Πόσο επικίνδυνα είναι τα ψηλά τακούνια;

Αν και είναι από τα πιο αγαπημένα γυναικεία αξεσουάρ, θεωρούνται υπεύθυνα για πολλές βλάβες των ποδιών, και όχι μόνο. Τα ψηλοτάκουνα παπούτσια δεν επιτρέπουν την καλή μηχανική και στάση ούτε του πέλματος, ούτε του σώματος.

Τι προβλήματα μπορούν να δημιουργήσουν τα ψηλά τακούνια στα πόδια; 
●   Τα δάχτυλα στραγγαλίζονται και σπρώχνονται μπροστά.

●   Τα μετατάρσια παίρνουν το ρόλο του υποστηρικτή και επιβαρύνονται πολύ.

●   Το υπόλοιπο πέλμα στηρίζεται στην πολύ μικρή βάση του τακουνιού, φθείρεται πρόωρα και πονάει συνεχώς. Επίσης, λόγω αστάθειας, παρουσιάζονται κάλοι και επώδυνες παραμορφώσεις.

●   Το βάρος πέφτει μπροστά, προκαλώντας αστάθεια ή ακόμα και διάστρεμμα της ποδοκνημικής/αστράγαλου.





















Επηρεάζονται και άλλα σημεία του σώματος;
Δυστυχώς τα ψηλοτάκουνα παπούτσια δεν επιτρέπουν την καλή μηχανική και στάση ούτε του πέλματος ούτε του σώματος. Έτσι, επηρεάζουν τη μέση και τα γόνατα, ενώ οι χόνδροι φθείρονται λόγω τριβής και μη σωστής θέσης της επιγονατίδας κατά τη βάδιση. Το μήκος του αχίλλειου τένοντα αλλάζει, λόγω της χρόνιας ανύψωσης της πτέρνας, ενώ πολλές φορές επηρεάζονται ακόμα και ο αυχένας και τα ισχία.

Πότε δημιουργούν πρόβλημα;
Πάντοτε. Απλώς η επιδείνωση σε κάποιες γυναίκες είναι ταχύτερη, ενώ, όταν υπάρχει προδιάθεση/κληρονομικότητα, αυξάνεται και η πιθανότητα να επιδεινωθούν οι καταστάσεις.






















Από ποια ηλικία συνήθως εμφανίζονται προβλήματα;
Τα προβλήματα μπορεί να παρουσιαστούν από νωρίς και να επιδεινωθούν με την πάροδο του χρόνου και με παρατεταμένη χρήση των τακουνιών. Γι’ αυτό είναι σημαντικό να ελέγχονται τα πέλματα από νεαρή ηλικία και να υπάρχει σωστή συμβουλευτική για πρόληψη από τους ειδικούς.

Υπάρχουν τακούνια λιγότερο «επικίνδυνα»;
Το φαρδύ πεντάποντο, σε συνδυασμό με ευρύχωρο μπροστινό τμήμα του υποδήματος, επειδή προσφέρει καλή βάση στήριξης και χρήση σχεδόν όλου του πέλματος.

Κάποιες γυναίκες είναι πιο ευαίσθητες;
Οι γυναίκες με αστάθεια, κακή ισορροπία και αυξημένο βάρος, καθώς έχουν περισσότερες πιθανότητες πτώσης. Επίσης γυναίκες με διαβήτη και αγγειακά προβλήματα έχουν περισσότερες πιθανότητες επιπλοκών από το στραγγαλισμό των δακτύλων, τον ερεθισμό του δέρματος και τη διαμόρφωση κάλων.



















Γενικά φοράτε ψηλά τακούνια μόνο για όσο είναι άκρως απαραίτητα και σας προσφέρουν «κομψότητα» σε συγκεκριμένες περιστάσεις.

πηγη http://www.ygeiaonline.gr/

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Εναλλακτικές Θεραπείες

 

 Η ενημέρωση γύρω από τις ονομαζόμενες «παραϊατρικές ειδικότητες» είναι ελάχιστη. Η πληροφόρηση ελλιπής και ενίοτε διαστρεβλωμένη. Οι περισσότεροι άνθρωποι δε γνωρίζουν και δικαίως ζητούν να μάθουν αλλά με τρόπο έγκυρο και αξιόπιστο. Βασική αφορμή γι’ αυτό το κείμενο είναι η απόσταση, αυτό το είδος απόστασης που οδηγεί σε αδράνεια.

Στην Ελλάδα, βάσει της ελληνικής νομοθεσίας, εναλλακτικές μέθοδοι θεωρούνται αυτές που μπορούν να χρησιμοποιηθούν αντί της συμβατικής ιατρικής, μπορούν να κάνουν διάγνωση και να δώσουν θεραπευτική αγωγή. Τέτοιες είναι η ομοιοπαθητική και ο βελονισμός. Συμπληρωματικές μέθοδοι ονομάζονται αυτές που συμπληρώνουν – συνοδεύουν την συμβατική ιατρική ή την εναλλακτική μέθοδο για ταχύτερα αποτελέσματα. Αυτές δεν κάνουν διάγνωση και δε συστήνουν φαρμακευτικές αγωγές. Η ρεφλεξολογία, η αρωματοθεραπεία και πολλές άλλες ανήκουν σ’ αυτή την κατηγορία. Η λέξη θεραπεία και τα παράγωγά της λίγο-πολύ δεν επιτρέπεται να χρησιμοποιούνται από αυτούς που ασκούν αυτές τις μεθόδους. Δεν πρέπει να ισχυρίζονται ότι θεραπεύουν κάτι συγκεκριμένο αλλά με την προσέγγισή τους φροντίζουν όλο το σώμα. Αυτά ανήκουν στο τυπικό σκέλος.

Στη συνέχεια του κειμένου, χωρίς πρόθεση να αναιρέσω τα παραπάνω, θα χρησιμοποιώ τον όρο «εναλλακτικές θεραπείες» για όλο το φάσμα αυτών των μεθόδων. Οι λόγοι είναι η συντομία και η ευρεία χρήση του όρου που τον καθιστά εύκολα αναγνωρίσιμο και κατανοητό.

Υπάρχει μια μεγάλη λίστα εναλλακτικών θεραπειών. Κάποιες έχουν αρχαία προέλευση και κάποιες άλλες είναι περισσότερο σύγχρονες. Αυτές που έρχονται από τα βάθη των αιώνων εφαρμόστηκαν για πρώτη φορά από αρχαίους πολιτισμούς. Στην αρχαιότητα, η στενή επαφή των ανθρώπων με το φυσικό τους περιβάλλον οδήγησε στη μελέτη και παρατήρησή του. Αντιλήφθηκαν ότι ο άνθρωπος αποτελεί μέρος ενός μεγάλου συνόλου. Οι ίδιοι κανόνες που υπάρχουν γύρω του διέπουν και τον ίδιο. Η ισορροπία των στοιχείων του φυσικού κόσμου κρατάει και τον άνθρωπο σε ισορροπία. Οποιαδήποτε διατάραξη αυτής της ισορροπίας οδηγεί σε διαταραχή, δηλαδή σε ασθένεια. Οι ιατρικές μέθοδοι της εποχής, από την Ασία μέχρι την Αμερική, στηρίχθηκαν σ’ αυτή τη γνώση και οδήγησαν τους θεραπευτές σε φυσικές μεθόδους ίασης των ασθενών.

Αιώνες αργότερα, στην Ευρώπη αρχικά και στη συνέχεια σε όλο το Δυτικό κόσμο, αυτή η πορεία της ιατρικής ανατράπηκε την περίοδο του Μεσαίωνα. Η αρχαία γνώση πολεμήθηκε σφοδρά και σχεδόν εξαφανίστηκε. Κατάφερε να επιβιώσει μόνο μέσα από οικογενειακές παραδόσεις και ελάχιστους πρακτικούς ιατρούς.

Για πολλά χρόνια, οι εναλλακτικές θεραπείες, παρέμεναν στο σκοτάδι. Στην Ασία, η χρήση τους δεν έσβησε όπως στον υπόλοιπο κόσμο και συνέχισαν να τις εφαρμόζουν. Σ’ αυτήν την περιοχή του πλανήτη βρήκαν καταφύγιο για  αιώνες και έγιναν μόνιμο κομμάτι της κουλτούρας αυτών των λαών. Ευρωπαίοι, όπως ο Marco Polo, οι οποίοι ταξίδεψαν στην ανατολή εκείνη την εποχή έχουν γράψει γι’ αυτές και τα οφέλη που δέχθηκαν.

Ουσιαστικά, η επανεμφάνισή τους στη Δύση συνέβη τον 20ο αιώνα. Άλλες νωρίτερα και άλλες αργότερα, άρχισαν να γίνονται όλο και πιο γνωστές. Στην αρχή, η έλευσή τους έγινε με δόσεις μυστικισμού και αποκρυφισμού. Εξαιτίας αυτής της διάθεσης δημιουργήθηκαν δύο ισχυροί, αντίθετοι πόλοι: η θεοποίηση και η δαιμονοποίηση. Δυστυχώς, συμβαίνει μέχρι σήμερα…

Η γνώση που έρχεται να συμπληρώσει μια άλλη γνώση οφείλει να είναι ευπρόσδεκτη, ειδικά όταν πρόκειται για την υγεία. Είναι ανόητο να πιστεύουμε τυφλά στην αρχαία γνώση και να απορρίπτουμε οτιδήποτε άλλο. Είναι το ίδιο ανόητο να απορρίπτουμε ολοκληρωτικά την αρχαία γνώση και να πιστεύουμε σε οτιδήποτε άλλο.

πηγη http://www.physio-aid.gr/

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Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a condition, described in medical physiology, as the presence of pain in the fibrous tissues and muscle (fibro- fibrous tissue; myo- muscle; algos- pain in Greek and Latin language) due to several reasons. This disease is primarily characterized by chronic pain and allodynia, which is characterized by extreme and heightened painful response to the tactile pressure.

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Knee Injuries in Basketball

Basketball is an exciting, fast-moving sport. Unfortunately, what makes the game exciting to watch and exhilarating to play also makes it a high-risk sport for knee injuries. Running with sudden stops, cutting side to side, jumping, and pivoting can injure your knee. Although there are risks of knee injury, it's still a great game, so before you jump in, you should know the risks and what you can do to prevent injury.

The largest joint in the body, the knee, is made up of the lower end of the femur (thighbone) and the upper end of the tibia, or shinbone. The patella, or kneecap, slides in a groove at the end of the femur. Ligaments at the end of the femur and tibia connect the bones and help stabilize and support the knee. Tendons connect the muscles to the bones, and the cartilage inside the joint helps to cushion and absorb shock to the joint and to give stability to the knee.

A sprain or strain can occur when there is a direct blow to the knee or when there is a sudden, stressful movement that affects the knee. A sprain or strain can also develop from overuse of the joint or when you place too much stress on the knee for a long period of time. Often, with a sprain or strain the tissues become irritated, causing pain and swelling.

Sprains
A sprain is a stretch or tear of a ligament. More serious sprains involve complete tears of one or more of the knee ligaments. A common knee sprain involves the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Changing direction rapidly or stopping abruptly while running can cause the twisting motion that tears the ACL.

If you sprain your knee, you may hear a popping or snapping sound at the time of injury. Afterward, pain seems to come from within the knee, especially with movement. You will not be able to bear weight on that leg, and you can experience swelling and fluid behind the kneecap. You may also hesitate to place weight on the knee because it feels loose or unstable.

Strains
Strains are defined as a partially or completely torn muscle or tendon. With knee strains, you may feel symptoms similar to a sprain and may see bruising around the injured area.

Patellar tendinitis, or jumper's knee, is a common strain that usually results from overuse. Jumper's knee is an inflammatory condition that causes pain in the front of the knee. The extensor mechanism, which includes the quadriceps muscle and patellar tendon, connects the patella (kneecap) to the femur (thighbone) and the tibia (shinbone) (Fig. 2). Patellar tendinitis begins as inflammation of the patellar tendon where it attaches to the patella. It can worsen by continual tearing or from degeneration of the tendon.

Treatment
You should rest your knee at the first sign of a sprain or strain. Immediately after injury, apply the RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation) method. You should rest your knee as much as possible, apply ice packs for a couple of days to bring down the swelling, use compression, such as an ACE bandage, and elevate the leg on a pillow. For inflammation and pain, your doctor may prescribe anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin or ibuprofen.

Treatment for knee injuries, such as severe sprains or strains (where a ligament or tendon is more seriously stretched or torn), may involve using a knee splint, immobilizer, or cast, and using crutches for a few weeks or months.

Depending on the injury, your doctor may suggest rehabilitation for your knee injury. Working with a physical therapist, you will do specific exercises designed to take your knee through its range of motion to prevent stiffness and scarring as your knee heals. You may also need to do regular exercises to strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee.

Injury prevention
To prevent knee injuries, always wear appropriate protective equipment during practices and competition. Kneepads and shinguards will help to protect your knee from injury. You'll also want to make sure you wear supportive shoes that are in good condition and are appropriate for the basketball court.

During workouts, always warm-up and cool down, and remember to increase your training intensity slowly. You might try weight lifting to strengthen your muscles and use stretching exercises to improve your flexibility because strong flexible muscles help support and protect joints. Warm-up with jumping jacks, a stationary bike, or running or walking in place for 3 to 5 minutes. Then slowly and gently stretch, holding each stretch for 30 seconds. After an intense workout, practice, or competition, slow down your heartbeat and stretch your muscles again to cool down. Do not suddenly increase the intensity or duration of your workout because it can lead to an overuse injury. If you play only one sport, maintain coordination and balance by training year-round even if it's at a lower intensity than during your competitive season.

The way you move can also help to prevent knee injuries. When you jump, bend your knees when you land to take pressure off the ACL. When you cut laterally or pivot, crouch at the hip and bend your knees to reduce your chance of ligament injury.

Never play through the pain of a sprain or strain. A minor injury can become a more serious injury that requires surgery if left untreated. A minor sprain or strain may keep you off the basketball court for a few weeks, but a major injury may keep you out of the game the entire season. Always see your doctor at the first sign of knee injury. You'll be glad you did.

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What Is a Motor Unit?

A motor unit consists of one alpha motor neuron together with all the muscle fibers it stimulates. Since the human body contains, on average, 250,000,000 muscle cells and approximately 420,000 motor neurons, a motor unit will generally consist of a single motor neuron paired with many muscle fibers. In strength training, the early strength gains seen by novices are often not gains in size or number of muscle fibers, but activation of motor units that had been previously dormant.

The motor neuron is a specialized type of nervous cell that runs between the central nervous system and the muscles. Neurons typically consist of a cell body — the axon — and the dendrites. If a neuron were to be seen as a tree, the axon would be analogous to the trunk and the dendrites to the branches. Neurons found within the brain normally have relatively short axons, but neurons that are part of a motor unit — because they must connect to the muscles of the body — have elongated axons that run through the spinal cord, and out to the associated muscle fibers. Each muscle fiber is connected to a particular dendrite, and it is through the dendrites that messages are relayed between the central nervous system and the muscle fiber.

Muscle fibers are elongated cells, specialized to carry out the functions of the specific muscles of which they are a part. This is true of the cardiac muscles of the heart, the smooth muscles that make up the lining of many internal organs, and skeletal muscles. Only skeletal muscles, however, are under conscious control. The size and shape of the muscle fiber is dependent upon its function, with the smooth muscle cells being flattened and tile-like; skeletal muscle cells, long and rope-like; and cardiac muscle cells having some properties of the other two.

A single muscle usually consists of a number of motor units working together, known as the motor pool. When the central nervous system requires that a muscle contract, an electrical signal is sent along the motor neuron, stimulating the muscle fibers to contract. Normally, each contraction is followed by a brief period of relaxation of the muscle fibers, and this pattern repeats in a wave-like pattern, known as a twitch. Skeletal muscle fibers can be divided into slow twitch and fast twitch fibers, depending on the length of time required for contraction and relaxation to occur. Slow twitch fibers are associated with endurance, while fast twitch muscle fibers are associated with power.

Individuals may have a preponderance of one type of muscle fiber or the other, or a combination of the two. All the muscle fibers within a motor unit will be of a single type, meaning either fast twitch or slow twitch. This may include up to 1,000 muscle fibers, as in the large quadriceps muscles of the thigh, or fewer than ten, as seen in motor units requiring a high degree of precision, such as the muscles that control eye movement.

Upon contraction, the smallest motor unit, that is, the one associated with the fewest muscle fibers, is the normally the first activated. As the contraction progresses, larger motor units are brought into play. Efficient muscle contraction depends on the motor units within a muscle working effectively together. Regular physical training makes this kind of coordination easier.

Occasionally, a motor unit will receive a series of rapid contractile stimulations in such quick succession that the motor pool has no time to enter the relaxation phase of each twitch. When this occurs, it can build up to a state of maximal contraction, known as tetanic contraction. Significantly stronger than a natural twitch, tetanic contraction can result from a number of causes, such as illness or an adverse drug reaction. One of the more well-known reasons for this phenomenon is associated with tetanus infections.

Article First Found Here: http://bit.ly/16sixZ7

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Hip Fracture

What is a hip fracture?
A hip fracture is a break at the upper end of your upper leg bone. This bone is called the femur, or thighbone. The fracture happens where the femur meets the pelvic bone.

Hip fractures are a serious injury. Most occur in women after menopause. Nine out of ten hip fractures occur in older adults.

How does it occur?
Hip fractures usually result from a fall. You are more likely to break your hip if you have osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a thinning and weakening of the bones that can happen as you get older. Weak bones break more easily. Other diseases, such as cancer and kidney disease, may also weaken the bones and make it easier for them to break.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of a broken hip may include:

severe pain in the hip
not being able to put any weight on the injured leg
stiffness, bruising, and swelling in the hip
a leg that has gotten shorter or turns inward or outward
Any time an older adult falls and is unable to get up or stand on both legs, a hip fracture should be suspected. If you fall and cannot get back up, someone should call 911 or an emergency medical service right away. No one should try to move you until medical help arrives.

How is it diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider will review your medical history and examine your hip. Often the fracture is obvious from the abnormal position of the hip and leg.
An X-ray may show the fracture. (It will also show osteoporosis if you have it.) Sometimes an MRI scan is needed to see a fracture that does not show up on X-ray.

How is it treated?
Treatment without surgery
In some cases the hip may not be treated with surgery. For example, if the ends of the broken bone are impacted (pushed together firmly) by the fall, the bone can heal naturally. In this case, your healthcare provider may prescribe painkillers, bed rest, and physical therapy for a few weeks to allow healing. A broken hip may also be allowed to heal without surgery if you were previously not able to walk because of other medical problems.

Treatment with surgery
Most often after a hip fracture, the ends of the bone are separated and out of line. When this happens, surgery is needed to either repair the bone or replace the hip joint. The choice of surgical treatment depends on where the break is and any other medical conditions you may have. Usually the surgery is done no later than 2 days after the break. Sometimes you may have to wait longer than 2 days if you have other medical problems.

One type of treatment is pinning or screwing the broken pieces back together. This can be done with a metal plate put alongside the bone with screws into the bone (called plate and screws). Another treatment is sliding a metal rod through the center of the bones so that they come back together (called pinning). Pinning is the most common way to repair a hip fracture.

The other major treatment is having a total hip replacement. This treats hip socket arthritis and the hip fracture at the same time.

Your surgeon should discuss your treatment choices with you, your family members, or whomever you have appointed to help you with healthcare decisions.

How can I take care of myself?

Follow the treatment plan prescribed by your healthcare provider and physical therapist.
Use a cane or walker if you have been advised to do so.
If medicine to help prevent blood clots has been prescribed for you, be sure to follow your healthcare provider’s instructions for taking this medicine.
Follow your healthcare provider's recommendations for controlling osteoporosis.
How can I help prevent a hip fracture?

You can help prevent hip fractures by making your home safer, strengthening your bones, and exercising to get stronger. Talk to your healthcare provider about ways you can make your home safe, have stronger bones, and prevent falls. Ask about the types of exercise that might be best for you.

Also talk to your healthcare provider about the medicines you are taking. Some medicines, or changes in your medicines, can increase the risk of falling.

Try to have and keep a healthy weight. If you smoke, quit.

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Hip Bursitis

What is hip bursitis?
Bursitis is irritation or inflammation of the bursa. A bursa is a fluid-filled sac that acts as a cushion between tendons, bones, and skin. There is a bump on the outer side of the upper part of the thigh bone (femur) called the greater trochanter. The trochanteric bursa is located over the greater trochanter. When this bursa is inflamed it is called trochanteric bursitis

How does it occur?
The trochanteric bursa may be inflamed by a group of muscles or tendons rubbing over the bursa and causing friction against the thigh bone. Your Iliotibial band goes from the iliac crest of your pelvis down the outer side of your thigh and attaches just below the knee. A tight Iliotibial band can lead to trochanteric bursitis. This injury can occur with running, walking, or bicycling, especially when the bicycle seat is too high.

Trochanteric bursitis may also be caused by a fall, by a spine disorder, by differences in the length of your legs, or as a complication of hip surgery.

What are the symptoms?
You have pain on the upper outer area of your thigh or on the side of your hip. The pain is worse when you walk, bicycle, or go up or down stairs. You have pain when you move your thigh bone and feel tenderness in the area over the greater trochanter.

How is it diagnosed?
Your healthcare provider will ask about your symptoms and examine your hip and thigh.

How is it treated?
To treat this condition:
Put an ice pack, gel pack, or package of frozen vegetables, wrapped in a cloth on the area every 3 to 4 hours, for up to 20 minutes at a time.
Take an anti-inflammatory medicine such as ibuprofen, or other medicine as directed by your provider. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs) may cause stomach bleeding and other problems. These risks increase with age. Read the label and take as directed. Unless recommended by your healthcare provider, do not take for more than 10 days.
Follow your provider’s instructions for doing exercises to help you recover.
Your provider may give you an injection of a corticosteroid medicine.
While you are recovering from your injury you will need to change your sport or activity to one that does not make your condition worse. For example, you may need to swim instead of running or bicycling. If you are bicycling, you may need to lower your bicycle seat.

How long do the effects last?
The length of recovery depends on many factors such as your age, health, and if you have had a previous injury. Recovery time also depends on the severity of the injury. A bursa that is only mildly inflamed and has just started to hurt may improve within a few weeks. A bursa that is significantly inflamed and has been painful for a long time may take up to a few months to improve. You need to stop doing the activities that cause pain until your bursa has healed. If you continue doing activities that cause pain, your symptoms will return and it will take longer to recover.

When can I return to my normal activities?
Everyone recovers from an injury at a different rate. Return to your activities depends on how soon your leg recovers, not by how many days or weeks it has been since your injury has occurred. In general, the longer you have symptoms before you start treatment, the longer it will take to get better. The goal of rehabilitation is to return to your normal activities as soon as is safely possible. If you return too soon you may worsen your injury.

You may safely return to your normal activities when, starting from the top of the list and progressing to the end, each of the following is true:

You have full range of motion in the injured leg compared to the uninjured leg.
You have full strength of the injured leg compared to the uninjured leg.
You can walk straight ahead without pain or limping.
How can I prevent trochanteric bursitis?

Trochanteric bursitis is best prevented by warming up properly and stretching the muscles on the outer side of your upper thigh

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