ReeHart – Blogging from the Heart

Posts Tagged ‘back-pain’

At one time or another. people will experience some sort of lower back pain. Many have this problem due to swelling or inflammation or because of poor posture. This common condition is experienced by many people. Because a lot of people experience pain, they will also want to know what it would take to relieve lower back pain.

Some people get back pain from playing sports or from lifting of weights, they also may spend a lot of hours bent over the computer in their offices at work. What ever the reason may be you may be feeling bad because you through your back out. Everyone has times when they have had a back problem that they will need a way to relieve lower back pain.

Most of the time people get back problems from straining or exhausting the muscles in their backs. When you hurt your back you may need to get into your bed and just stay there. In a few cases the pain may be so bad that you need to stay there for a few days. The recommendation whenever you injure you back is to immediately see your physician to ensure that your back injury is not severe. However if you are just suffering from tightening or an aching back then you may try one of the remedies that are included in this article.

You will want to know that many times you will find that the pain you feel in your lower back is due to the fact that you are exhausted, and your muscles need time to relax and to heal themselves. In this situation you will need to take a while and just take a break. This will give you a chance to ease the problems you are having with your back.

An important remedy that could offer your immediate relief is applying ice to the area to help reduce the swelling. Many times after your back gets hurt, then that area may swell as the blood rushes to that area in an attempt to heal it. This swelling may cause pain and make you uncomfortable. When you apply ice to the area, it will keep down the swelling and help the process of healing and may take away most of the pain.

Some people may also try compression in addition to using ice. Using compression offers your muscles support which allows you to get around even when you do have back pain. This can be easily accomplished by using a bandage wrapped arouond your back, so that you can return to work or other normal activity.

Try taking a couple aspirin or another pain killer such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen; take these to help ease the pain. With one this remedy combined with one of the others listed here you will find this particularly effective to relieve lower back pain in instances that are not due to injury or trauma to the back.

Patients recover very quickly from this abdominal operation and it is rare to suffer serious side-effects. Cholecystectomy produces a number of minor post-operative complications so it is important to understand these as well as the rare potential for more critical complications.

The Gall Bladder and its Removal

The liver manufactures bile and this is held in a small pouch behind it, an organ known as the gall bladder. When a person eats a meal the gut has to digest the fats in the food and to assist this bile is released into the digestive system. It is common for small stones of various kinds to develop in the gall bladder and many middle-aged or older people have them. However they are mostly not troublesome and never need surgery.

Gall bladder pain and inflammation can be the result of stones in some cases and stones may exit the gall bladder and lodge in the main bile duct which is the major connecting structure between the gall bladder and the liver. This can lead to jaundice, a yellow pigmentation of the skin, as the stones can block the bile duct and obstruct the flow of bile to the gut. This may be an example of where cholecystectomy may be necessary to correct the situation.

Is Cholecystectomy Harmful?

The gall bladder’s function is only to store bile so its removal allows patients to live an entirely normal life in its absence. Long-term complications should not occur after cholecystectomy.

How is a Cholecystectomy Performed?

Keyhole or laparoscopic surgery is by far the most commonly used surgical method for this operation although about 5 percent of operations involve the open technique with an incision several inches long. There may be several reasons why a surgeon decides that it is safer to employ the open technique and these include if there is a large degree of gall bladder inflammation, making laparoscopic removal unwise. If there is a lot of scarring between the gall bladder and the surrounding organs (adhesions) then open operation may be again preferred.

It is important to be aware that even though the surgeon may start the operation laparoscopic ally there is still a chance that the operation will have to be converted into an open operation and this is what will have happened when the patient wakes.

Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy involves four small incisions through which special surgical instruments are passed into the body. The surgeon is able to see inside using an instrument called a laparoscope. This is a form of telescope with a powerful light to which a miniature video camera is attached. This projects a clear image onto a TV screen allowing the surgeon to see the inside the abdomen and to find and operate on the gall bladder.

The surgeon needs a good view of the abdomen so carbon dioxide is passed into the cavity to increase the room for manoeuvre. An incision below the umbilicus (tummy button) is used to insert the telescope and further instruments are introduced through three smaller cuts below the right ribs. The umbilical incision is used to withdraw the gallbladder and gallstones.

Cholecystectomy via Open Operation

Laparoscopic operation may not always be possible and so an open operation is opted for, with the surgeon making an incision on the right side about ten to fifteen centimetres long under the rib cage. To enter the abdominal cavity the muscles and skin are divided, enabling the surgeon to identify the gallbladder beneath the liver and then remove it. To reduce the chance of a fluid collection in the abdomen a drain can be inserted.

The Anaesthetic

The anaesthetic is usually administered by injecting it into one of the arm or hand veins. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy typically takes about an hour and a long-acting painkiller is placed in the wound sites to reduce the pain experienced by the patient when they come round.

To give some long acting pain relieving cover after the operation the surgeon may use a suppository in the rectum towards the end of the operation. For 6-8 hours before the operation patients are instructed not to eat anything, and not to drink for 2-3 hours prior to the event. Mobilisation of the patient can occur whenever they feel well enough to get up and about and with help initially.

Non-bony Structures in the Foot

The foot does not consist only of bones but also of tendons, muscles and ligaments. Ligaments are tough, relatively non-elastic straps or sheets which are designed to hold bones together. Ligaments allow the intended movements of the joint to occur and give the joint the stability it requires for normal function. Ligament capsules surround all the many joints of the foot, stabilising these joints and allowing the synovial lining inside them to secrete synovial fluid. The plantar ligament underneath and along the foot arch is the largest foot ligament.

The longitudinal foot arch is partly supported by the plantar ligament which holds some of the energy generated in walking and releases it later in the gait cycle to contribute to the spring in our step. Plantar ligament strain gives very painful and sharp symptoms under the foot arch and injuries here can interfere with the supporting functions of the arch. The heel bone carries the attachment of the Achilles tendon, the big and powerful fibrous structure which carries the forces exerted by the soleus and gastrocnemius, the big and powerful calf muscles. The calf exerts the propulsion force we need to run, walk and jump.

The complex nature of walking has been called controlled falling but is managed easily by the majority of humans. Gait is a repeating pattern of specific bodily movements and when we stand still our weight distribution is even between the front and back of the foot. The outside border of the rear of the heel strikes the ground first as the foot contacts the ground, with weight then transferring forwards and inwards towards the big toe and ball of foot. Absorption of some of the load occurs in the plantar ligament, with the arch flattening by some amount and the foot attaining the position of pronation.

As the midfoot contacts the ground and weight is taken here the foot starts to supinate to some degree, turning outwards as the person begins to push up on their toes to take the foot off the ground. The typical movements can be exaggerated in many foot problems to do with gait. If the foot overpronates it turns inwards too much and forces increased pressure onto the big toe which normally takes about 60% of the weight load anyhow. Underpronation is the tendency for the weight to be born on the lateral, outside, border of the foot as the weight proceeds forwards.

Difficulties with Gait

As the body acts as a unit one area can have affects on another. An abnormal gait can be an antalgic gait which describes a walking pattern which is aimed at avoiding pain. There’s a man who lives nearby who walks about just using his hips and knees, his trunk gliding as if he’s on rails. I suspect he has quite severe back pain as he is employing an antalgic gait to avoid too much lumbar stress. Other people who have foot problems may walk abnormally, leading to knock on problems in other areas of the body as they struggle to reduce forces through one particular area.

Foot pain does not typically occur in children and adolescents despite the many forceful activities they pursue. However, if a young person describes a pain problem with their feet it should be noted and action taken to solve a small initial problem as opposed to a later much more major one. In the twenties it is uncommon to report any problems with the feet apart from fungal infections and sport and activity related injuries.

It’s not until we are around twenty years of age until our feet are fully mature and fully ossified. Looking at the feet of young babies it is clear they are fat and bendy, with much of the internal skeleton being made up at this age of cartilage. We can’t see any foot arch due to the fat deposits occupying this area and have to wait until walking commences before the fat reduces in size and we can observe the typical foot arch. Young children commonly also have knock knees but this tends to settle gradually by the time they are 6 years of age. The level of knock knee reduces gradually towards the adult level of seven degrees.

Pain causes the type of uncomfortableness that does not allow you to indulge in any activity comfortably or to focus on your everyday activities. If someone is hurting from arthritis pain, tendonitis pain, a headache, back pain or any type of pain, they will want to find relief as fast as they possibly can so that they can once again get back to their normal activities. If you have been fortunate enough not to have any type of pain, and then you develop some sort of pain, you realize how fortunate you have been, because some pains can completely restrict you from certain types of activities.

Do Pain Relief Creams Work?

Yes and no, depending on the kind of pain you have, but in the largest part, pain relief creams will offer effective and quick relief. There are all kinds of pain relief creams that will work on the specific pain that you are suffering from, and the most common pains are the: back and joint pain, headache, muscle ache and of course arthritis pain.

Pain relief creams work on initial stages mostly when your pain is not chronic. The best part about cream pain relievers are that they target the region of the pain when compared to drugs that have to be distributed into your whole system, but the cream pain reliever must be rubbed into the skin completely to be totally effective and work the quickest.

Different Types Of Pain Relief Creams

Some of the most sought after pain relief creams are the natural types, which are powerful enough to provide you relief and does not have any side effects. If you are suffering from any type of serious health issues, make sure you check with your doctor, but you can purchase most pain relief creams over the counter because they don’t contain any antibiotics.

There are no side effects from pain relief creams but you may encounter skin rashes, especially if you have sensitive type skin; the rashes should disappear normally without any further medication required but if they remain, contact your doctor immediately. Try not to apply more pain relief cream then shown on the tube of the cream as some are strong enough to produce a superficial burn of the upper layer of the skin where applied; using more cream will not get rid of the pain quicker but can create more damage.

Some Other Helpful Ideas

There are some pain relief creams that can have a very strong odor and can leave stains on your clothes and bed linens, so try to avoid this by getting a non-oily pain relief cream, so you can have your pain relieved and you don’t have a mess you have to clean up.