April 2022

Neck pain is not just a slight pain that you always have. When it comes to neck pain, there are several reasons for it and several ways to get rid of them. No one wants to be in the middle of work and suddenly feel their head go numb because they’ve done something wrong with their neck. Neck pain means that you need to determine its cause and take action immediately. An experienced pain management physician specializing in treating neck pain in Northern Virginia can help you get relief from your condition. This article looks at some of the common causes of neck pain. Read on to learn more.

• Poor Posture

If you have a habit of slouching, then it is time that you quit that. The constant slouching causes your neck muscles to strain. This means that these muscles will shorten and tighten up, making the surrounding area stiff. Over some time, this may cause pain in the back of your neck and also down into your shoulders.

Slouching also pinches the nerves in your neck. This pressure on these nerves can be excruciating and even lead to numbness or tingling down the arms.

• Osteoarthritis

This is the number one reason for neck pain in people over 50. Arthritis is inflammation of joints, which can cause stiffness and swelling in the muscles around it. If you have arthritis, you will likely experience painful inflammation in the hips, shoulders, or even knees. This pain may also radiate into the neck area that can become very uncomfortable. If you are diagnosed with osteoarthritis, your doctor will recommend appropriate medications to ease the pain.

• Degenerative Disc Disease

Another prevalent cause of neck pain is degenerative disc disease. This condition is similar to osteoarthritis, but it happens when discs get damaged due to their stress over time. Instead of inflammation, you will feel a great deal of stiffness or pain that radiates into your shoulder area with this condition. If there is irritation, you may experience tingling, numbness, or ulcers forming on the skin.

• Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis is an age-related condition that can affect your neck region. If you suffer from this disease, you may start feeling tingling or even weakness in your shoulders and arms. If left untreated, this may lead to loss of function in the extremities, like carpal tunnel syndrome.

• Herniated Disc

If there is a herniated disc in the spine, then it can put pressure on the nerves in your neck and cause pain. This usually leads to a stabbing sensation near your shoulder or upper arm. The pain gets worse with any movement. If you are suffering from this condition, your doctor will recommend immediate treatment by way of surgery.

• Cancer

Most people don’t associate neck pain with cancer. However, it is one of the significant causes of neck pain that can even lead to death if left untreated. The most common type of tumor that affects your neck region is lymph nodes. This may be caused due to throat cancer or prostate cancer. Whenever you experience this condition, seek immediate medical attention so that your doctor can determine the cause of it.

In summary, neck pain is extremely uncomfortable and can interfere with your daily activities. Some of the most common causes of neck pain include arthritis, spinal stenosis, herniated discs, and cancer. If you are suffering from this condition, you should seek immediate medical attention.

 

Food supplements such as SNAC nutritions for example, also known as dietary supplements, complement your general nutrition, a concentration of nutrients, or other substances that have a physiological or nutritional effect. Supplements are available in pill, capsule, powder, or other forms.

What Kind Of Supplements Are There?

There are many different types of dietary supplements on the market, and they can be divided into the following categories:

Vitamins and provitamins: 

folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E, B vitamins

Macro elements and trace elements:  calcium, magnesium, iron, chromium

• Carbohydrates: Compounds of fructose and glucose
• Flavonoids
• polyphenols, carotene, lycopene
• Vegetable extracts: pomegranate extract, cranberry extract

Enzymes: enzymatic hydrolysis of proteins and sugars, such as lactase

• Vitaminoids: substances with an action similar to vitamins such as flavonoids, coenzyme Q10
• Amino acids and derivatives: L-arginine, L-carnitine, taurine
• Mineral supplements: silica, dolomite
• Other food supplements: probiotic cultures, yeast extract

Do I Need Food Supplements?

If you follow a balanced diet, you probably do not need dietary supplements. Still, there are times in life (such as growth, pregnancy, lactation, or old age) when many people need more vitamins, minerals, trace elements, and the like. These are some of the times when supplements should be taken. Some diseases, restrictive diets (such as vegan), food sensitivities (such as lactose intolerance), or heavy alcohol or tobacco use can lead to nutritional deficiencies. Supplements can have a positive effect on the symptoms of many diseases.

That is good to know

Before taking dietary supplements, you should take a blood test and discuss the results with your doctor. If you already get enough nutrients through your diet, you don’t need to take supplements. Do you have nutritional deficiencies? Depending on the degree of deficiency, your doctor may recommend that you include certain foods in your diet or may prescribe supplements.

How Much Should I Take?

Supplements contain substances with a transformative function in the body: they influence metabolism, cell division, and cell growth. Because of this, an overdose can be dangerous.

Multivitamin overdose can damage your organs. Too much vitamin A can cause skin and liver problems; too much vitamin C can negatively affect your digestion or cause kidney stones; too much vitamin K can decrease the effect of anticoagulants.

Where Can/Should I Buy The Supplements?

Today, in supermarkets, Para pharmacies, or pharmacies, you can buy food supplements everywhere. But here’s the danger: many of these substances are poor quality or contain the wrong dosage. We should be cautious with plant extracts because they can have a negative effect on essential processes in the body. You should only buy supplements recommended by professionals, such as at the pharmacy.

What Does The Science Say About Taking Supplements?

The results of several studies have shown that taking dietary supplements preventively does not provide any health benefits, nor does it guarantee that you will live longer. It’s the other way around: as discussed above, taking too many supplements or when you don’t need them can cause health problems.

It is necessary to define where Phytotherapy can help in maintaining health. As a complementary therapy, it cannot be seen as an adversary, substitute, or even alternative to traditional medicine, but rather as an ally that complements enhances, or helps its conventional therapies. There are many examples in medicine where traditional therapies can benefit either through prevention or the effectiveness of treatments, or improving the patient’s well-being. In this way, complementary therapies tend to be an option, and with them, the area of ​​Phytotherapy.

As already noted, modern herbal medicine combines traditional herbal medicine with the most advanced research in medicinal plants and is open to innovation.

The increase in the consumption of herbal products can also be associated with the dangers of the abusive and irrational use of synthetic pharmaceutical products that can have very serious side effects are increasingly being questioned, and they seek to replace them with medicinal plants. The evidence of therapeutic action also favors this dynamic.

Quality Assurance

Today, Phytotherapy is no longer based on its traditional use, contrary to what happened before. Studies increasingly support it as rigorous as conventional medicine with the same quality, efficacy, and security criteria. There is a set of requirements that a product must fulfill to be approved for sale on the market, with the primary objective of guaranteeing the well-being and safety of the consumer.

The prerequisites for ensuring quality in herbal medicine go through the standardization process, which begins during the cultivation of the fresh plant, continuing through validated production processes to result in a product that contains the constituents of the fresh plant in a stable composition. Nowadays, legislation regulates the production of different herbal health products.

What Is Natural? Is It Bad?

The use of plants for therapeutic purposes without proper guidance is a concern that must be considered by health professionals, as well as by all those involved in health education, given the incidence of species with a record of toxicity and contraindications in its use. Thus, the risk of intoxication caused by its misuse must always be considered. Care in the prescribed dosages and care in the precise identification of the material used can avoid accidents.

The false idea that everything that is “natural is good” or, as it is so often said, that “plants are not harmful to health” must be clarified by health professionals in the community. From the crossing of information obtained with bibliographic data, it can be concluded that a large part of the plants mentioned as being of therapeutic use in different populations presents some type of toxicity or contraindication for use in specific population groups.

The absence of information about some plants does not necessarily mean the absence of toxicity or contraindication, but it may be associated with the lack of studies in this regard.

Herbal preparations, despite being “natural,” are not harmless. Its possible negative effects are generally due to its active constituents’ pharmacological characteristics and dosages. Herbal medicines or preparations can be potentially toxic if misused and as a substitute for conventional medicines. In this way, both users and doctors or other health professionals must be able to make the best risk-benefit assessment before using or advising any drug or herbal product.

The use of health products such as PaylessKratom kratom capsules for instance derived from plants is complex because it results from an interaction between numerous components creating the global effect of a single extract. In this way, the rational and thoughtful choice and use is a huge advantage in maintaining health and preventing a series of health problems, leading to a lower incidence of minor pathologies that greatly impact global health and the economy.

Arterial disease is a condition in which fatty deposits – known as plaque – build-up on the inner walls of arteries. This condition leaves narrowed, hardened arterial walls that can be difficult for blood to flow through. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) refers to peripheral artery diseases affecting smaller vessels outside the heart or brain, such as those leading to the arms, legs, and pelvis. PAD is a serious concern because peripheral arteries carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart through the body’s network of arteries and veins to organs and tissues like muscle, skin, and bone. As such, you need to treat it seriously and visit a Davenport peripheral arterial disease specialist as soon as you develop any symptoms.

Causes

PAD is caused by the accumulation of plaque that narrows arteries over time. The causes are usually multifactorial, involving a complex interplay between heredity, lifestyle, and environmental factors such as smoking and high blood pressure. Some people develop PAD in their 30’s and 40’s without having any recognized risk factors for atherosclerosis, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

Symptoms and Detection

While PAD can be symptom-free, patients may experience pain or cramping in the leg muscles during walking (claudication). Claudication is brought on by physical activity and is usually relieved by rest. But if left untreated, artery disease will progress, and symptoms may become more noticeable. If you are suffering from peripheral arterial disease, you may develop symptoms such as :

• leg cramping or pain when walking
• restlessness and tiredness in the calf muscles during exercise because of restricted blood flow
• skin that itches feels numb or looks pale or blue due to a lack of circulation
• ulcers that develop on the feet and legs if not treated properly

The best way to detect PAD is through a simple medical examination. Your doctor will perform a physical exam to look for PAD signs, check your pulse and blood pressure, and order more specialized tests such as an ankle-brachial index (ABI), which compares the blood pressure in your arms to that in your legs. A low ABI value indicates arterial disease.

Treatment

The treatment of PAD is dependent on how severe your symptoms are, your overall health, and your risk factors for atherosclerosis. For example, if you have diabetes or high cholesterol, it’s essential to keep these conditions under control to prevent further narrowing of the arteries. If you smoke, talk to your doctor about ways to quit.

In some cases, PAD can be treated with angioplasty and stenting in which narrowed or blocked arteries in the legs are widened by a balloon-tipped catheter inserted into an artery under local anesthesia. This procedure usually takes about two hours, and patients can go home after one to three days.

In summary, PAD is the narrowing of arteries, making it difficult to flow. If not treated properly, the symptoms can be leg pain while walking (claudication) and ulcers on the feet and legs. If you have PAD, you may treat the condition through angioplasty and stenting, a procedure used to widen narrowed or blocked arteries in the legs. Lifestyle changes can also help.

Neuromas are becoming more common in Colorado Springs, Colorado, like in many parts of the world. It’s a condition that affects the nerves and can cause pain, numbness, and tingling in the feet. It is often caused by compression of the nerve fibers and can be very painful. In most cases, Colorado Springs neuroma specialists will try conservative treatment first, such as physical therapy.

What Causes Neuroma?

A neuroma can be caused by several factors, including injury to the foot, hereditary conditions, tumors or other growths on the nerve, and certain health conditions. Some of the most common causes include:

• Compression – any pressure on the affected nerve can cause a neuroma. It often arises from too-tight shoes, bones in the toes, and nerve entrapment.
• Infection – certain bacteria can infect a nerve and cause a neuroma to develop.
• Ciguatoxin – this toxin comes from fish that have been contaminated with algae. It is most common in tropical waters where people eat raw or undercooked fish.
• Trauma – a severe injury can cause a neuroma to the foot.
• Hereditary neuropathy – certain inherited conditions make people more likely to develop a neuroma.

How is the Neuroma Treatment?

A neuroma is treated with surgery in most cases. The surgeon will remove the portion of the nerve that has become enlarged due to compression or other factors.

Several nonsurgical treatments can treat neuroma, including:

Medications 

Physicians may prescribe certain medications to help reduce swelling and inflammation around the nerve area affected by the neuroma. Some physicians may inject a corticosteroid (steroid) into the neuroma area to reduce inflammation.

Proper Footwear 

Wearing the appropriate shoes for your feet can significantly reduce the amount of pressure placed on them, thereby reducing neuroma symptoms. Find new footwear with a broader toe box. Try to wear footwear with a flexible sole whenever possible. 

Stretch the plantar fascia and calf muscles before exercising or playing sports. It may also be helpful to add arch supports, orthotics, and braces for any other conditions that may cause neuroma symptoms, such as hammertoe deformities or bunion fusion surgery.

Physical Therapy 

Exercising and stretching the foot muscles can help relieve stress on the nerve. Physical therapists are trained to help patients develop an exercise plan that will work for them.

Custom Orthotics

Orthotics are devices that are designed to fix foot function problems. They can be accommodating in relieving stress on the feet and preventing neuroma from developing. If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, you may benefit from custom orthotics:

• Pain in the ball of the foot
• Numbness or tingling in the toes
• Swelling around the toes
• Reduced range of motion 

Can Neuroma Be Prevented?

There are several ways to prevent neuroma from developing or help keep neuroma from getting worse. It includes wearing the correct size shoes and avoiding standing or walking barefoot on cold surfaces. Remember to stretch and exercise your feet to keep them healthy regularly.

A neuroma is a condition that affects the nerves and can cause pain, numbness, and tingling in the feet. It is often caused by compression of the nerve fibers and can be very painful. However, there are a few nonsurgical treatments that may help to relieve symptoms. It’s crucial to learn several ways to prevent neuroma from developing or help keep neuroma from getting worse.

Your body needs to maintain high physicality and performance in the field; however, sometimes, it may fail you. You would feel tired after long hours in the field or develop injuries due to overused joints, muscles, tendons, and connective tissue. So, what do you do when the demand on your body overwhelms you? It is advisable that you reach out to a sports medicine specialist in West Orange near you who can guide you to improve your physical health and performance in the field. You should see a physical therapist who can develop customized treatment for sports injuries.

They Prevent Athletic Injuries

The physical therapist will teach you the correct techniques which improve your health and prevent injuries. The ligaments, muscle injuries, and broken bones might slow down sports performance. The sports therapist will assess your strength and limitations and develop a customized training program that does not strain the tissues.

The Doctors Offer Immediate Pain Relief

Engaging in aggressive sports without hurting your joints is possible if you engage in physical therapy. The doctor will help you develop the proper techniques which prevent strain during aggressive sports. They will educate you about using hot and cold packs to treat damaged areas. Needling might help alleviate pain, and the sports therapist would use it for physiotherapy pain. The treatment reduces muscular tension, and targeting the painful areas might improve your life. These rapid pain treatment options help reduce the reliance on opioids for pain management, impacting an athlete’s performance in the field.

The Doctor Would Treat Athletic Injuries

Your sports doctor will treat athletic injuries; although the doctor will do everything to prevent the sports injuries, accidents do happen on the field. Contact injuries are severe, and a regular doctor might not treat the contact sports injuries effectively. A sports doctor will treat the injuries and suggest physical activities that increase joint motion range.

Sports Medicine Improves Relaxation

A sports doctor will emphasize the importance of relaxation after a field activity; relaxing might be as crucial as warm-up exercises. It helps your body unwind after strenuous activities; the relaxation allows your muscles to regain energy and improve your health. You can replenish your energy with relaxation at the end of the day. However, you should not take prolonged time away from the exercises, as you would need frequent exercises to perform effectively in the field.

Sports Medicine Enhances Physical Strength

Your sports doctor and physical therapist will help build your physical strength. The therapist will strengthen ligaments, tendons, muscles, and joints. Physical strength will improve your performance in the field, making it easy to reach your full potential. The enhanced physical strength will help you withstand physical stress during sports.

Final Thoughts

Sports overuse of joint muscles, tendons, ligaments, and tissues results in wear and tear. Unfortunately, your primary caregiver might not treat the sports injuries effectively, and they would recommend a sports doctor and therapist. Sports doctors would improve your physical strength, educate you on the proper techniques that reduce sports injuries, and offer immediate relief for sports injuries and pain. Good luck finding a sports injuries doctor who will deal with your issues effectively.