by Lovena Suson | Mar 31, 2021 | Pain Management, Senior Health
Gout used to be called the disease of kings, but now it affects more than 8 million Americans from all walks of life. It’s a form of arthritis that can be very uncomfortable and a little tricky to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to several other joint conditions. It is characterized by too much uric acid in the bloodstream and joints causing it to be crystallized and deposited in the joints.
Gout can flare up commonly at night. It is a flare-up. It is very common in the base of the big toe. It is very painful and can cause a very painful gait, difficulty wearing shoes,. Most patients describe it as a sharp, throbbing pain especially with standing up for a long time or walking.
Men are 3 times more likely to develop gout than women, and you could also be at high risk depending on your family history, drinking habits, and other factors.
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Gout usually responds well to medication and lifestyle changes. While most attacks will run their course in a few days to a few weeks, proper treatment can also relieve many of the most troubling symptoms and reduce joint damage.
Learn how to live more comfortably with gout. Understanding your medical options and recommended lifestyle changes can help you to manage your condition.
Medical Care for Managing Gout:
Understand the causes. Your body usually removes excess uric acid when you urinate, but sometimes it can accumulate in your blood and start to form needle-like crystals in your joints. This can be due to your diet or to your body making too much uric acid on its own.
- Spot the symptoms. Many gout patients notice tingling or other sensations before an attack during which the affected joint becomes red, swollen, and painful. In some cases, your joints can be so sensitive that even the pressure of a bed sheet or a breeze can be irritating. 👉👉👉Powerful Pain Relief Through Meditation
- See a specialist. To develop your treatment plan, your doctor may refer you to a rheumatologist. That’s a doctor who specializes in diseases that affect joints, muscles, and bones.
- Get diagnosed. Your doctor may order several tests, but a joint fluid test is the most conclusive. By drawing fluid from your joint and looking at it under a microscope, they’ll be able to tell if the urate crystals associated with gout are present.
- Take medication. There are numerous drugs now available that can treat gout attacks, relieve pain and complications, and help prevent future attacks. Your doctor may also adjust your medication over time if your symptoms change.
- Apply ice. If you want to try managing your pain without medication, it may help to apply ice or cold compresses to sore joints. Keep a cloth or other barrier between the ice and your skin. Foot soaks with Epsom salts have relieved some of my patient’s symptoms. There are commercial portable foot baths now available in drug stores and pharmacies. Some have a whirlpool-like function that is quite soothing to inflamed joints of the foot and even ankles. You can add ice cubes to the water for cooling. 👉👉👉SAUNA VS. ICE BATH: Which One Works Better?
- Continue monitoring. Measuring uric acid levels is an important part of managing gout. Ask your doctor to set up a schedule of regular appointments, so you can stay on track.
Lifestyle Changes for Managing Gout:
- Limit alcohol. Beverages and foods high in a substance called purine can trigger gout attacks. That includes alcohol, especially beer.
- Avoid certain foods. Foods rich in purine include organ meats, red meats, game meats, and some seafood. Some fishes such as tuna, mackerel, anchovies, sardines have a high purine content and should be taken in less quantity and frequency.
- Even salmon is also in this category. Scallops, beer, sugary drinks, high-fat dairy products are also some that have to be avoided. Even some vegetables have a high purine content: asparagus, cauliflower, and spinach. Some fruits that also have a high purine content are dates, prunes, lychees, plums, cherries, and pears.- Check labels for high fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners too. While they’re not high in purine, they can trigger gout attacks.
- Eat healthily. Most of the foods that may help lower uric acid levels are suitable for any balanced diet. That includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains, dairy products, and eggs.
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- Drink water. Staying well-hydrated can also help your body to remove uric acid more efficiently. Drink water with meals and carry a bottle around with you.
- Lose weight. Obesity and related conditions like diabetes greatly increase your risk for gout. Shed pounds gradually with a lower calorie diet and regular exercise.
Great progress has been made in treating gout in recent years. Talk with your doctor about your options and control your symptoms by adjusting your diet, limiting alcohol, and losing any excess weight.
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by Lovena Suson | Mar 28, 2021 | Pain Management, Senior Health
Relieve Arthritis Pain With These Fun Exercises
For many years, people with arthritis were warned to limit their activities to protect their joints. Now, studies show that exercise actually helps ease arthritis pain and stiffness.
Here are some major benefits of exercising with arthritis, and suggestions for how to work out safely.
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The Benefits of Exercising:
1. Maximize your range of motion. People with arthritis often try to cope with the pain by holding their joints in bent positions that feel more comfortable. Unfortunately, this causes further loss of mobility Exercise helps to keep your joints as flexible as possible and prevent further damage.
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There are many gadgets you can use for strengthening your hands: Stress balls, hand gripper exercises, finger bands, etc. Ask a therapist about exercise programs for painful arthritic hands.
2. Strengthen your muscles and bones. Strong muscles and bones provide more support and protection for fragile joints. Weight-bearing exercises build up muscle and thicken your bones.
3. Lose excess weight. You burn a lot more calories when you’re moving around, which of course helps with weight loss. A more active lifestyle will help you reach and maintain your ideal weight without resorting to dangerously low-calorie diets.
4. Improve cardiovascular fitness. Endurance exercises that are gentle on your joints will make your heart work more efficiently without aggravating your arthritis. You’ll feel more energetic and reduce your risk for many health conditions including heart disease and obesity.
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5. Make daily activities easier. Stiff joints interfere with daily pleasures and tasks, from playing with your grandchildren to just buttoning a shirt. Exercise improves your ability to function and live independently.
6. Boost your mood. Living with chronic pain may cause depression. Physical activity elevates your mood and helps you sleep better. You can even make new friends by enrolling in group classes like Tai chi or water aerobics.
Top Exercises for Arthritis:
1. Design a balanced program. A well-designed fitness program includes exercises for flexibility, strength, and endurance. Stop what you’re doing if you feel any sharp pain. This conventional wisdom for exercisers is even more important when dealing with arthritis.
2. Stretch. Daily flexibility moves will help restore your range of motion. Warm-up with a little walking in place and do these exercises in a controlled manner. One simple stretch for fingers is to massage your hands. Then, alternate extending and closing your fingers into a loose fist.
3. Train for strength. Strengthen your muscles with resistance exercises using weights, elastic bands, or your own body weight. For example, target your knees by sitting in a chair and slowly straightening and bending each leg.
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4. Perform low-impact aerobics. Walking, aqua aerobics and stationary bicycles are just a few examples of endurance activities that are easy on your body. Exercising in warm water is especially good because the temperature and buoyancy protect damaged joints.
Additional Safety Tips:
1. Talk with your doctor. Be sure to talk with your doctor before beginning an exercise program to find the best approach for your type of arthritis. Your physician can recommend safe activities and help you avoid injury.
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2. Build up gradually. Start conservatively and progress gradually. When you’re comfortable with walking in water, you may want to add more intense movements like leg lifts.
3. Modify your workouts during flare-ups. Your doctor can advise you about exercising during flare-ups. You may need to rest or modify your program to alleviate pressure on the affected joints.
4. Find the best time of day for you. Many people experience morning stiffness, so experiment to find the best time of day for you. Taking a warm shower first or using a heat pack may also make exercising more comfortable.
5. Work with physical or occupational therapists. Therapists with experience working with arthritis can provide more guidance. They can help you learn to move safely during your workouts and all your daily activities.
Exercise makes it easier to live with arthritis. Manage your pain and stay healthy with safe and regular workouts using activities that you enjoy.
by Lovena Suson | Nov 5, 2019 | Pain Management
A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO MANAGING FOOT AND ANKLE PAIN
Another book published on Amazon. Foot and Ankle pain is a relevant topic, not just for athletes but for all ages. Once the foot hurts, it alters the body’s biomechanics and the pain cycle begins.
Shared in this book are practical approaches for managing foot and ankle. Physical Therapy exercises done for pain with foot and ankle pain. It takes careful consideration to be able to function better, increase strength, balance, and postural tolerance.
Features practical ways to cope with it, using either heat or cold for symptom relief.
EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK:
A foot problem is a significant problem. It affects the tasks of daily living. Walking, running, going up and down steps, driving and the simple joys of life as participating in social and recreational activities we love.
How about a towel to strengthen the foot and toes? And what’s more? Ankle alphabets, static and dynamic exercises with eyes closed and eyes open can change the intensity of an ankle exercise. And, there’s more here!
Cold therapy for the foot and ankle. A frozen water bottle. Corn syrup cold packs. Homemade excellent cold packs. Learn about it here.
Just a few of the helpful tips I share in this book.
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The injuries of the ankle and feet are most common in athletes.
Approximately 21% of these injuries have prolonged morbidity. Each year, millions of Americans come to the podiatrist’s office and complain about swelling, pain, stiffness, and various deformities.
In elderly people, osteoarthritis is a major cause of ankle and foot injuries. It can involve any bone. It causes swelling of the joints and bone enlargement. It is necessary for healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat these injuries appropriately.
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How about a towel to strengthen the foot and toes?
And what’s more? Ankle alphabets, static and dynamic exercises with eyes closed and eyes open can change the intensity of an ankle exercise. And, there’s more here!
Different types of therapeutic exercises are recommended to relieve the pain and strengthen ankle joints. It includes plantar fascia stretches, wall pushes, towel pickup, Achilles tendon stretches.
Cold therapy for the foot and ankle. A frozen water bottle. Corn syrup cold packs. Homemade excellent cold packs. Learn about it here.
A frozen water bottle comes in very handy especially with foot pain from the bottom of the foot.
With a frozen water bottle placed on the floor, the foot is placed on top and rolled forward and backward with a manageable pressure for pain relief.
This simple cryotherapy technique has two benefits: The benefit of a stretch of the longitudinal arch of the foot, as the foot is pushed down. Secondly, the benefit of cold therapy/cryo treatment to help ease pain from inflammation, tenderness of the plantar surface of the foot.
The wonders of an Airex Foam in managing foot and ankle pain.
I am a big fan of the Airex foam when it comes to rehabilitating people with ankle instability, weakness, deficits.
The soft, wavering surface forces the muscles of the lower legs, knees, ankle to contract subsequently during balance shifts to stay in the upright position.
It is low impact and optimizes stimulation, a challenge to the anti-gravity muscles.
There are more Airex Foam exercises featured in this book. The degree of activity intensity can be further challenged by eye-opening or closing.
With the eyes closed, the brain has to work more to keep a body upright. When doing exercises with eyes open or closed, make sure you have something that you can hold on to for safety.
Eyes closed exercises. This can be done with visual elimination to make a foam exercise more challenging.
TRY THESE EXERCISES WITH SUPERVISION;
1. Step up on the foam with feet close together.
2. Place arms across chest, eyes open.
3. Slowly turn the trunk L side, hold this position for 5 secs.
4. Repeat said activity now facing the right side.
5. If you feel dizzy or too unstable on your feet, have somebody “spot you’ for safety.
6. Repeat this exercise as many times as able throughout the day.
Just a few of the helpful tips I share in this book.
I hope the simple tips I shared in this book, here can help someone.
Send me your thoughts!
This book is also available in Spanish:
