Arthritis is a condition that can cause stiffness, pain and swelling in joints and other supporting structures of the body such as bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Some forms of arthritis may affect other parts of the body, including various internal organs. There are many different types of arthritis including osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease), rheumatoid arthritis psoriatic arthritis gouty arthritis and septic arthritis Arthritis can affect anyone at any age. Arthritis treatment often includes physical therapy and exercise. Physical therapy and exercise can help arthritis sufferers in many ways. The primary goal is to improve functional capacity to help reduce pain and fatigue associated with daily activities. Increasing the range of motion of a joint is the primary focus of physical therapy.

Physical therapy and exercise for arthritis focuses on pain relief, and in restoring function and movement. Physical therapy programs may provide therapeutic methods, including physical techniques and activity modifications. A physical therapy program consisting of manual therapy and exercise benefits patients with arthritis.

Gentle exercise helps to prevent bone loss and osteoporosis. Lifting weights is a beneficial exercise for arthritis and for joint support. Physical therapy and exercise reduces joint pain and stiffness, builds strong muscle around the joints, and increases flexibility, muscle strength, cardiac fitness, and endurance.

Some of the exercises prescribed for people with arthritis:

o Range-of-motion exercises (stretching or flexibility exercises)
o Strengthening exercises
o Water exercises
o Recreational exercises
o Endurance or aerobic exercises

Physical therapy and exercise helps to:

o Maintain normal joint movement
o Strengthen muscles around the joints
o Strengthen and maintain bone and cartilage tissue
o Improve overall ability to do everyday activities
o Maintain weight to reduce pressure on joints
o Keep bone and cartilage tissue strong and healthy

Depending on the severity of arthritis, a physical therapist may suggest either isometric or isotonic exercises. A combination of manual physical therapy and exercise is more effective to reduce pain, dysfunction and stiffness in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Contrary to the popular belief, periodontal diseases, not tooth decay, are the main cause of adult tooth loss. These diseases, caused by bacterial infection in the gums, ligaments and bones, can be cured quite easily by periodontal therapy. Although painless, periodontal diseases can occur at any age and the progress of the diseases differs from person to person.

Periodontium is the name for the specialized tissues which surround and support a tooth. The periodontium helps maintain the tooth’s position on the maxillary, or mustache bone, and the mandibular or inferior maxillary bone. The four tissues that make up the tissue are alveolar bone, cementum, gingiva or gums and periodontal ligament. Periodontics is a dental subject that deals specifically with the care and maintenance of periodontium.

Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy
Also called conventional periodontal therapy, this kind of treatment is essential for the removal of dental plaque and calculus. The elimination of the inflammation-causing etiologic agents will control bacterial growth that encourages gum diseases. When gum diseases are diagnosed in the early stages, periodontal treatment, by itself, might cure the problem. If the diseases is at an advanced stage, one might require to undergo certain other procedures before the therapy such as, substituting worn out filling and crowns with overhanging margins. The margins will help in accumulating the plaque.

There are three forms of cleaning treatments include:

Scaling and Root Planing (SRP)- Periodontal scaling process includes elimination of stain, plaque and calculus from the crown and below. Root planing involves removal of rough cementum and surface dentin that in embedded in the calculus. Antibiotics – An adjunctive cleaning option to the former, antibiotics in the pill form can be consumed to control bacterial growth. An antibiotic powder or an anti-bacterial mouthwash can also be effective in eliminating germs.
Laser in Periodontal Therapy
Lasers are increasingly being used for the purpose of periodontal therapy. Lasers are used as an additional treatment SRP in order to improve the efficacy of the procedure. Lasers, when used as an adjunct to the non-surgical periodontal therapy, causes less bleeding or swelling; thereby, making the treatment process less painful and uncomfortable for the patient.

Treatment for aching bones, joints and

Osteoporosis affects millions of people and is the second biggest health problem worldwide. Osteoporosis is the condition wherein the bones lose mass and the bone tissues deteriorate. Osteoporosis makes bones thin, fragile, and highly susceptible to fractures.

How does osteoporosis occur? The body continuously eliminates and creates bone cells. As a person grows old, usually starting in the 30′s, the body’s process of creating bone cells becomes slower than the process of removing them resulting in a great deficit in bone mass. In addition to aging, other factors that make a person at risk of osteoporosis are smoking, sedentary lifestyle, early menopause, and family history.

Known as a silent disease, osteoporosis manifests itself only when the condition is already serious. Most people who suffer from osteoporosis had no idea they had the disease until they experience a fracture or severe pain in the back. What most people are not aware of is you can prevent this disease early in life through exercise and daily calcium intake.

For those at risk of developing osteoporosis or already diagnosed with it, physical therapy for osteoporosis is one of the best ways to fight this disease. Many qualified physical therapists specialize in the treatment of osteoporosis. Physical therapy for osteoporosis begins with a thorough physical evaluation where the therapist identifies restrictions, imbalances and, specifically, what activities and movements the patient is capable of or is limited to doing. The evaluation serves as the basis for the creation of a customized physical therapy program

Physical therapy for osteoporosis patients without a fracture includes strengthening exercises and resistance exercises intended to increase bone mass and make bone-supporting muscles stronger to help prevent fractures. To ease the stress on your bones, your physical therapist will also teach you about body balance, body mechanics and posture. Your therapist will also work with you to find out if there are any risks to you at home and at work such as specific activities that can lead to bone fracture.

Physical therapy for osteoporosis patients suffering a fracture involves specific exercises and other treatment methods designed for pain relief and bone strengthening as well as prevention of fractures in the future.

In addition to exercises, physical therapy for osteoporosis may also include massage, manual therapy, exercises such as Pilates, tai chi and yoga and heat and cold therapies for pain management.

Physical therapy for osteoporosis seeks to strengthen bones, increase flexibility and manage pain. It also increases the patient’s awareness of the body and develops responsibility for their own health.

Our body is comprised of 206 bones. The flesh covers the outer part of the bone. Without bones our body won’t get any shape. It is the rigidity of the bone that designs the structure of our body. The sudden and fast improper growth of cells in the bones results in the bone cancer.

There are no specific causes for this cancer. But a few factors may result in bone cancer; the effect of radiation or chemotherapy performed earlier, genetic or may be hereditary.

The most common symptom in the case of this cancer is the pain prevailing over the body. The pain increases immensely with increase in the size of the tumors. The bones even get weak by the tumors and may even lead to fracture, heavy sweating in night time and fever are also seen.

The bone cancer can be identified with the help of CT scan and MRI scans.

The most common bone tumors are Osteosarchoma, Ewing’s sarcoma, Chondrosarchoma, Histiocytoma, Fibrosarcoma, Chorodoma

Most of the time surgery is the best way to treat the this cancer. During surgery, the whole tumor part is removed completely. After the surgery gets over, the pathologist checks whether the normal bone is present or still there is some signs of the cancer. If the remains of the cancer are traced then amputations are used to cure the bone cancer.

The other two methods are chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Chemotherapy is employed before the surgery to reduce the size of the tumor so that it will be easy to perform the surgery. Also if traces are left behind after the surgery the same method can be used to remove the cancer cells permanently. Also radiation therapy is preferred.

Radiation therapy employs high energy X-rays for this purpose. The x- ray radiations exposed into the body kill the cancer cells.

Some of the most used alternative methods of bone cancer are; acupuncture, massage therapy, herbal products, vitamins and special diet, meditation and spiritual healing.

Ultrasound is a therapeutic modality that has been used by physical therapists since the 1940s. Ultrasound is applied using a round-headed wand or probe that is put in direct contact with the patient’s skin. Ultrasound gel is used on all surfaces of the head in order to reduce friction and assist in the transmission of the ultrasonic waves. Therapeutic ultrasound is in the frequency range of about 0.8-1.0 MHz.

The waves are generated by a piezoelectric effect caused by the vibration of crystals within the head of the wand/probe. The sound waves that pass through the skin cause a vibration of the local tissues. This vibration or cavitation can cause a deep heating locally though usually no sensation of heat will be felt by the patient. In situations where a heating effect is not desirable, such as a fresh injury with acute inflammation, the ultrasound can be pulsed rather than continuously transmitted.

Ultrasound can produce many effects other than just the potential heating effect. It has been shown to cause increases in tissue relaxation, local blood flow, and scar tissue breakdown. The effect of the increase in local blood flow can be used to help reduce local swelling and chronic inflammation, and, according to some studies, promote bone fracture healing. The intensity or power density of the ultrasound can be adjusted depending on the desired effect. A greater power density (measured in watt/cm2 is often used in cases where scar tissue breakdown is the goal.

Ultrasound can also be used to achieve phonophoresis. This is a non-invasive way of administering medications to tissues below the skin; perfect for patients who are uncomfortable with injections. With this technique, the ultrasonic energy forces the medication through the skin. Cortisone, used to reduce inflammation, is one of the more commonly used substances delivered in this way.

A typical ultrasound treatment will take from 3-5 minutes. In cases where scar tissue breakdown is the goal, this treatment time can be much longer. During the treatment the head of the ultrasound probe is kept in constant motion. If kept in constant motion, the patient should feel no discomfort at all. If the probe is held in one place for more than just a few seconds, a build up of the sound energy can result which can become uncomfortable. Interestingly, if there is even a very minor break in a bone in the area that is close to the surface, a sharp pain may be felt. This occurs as the sound waves get trapped between the two parts of the break and build up until becoming painful. In this way ultrasound can often be used as a fairly accurate tool for diagnosing minor fractures that may not be obvious on x-ray.

Some conditions treated with ultrasound include tendonitis (or tendinitis if you prefer), non-acute joint swelling, muscle spasm, and even Peyronie’s Disease (to break down the scar tissue). Contraindications of ultrasound include local malignancy, metal implants below the area being treated, local acute infection, vascular abnormalities, and directly on the abdomen of pregnant women. It is also contraindicated to apply ultrasound directly over active epiphyseal regions (growth plates) in children, over the spinal cord in the area of a laminectomy, or over the eyes, skull, or testes.

Cancer having its origin in the bones is referred to as bone cancer in medical terms. Bone cancers are relatively uncommon when compared to metastatic (cancer occurring initiated in another organ and spreading to bone tissues) or secondary cancer.

Bone Cancer Causes

Underlying causes behind bone Cancer is still unclear. However, there are certain risk factors that have been identified. Most of them suggest that Estrogen, female hormone, plays an imperative role in development and progress of this cancer. It’s known that women, having menstrual period for the first time before 11 or at a very later stage in their life, are more prone for developing this disease. The reason being that they remain exposed to higher levels of estrogen for a longer period of time. Again, count of menstrual cycle prior to first pregnancy is also considered significant. Experts believe that women having their first child below the age of 20 might be affected in the near future. Breastfeeding offers additional protective effect.

Bone Cancer Symptoms

Bone Cancer Symptoms are many linked to the location of the bone, which has been affected by cancer in the body. Common symptom associated with bone cancer is tenderness, swelling or pain in the affected area. Lump formation might also accompany bone cancer in a patient. Although the detection of lump associated to the cancer is difficult in the early stages, it can be felt when the disease occurs in or around the joints. Still, you cannot consider any of these symptoms as prominent signs of bone cancer.

Bone Cancer Treatment

Treatment for cancer of bone, mainly metastatic cancer, has 2 goals:

-Managing neoplasm

-Managing symptoms produced by local lesion

Prognosis is mainly affected by patient’s age, primary tumor size, lymphatic & blood vessel invasion degree, symptoms duration and tumor location on arm, trunk or leg.

There are 2 methods for treating bone metastasis. Systemic Therapy is aimed for treating cancer cells spread throughout your body. It includes hormone therapy, immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Local therapy is aimed towards killing cancerous cells of a specific portion on the body. It includes surgery and radiation therapy.

Surgery:

It is often extensive and involves the removal of a wide margin of tissue surrounding the tumor. Sarcomas, which involve muscles, also require removing the entire affected group of muscles.

Radiation Therapy:

It is mainly used for preventing local recurrence of radiosensitive tumor and given either before or following the surgery.

Chemotherapy:

Several drugs have proven effective for treating bone & soft tissue sarcoma. However, required dosages for providing a great chance to cure might lead to significant side-effects. Effective agents include cyclophosphamide, etoposide, vincristine, ifosfamide, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), dactinomycin (Actinomycin D), dacarbazine and investigational agent. In some cases, even combinations of all these drugs are used.

Hormone Therapy:

It’s either removal of organs producing hormones promoting growth of specific cancer types (testosterone and estrogen) or drug therapy for keeping hormones from promoting growth of cancer.

Even after completely removing bone or soft tissue sarcoma, significant risk is there that small tumors, left undetected, may spread to other regions in the body. Adjuvant Chemotherapy attempts for eliminating such tumor deposits.

Even, there are safer and effective methods for treating pain. Medications will allow people for being free of pain and continue the activities essential to them.

To Your Health!

It isn’t unusual to use the terms sports medicine and physical therapy interchangeably. However the two aren’t exactly the same things even though you may find yourself the patient of both fields at the same time.

While compatible, the difference between the two branches of medical discipline is clear. Both are effective for treating injuries, diseases and disorders of the muscle and skeletal systems of the body and both are useful for the prevention of future injury or disease symptom reoccurence. By taking an individual look at both types of medical assistance, you will soon see the differences between physical therapy and sports medicine.

Let’s take a look at the field of physical therapy first. Unlike sports medicine, physical therapy as a whole is devoted to correcting any injury, disease, or disorder of the bones and muscles that can be treated with non invasive techniques. The focus is to provide patients with relief from pain, improve their muscle, joint, and bone function, while providing techniques the patient can use on their own for additional healing. The primary tools of a therapist are good diagnosing and evaluating skills, knowledge of the musculoskeletal system, and knowledge of which therapy is effective for each situation.

One large difference between the two is that physical therapy doesn’t only deal with sports related injuries or problems. Physical therapists can choose to specialize in their careers with emphasis on things like pediatrics, geriatrics, and neurology. Other areas of expertise included in physical therapy are sports, cardiovascular sciences, and occupational therapy.

When you are looking at the differences between these two healing arts you certainly can’t overlook sports medicine. The type of medical discipline is solely used for sports related injuries and disorders. While sports physical therapy techniques are commonly used in addition to sports medicine, sports medicine may involve surgeries, procedures, and medications not used in physical therapy. Sports medicine practitioners also can have specialty fields as well. Orthopedics and skeletal emphasis are common. Advanced study of how long term sporting activities and treating sports related injuries are always a part of this particular discipline.

Understanding the difference between physical therapy and sports medicine may be key to determining how to best treat your physical problem. While they can and are commonly used together, each one has its own distinct benefit. Your medical care team can further help distinguish the two and point you in the right direction in terms of your health care needs. The important thing is take care of any injury, sports related or not, to ensure your body’s function in the years to come.

The difference between these two medical approaches is obvious. Although the two are often used together, each one has its own purpose and uses. Your doctor can give you advice on which specialist is right for your needs.

Therapies using stem cells have at least forty years since the first bone marrow transplant was performed in 1969 by Edward Donnall Thomas, Nobel Prize for medicine in 1990, based on a research he carried out since the fifties. But we now know that bone marrow transplants are in fact hematopoietic stem cell grafts. 4239 transplants were performed in France, just in 2007.

The idea of using umbilical cord blood stem cells is old, an article published in one of the world’s leading general medical journals, “The Lancet”, was considering this possibility since 1939 and the first attempt to treat a patient suffering from cancer by transfusion dates from 1963. But only in 1988 the team of Professor Eliane Gluckman at Saint-Louis hospital could establish the protocol followed now, in operating the first successful transplant to treat a child suffering from Franconi disease. Therapies derived from cord blood, either to treat bone marrow diseases or reconstitute the dermis, require the involvement of the state which must act as a driving force, otherwise its liability could be one day potentially involved due to the lack of information provided.

Existing Therapies

The first successful therapeutic efforts based on umbilical cord blood were focused on blood diseases. In a second time, advances in knowledge of the different types of stem cells and their function will undoubtedly allow soon, the development of new therapies with the ability to repair the dermis of irradiated people and those with big burns.

Current Therapies Related to Blood Diseases

Hematopoietic stem cells from cord blood can favorably replace bone marrow cells for several reasons. Firstly, the greater immaturity of cord blood stem cells provides a more effective transplant. On the other hand, the chances to find a sample of cord blood compatible with a patient which has no parental relationship with the donor, are significantly higher than those of finding a bone marrow donor for an allogenic transplant.

The statistics given by Professor Gregory Katz-Benichou for the United States show that a third of patients waiting for bone marrow transplantation, have to find a donor outside their families and less than a third of them (9% of total patients) found a compatible donor. Conversely, all the investigations made in order to establish the number of cord blood transplants available worldwide were successful. Thus all patients undergoing a cord blood transplant are finding compatible grafts.

Over 20 000 people have been transplanted since 1988 and it is not surprising that cord blood transplants are growing each year at the expense of bone marrow. In 2007, cord blood transplants accounted for 27% of allogenic transplants performed in France.

Just because you have low levels of testosterone, it does not mean that you have live with the physical and psychological symptoms. Testosterone replacement therapy is known to increase energy levels, bone density, sex drive, and muscle mass in men suffering from low testosterone levels. In addition, the therapy helps to get rid of all other symptoms associated with the deficiency.

The supplements come in many forms and some of them are as follows:

o Capsules are to be taken along with food and this form of hormone replacement therapy is one of the most convenient options for men. The capsules are to be taken once or twice a day, depending on what your doctor has prescribed. In addition, you would need to have regular tests to ensure that your testosterone levels are in the normal range.
o Injections are administered by the doctor every three to four weeks. This treatment is ideal for men who have a hectic lifestyle or those who want to maintain regular contact with their doctors. However, be ready for mood swings with your mood peaking immediately after the injection and dropping just before the next injection is due.
o Gels are available and have to be applied once a day. After the application, the gel has to dry before you can dress. In addition, you have to wait for at least five to six hours after application to take a shower or a bathe so that the gel has ample time to be absorbed into the body. There is one drawback with this therapy as accidental transfer of testosterone can occur and this can cause the woman or child to develop masculine features like lower voice or facial hair. However, this to occur it takes time.
o Patches are also very convenient to use and are to be applied once a day on the back, abdomen, upper arms or things. They can be worn while you take a shower, go for a swim or when you are exercising. The good thing about the patch is that it imitates the natural daily rhythm of hormone production that is present in healthy men. However, some men can be allergic to it and the skin irritation that occurs would need to be treated with corticosteroid topical cream.

While testosterone replacement therapy helps thousands of men each year, there are some side effects to it. It can cause acne, enlarged prostate, sleep problems or increased blood cell production. That is why it is important to first speak to your doctor to figure out whether the therapy is right for you and if yes, what form is best suited for your body.