthritis find relief from the pain by simply using cushioned insoles inside of their shoes.

If a simple process like this does not help to ease your discomfort, your doctor can advise you in the use of anti-inflammatory medications and may prescribe cortisone shots for particularly severe pain. In some cases, surgery will be the best treatment for ankle arthritis, and this can range from arthroscopy to fusion surgical procedures.

If you suspect that you might be suffering from ankle arthritis, talk to your doctor today about a diagnosis and your treatment options. You will be glad you did.

Common causes of headaches

August 13th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

It’s normal to experience the occasional headache. There are literally hundreds of possible causes for headaches. Some are the result of underlying medical problems, such as (in rare cases) brain tumors or cerebral aneurysms. But the most common headaches have common causes.

In many cases, simple eyestrain (such as from working too long at the computer) can produce a headache. In other cases, ordinary inflammation of the sinuses (due to head cold or allergy) can be the cause. Overuse of certain prescription medicines can produce a headache of a type labeled, appropriately enough, MOH (medication overuse headache).

Though the exact cause isn’t known in every instance, constriction of blood vessels is thought to be the culprit in a range of cases. Pain-sensitive nerve fibers in the head line blood vessel walls. When they contract (or dilate) the nerves are activated, sending signals to the brain. Ironically, the brain itself can’t feel pain since it has no pain-sensitive nerve cells within it. Tension-type headaches or cluster headaches are the result.

But blood vessels can dilate as well as contract. When they do, so one theory goes, migraines and cluster headaches can be produced. Current research suggests that there are other, perhaps more important, factors at work in migraines.

Tension headaches can result from other causes, such as tension in the muscles of the neck, shoulder and even the jaw. Those who’ve experienced TMJ disorder (a condition resulting from tension of the temporomandibular joint, in which the jaw tightens against the skull) are familiar with this last.

In more serious cases, headaches are the result of some underlying disease, where they are labeled ’secondary headaches’. This happens when a patient suffers from encephalitis or brain cancer, for example. But the list of diseases that can cause headaches is also lengthy. Everything from irritable bowel syndrome to rabies or scarlet fever can be the culprit.

In many cases, environmental factors are at work. Carbon monoxide poisoning, resulting from a gas of the type produced by automobile exhaust, can cause severe headaches. In fact, headache is one of the chief symptoms of the condition. Allergies, such as sensitivity to pollen, are the problem for some. Lead poisoning is a potential cause of headaches, though less a problem these days. Food poisoning is still fairly common, though.

Even when food isn’t actually toxic in general, such as being laced with a bacteria, certain individuals may be sensitive to compounds that won’t affect people in general. Such common foods as chocolate or cheese can cause headaches in some. Caffeine has long been known to produce headaches when taken in too large a quantity. Some preservatives, such as monosodium glutamate, can produce headache pain. Red wine, even in moderation, does it for some.

But position, posture and other controllable factors may well be some of the most common causes, especially today. As more and more people use computers on a daily basis, more people are producing neck tension, jaw stress, eyestrain and facial tightening. Any of these can produce a headache if the circumstances persist, as they often do for information workers.

Approximately 85%-90% of headaches are common tension headaches, and they are typically the result of one or more of the above. That means, in the overwhelming majority of cases, the cure is simple and within your control.

What causes Arthritis Pain?

July 16th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Pain is a natural response of your body to injury, and it’s necessary because without the warning that pain gives, the injury can become greater.

People who suffer from arthritis will often experience joint pain and stiffness to the affected joint. There are two types of arthritis pain; acute pain which temporary in nature and chronic pain which is either recurring or permanent.

Acute arthritis pain can flare up and last for a few hours or a few days. This type of pain becomes less intense as an area heals. Chronic arthritis pain is often severe and never goes away permanently. Chronic pain can often be controlled but is never cured. It is this type of pain that will often limit a person’s activities. With time and age, people who suffer from arthritis pain will probably see an increase in the pain as well as a decrease in daily activities.

The degree of arthritis pain will vary from one individual to the other. Some will only experience inflammation of the joints while other will also have inflammation of the tendons, which is known as tendonitis. People who develop tendonitis will experience more pain than those who only have joint pain. Often the amount of daily activity will affect the amount of pain one experiences.

People who have been diagnosed with arthritis will need to stay under the care of their doctor to help them control their symptoms. The more information you can provide your doctor the better he will be able to help you.

Before your visit you need to keep a diary of your activities. This diary should include when you felt pain and the degree of that pain. Most doctors will ask you to rate your pain on a scale of 1 to 10. They will also ask you to describe you pain such as aching, stinging, burning, etc. Keep up with the times of day when your pain is worse. Also keep up with your diet and the foods you have eaten since some foods will trigger arthritis pain.

Your doctor will also want to know if anything helped ease the pain. Things such as ice packs, heat packs, or over the counter analgesics may help with pain reduction. By providing your doctor with a full picture of when and how the pain is occurring will help him understand what is going on and how best to treat it. Early treatment will provide you with the best chance of arthritis pain control as well as preventing joint damage.

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