Thursday, September 15, 2011

Portable Ultrasound – A Portable Treatment solution

The Achilles tendon is one of the most important tendons present in a human body. Basically, it’s the Achilles tendon that joins the calf muscle with the heel of the foot. The achilles tendon is present in lower part of the leg of a man. Tendonitis Achilles is commonly caused due to excessive strain or pressure put on the Achilles tendons. According to diverse researches, such injuries are common among sportsmen, especially with the athletes. Nonetheless, people with flat foot also suffer from tendonitis achilles.

The gastrocnemius muscle or the calf muscle forms a criss-cross pattern around the knee, ankle and subtler joints of the leg. Moreover, the Achilles tendon is considered the weakest tendon in the human body. It is due to this fact that the Achilles tendons remain exposed to every type of strains and pressures. Although tendons are normally very strong in nature, but it gets injured easily because of the continuous strains put on them. This is mainly due to the excessive physical activity.

Tendonitis Achilles is one sort of clinical condition that describes the ruptures or the injury of the Achilles tendons. Tendonitis Achilles is also commonly called athlete’s foot because most of the sports people get this injury since they undergo strenuous physical activity that causes the Achilles tendon to work under high pressure.          


Today, there are different kinds of treatments widely available for tendonitis Achilles. Surgeries are the most common treatment for a tear in the Achilles tendons. But with the introduction of portable ultrasound therapy treatment of the tendonitis Achilles has become much easier these days.
The best thing about the portable ultrasound devices is that such devices can be used after an injury or even as a post operative therapy. Since today’s portable ultrasound devices are patch based they don’t require any professional medical help to use it. These devices enable the patient to recover fast. This easy to use device is effective, safe and has high compliance that adds to its advantages.

The major beneficial features of a portable ultrasound device include:
a.       Therapies for soft tendon injuries as well as pain in the muscles.
b.      Improve the blood circulation in that particular area.
c.       Heals the wound with fast acceleration
d.      It is portable and hands-free. Thus, portable ultrasound is also known as user friendly in nature.
e.       The device provides slow release ultrasound therapies.
f.        Can be used anytime and anywhere and even while sleeping.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

What is Urinary Catheterization?

Urinary catheterization is the process of inserting a catheter into a person’s bladder through his or her urethra. Urinary catheters then act as the medium through which urine from the bladder collects in bag or a container attached to the catheter.

Urinary catheterization is performed for a variety of reasons—to maintain urine output in patients who are undergoing some surgical procedure, to monitor the output of urine in severely ill patients, and on bed-ridden patients who are unable to physically use the bedpan. In particular, urinary catheterization is done on patients suffering from chronic or acute urinary retention problems, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and other bladder and prostate conditions. Certain other medical conditions like dementia, multiple sclerosis, and injuries to the spinal cord also demand the use of urinary catheters on patients. They are also inserted on patients to inject them with liquids used for treating or diagnosing bladder conditions.   

Urinary catheters may be permanent (indwelling catheters) or temporary ones that are removed after every catheterization process. A Foley catheter is an indwelling type which sits in place with the aid of a balloon at the tip. The balloon contains sterilized water and is usually made of silicone or natural rubber. On the other hand, the Robinson catheter is a temporary or intermittent catheter that does not have a balloon at its tip and hence cannot stay in place.

Urinary catheterization is considered a sterile medical procedure and hence must be performed only by qualified medical professionals or care givers. Self-catheterization is also possible and is in fact, a viable option for patients who require intermittent catheterization. However, these patients must be thoroughly trained in the process by a qualified professional.

Urinary catheterization comes with the risk of patients developing urinary tract infection (UTI). So health care professionals and the patients themselves must ensure that the catheter is kept clean and absolutely free of bacteria at all times. In fact, health care professionals should make it a point to educate the patients on the maintenance and care routine, like cleansing the region from which the catheter exits the body, the catheter itself, and cleaning the hands before disconnecting the drainage bag or container from the catheter.

Proper insertion of the most suitable catheter and careful maintenance ensures that urinary catheterization is a painless process.


About Achilles Tendonitis

Achilles tendonitis is a medical condition. It is related to inflammation and irritation of large tendon in the back of the ankle. Achilles tendonitis is considered amongst the common injuries which tend to take place with the recreational athletes. The overuse of Achilles tendon may cause the inflammation which can lead to swelling and even pain. However, the reasons of Achilles tendon tear can be different.

Achilles tendonitis is often distinguished from the other common Achilles tendon conditions called the Achilles tendinitis. Patients diagnosed with the Achilles tendinitis suffer from the chronic Achilles pain and swelling as a result of the microscopic, degenerative tears within the tendon. The 2 major causes of the Achilles tendonitis include overpronation and lack of flexibility.

The other factors which are associated with the Achilles tendonitis include the recent changes in the footwear and changes in exercising the training schedules. More often the long distance runner will have the symptoms of the Achilles tendonitis after the increasing the total amount of the hill training that they are doing.

As people gets older, tendons like the other tissues present in the body becomes much more rigid and less flexible and hence susceptible to the injury. Therefore, the middle age recreational athletes are much susceptible to the Achilles tendonitis.

Achilles Tendonitis and its Symptoms

The major symptom connected with Achilles tendonitis is a pain felt behind heel. The pain is often prominent in area about two to four centimeters above where tendon attaches to heel. The pain is prominent in areas about two to four centimeters above tendon which attaches to the heel. In such location, the supply of blood to tendon makes the area particularly susceptible.

Patients with disease Achilles tendonitis generally experience most pain after some periods of inactivity. Therefore, the patients tend to experience the pain after the first walk in morning or when you get up after sitting for a long time. Patients will even experience serious pain when participating in such activities like jumping and running. Achilles tendonitis pain connected with exercise is most important when jumping and pushing off.

For Achilles tendonitis treatment, the X-rays are generally carried out to evaluate the possible conditions of Achilles tendonitis. The Achilles tendonitis treatment actually starts with the resting of tendon to allow inflammation to settle down. In much serious conditions, proper rest can be required.

The other methods of Achilles tendonitis treatment include application of cold therapy, proper rest, wear in the heel pad to raise heel and to take some strain off Achilles tendon. This must only be one temporary measure while Achilles tendon is curing. Be sure that you use the right type of running shoes for your own foot type and sport.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Trigeminal Neuralgia - Basic Facts

Tendonitis Achilles: Symptoms and Causes

Tendonitis Achilles or Achilles Tendonitis is referred to as an inflammation of Achilles tendon. Such injury is found to be common in the younger people who are more into sports or athletics. However, it is also common for the people who are involved in sports. The treatment includes non-steroidal, rest and anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and the physical therapy.

Achilles tendonitis is common among the professional athletes and the weekend athletes. However, it is even common among people not involved in the sports. It’s a ‘common overuse injury’, the treatment of which necessitate good amount of rest, physical therapy, non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and avoiding all activities which can worsen the condition.

The common symptoms of Tendonitis Achilles include:

  1. Difficulty in walking- severe pain which makes walking impossible.
  2. Tenderness, swelling and warmth of Achilles tendon
  3. Severe pain in the back of your heel.

Explaining tendons:

Tendon is described to a group of connective tissue which attaches muscle to the bone. Achilles tendon is considered the biggest tendon present in the body. It anchors the calf muscles to heel bone or ‘calcaneus’ and is considered significant because it permits you to lift your heel when you begin to walk. It also assists you to run, walk, and stand on the tiptoe.

The common causes of the Tendonitis Achilles include:

  1. Footwear: Wearing the shoes with the minimal support while running or walking can improve the risk as can wearing the high heels.

  1. Arthritis: The Achilles Tendonitis may be a part of the generalized inflammatory arthritis, like psoriatic arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis. In such conditions, both the tendons may be affected.

  1. Obesity and overweight: Being overweight can place much more strain on several body parts.

  1. Overuse injury: The overuse injury occurs when Achilles tendon is found to be stressed until it develops the small tears. The runners appear to be most vulnerable. People those who play sports which involve jumping, like basketball.

  1. Foot problems: Some people with hyper-pronated or flat feet are prone to the Tendonitis Achilles. The flattened arch pulls on the calf muscles to keep the Achilles tendon under the tight strain. The steady mechanical stress on heel and the tendon can cause pain, inflammation and swelling of tendon. Being overweight may make problems worse.

  1. Quinolone Antibiotics- This can in certain instances be linked with the inflammatory tenosynovitis and, if present, will be often bilateral (both Achilles) coming on soon after the exposure to drug.


For more information about therapeutic ultrasound and surgery for trigeminal neuralgia visit our website.

Knowing about Trigeminal Neuralgia

Trigeminal Neuralgia is a disease which is characterized by the acute pain in the face. The main reason behind the pain is that the veins of the face swell up. In most of the cases the pain is transferred to the whole face including the forehead and cheeks and eyes and lips and mouth. This is an abnormality which has to be controlled from getting into the brain. A person will be in a bad condition if this reaches the brain. Both surgery and medication are the ways to cure the disease. The most important thing in the Trigeminal Neuralgia is a correct diagnosis because most of the doctors think Trigeminal Neuralgia to be either toothache or migraine and the medication for these are obviously very different. Hence it is very important to go to a very good doctor who has knowledge about Trigeminal Neuralgia. 

The disease of Trigeminal Neuralgia is very common in women and less known in men. The problem of Trigeminal Neuralgia is due to nervous disorder but has nothing to do with heredity. It has been seen that out of every fifteen thousand individuals one suffers from Trigeminal Neuralgia. People should not neglect this and must visit a proper doctor for the best diagnosis. If the disease can be diagnosed at the early stage and the problem can be solved through medication the patients need not go for the surgeries also.

Anticonvulsants and antidepressants are the medicines prescribed by the doctors to cure Trigeminal Neuralgia along with other pain killers. The process of treatment of Trigeminal Neuralgia is long and hence the course of the medicine has to be completed in order to get good results for the disease. Most of the patients get cured by the proper medication and correct diagnosis. But there are some very acute cases where the patient needs to go for the surgeries which come for the later stage of the treatment process.

There are many alternative medicines available as far as the treatment process of Trigeminal Neuralgia is concerned. People have got good results with these too.  There are people who have to visit the doctors for surgeries also. These are the people who have a very acute disorder of Trigeminal Neuralgia. Most of the people get cured by just one sitting but the patients who do not have to undergo several surgeries for curing this Trigeminal Neuralgia. The disorder must not be neglected and a treatment process must be carried out at the earliest.


For more information about tendonitis and CAUTI treatment visit our website.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Causes and symptoms of Trigeminal Neuralgia

One of the twelve cranial head nerves, Trigeminal nerve is the supplier to the upper eye lid and the lower chin. A disorder of this nerve supply causes facial pain and headache, the symptoms of which are classified as Trigeminal Neuralgia.  The nerve disorder is also known as tic douloureux.

Causes of Trigeminal Neuralgia

Although no clear cut reasons for the symptoms of nerve disorder have been suggested but physicians suggest the following possible reasons.
  1. Physicians are of the belief that the symptoms of the nerve disorder start to appear when the nerves passing through the openings of the skulls to the face, get subjected to shocking changes. This causes demyelination of the nerve cell. Demyelination is the term used to describe the compression of the cell as a result of loss of conductive coating over the cells. This exposes the nerve fibres to irritation or pain as a result of compression by other larger nerves or blood vessels.
  2. Biochemical changes in the nerve cells might also be the cause of pain and facial nerve disorder.
  3. Doctors also suggest that the facial nerves get compressed by an abnormally sized blood vessel. This causes damage of the nerve cells leading to pain and some times inflammation.
  4. Clinical tests conducted at the period of extreme pain suggest that the Trigeminal Neuralgia symptoms are caused when the inner nerve fibres of the cranial nerve, called axon, gets damaged due to trauma or shock.

Symptoms of Trigeminal Neuralgia

The syndrome of Trigeminal Neuralgia can be identified by the following symptoms.
  1. The syndrome has small trigger zones on the face, like the cheek, nose and the lip that when stimulated causes a typical explosion of pain. This trigger might be caused due to any of he following stimulations-
    1. A slight touch to the trigger zone.
    2. Eating and chewing processes also subject the nerve to trigger off pain.
    3. Common routine activities like washing face, brushing, talking etc.
    4. Adverse weather conditions like windy and cold weather or very hot weather with loo hitting the face.
  2. The syndrome has several related health implications. For example the short burst of pain makes people stop taking food and this leads to malnutrition, weight loss and dehydration.
  3. The bursts of pain become unbearable but in the periods between the pain, patients remain pain free. A slight continuous aching has however been reported by many patients.

Read more about physical therapy ultrasound treatment.