Today’s lifestyle is 9 hours of sitting in front of the computer and other hours on mobile and what we get out of it in the end? Neck and back pain.

There is nothing to blame but our sedentary lifestyle for all the aches and pains. Today, we have no time for anything healthy, be it taking a walk, eating or sleeping, but have time for browsing or scrolling things on computers, laptops or mobile. Sitting or lying, we are constantly into any of them so engrossed that we even forget to take a break or stretch a bit due to which it is our back and neck that suffer the most.

Due to ignorance and stressful schedule, the minor backache and pain in the back of the neck that you might be feeling sometimes can turn into chronic pain for a long time. But, there are solutions to every pain and discomfort and before discussing the treatments, here are the possible causes of neck and back pain.

• Poor posture
• Lack of muscle stretch
• Constant use of mobile and computer
• Disc herniation
• Sprains and strains
• Trauma or injury

Now, let’s see some of the simple yet effective neck and back pain home remedies that need a very less effort and time from your side.

1. Take a break

You might wonder how taking a break can be a remedy? Well, guess what, taking a break from your stressful schedule, stretching your muscles, moving around, and relaxing, all these can actually bring down the intensity of neck and back pain to an extent you cannot imagine as the muscles won’t get stiff and there will a good blood circulation as well. Remember, workloads can be postponed but health cannot.

2. Acupuncture

The old traditional Chinese treatment method, acupuncture involves the insertion of fine sterile needles into specific points that run along lines of energy called meridians. The energy, which the Chinese call “qi” (pronounced “chee”) flows in a healthy, harmonious body and when it gets stuck somewhere, we feel discomfort in that particular area. Hence, the purpose of inserting needles into the points is to break that knots and get the qi flowing again. Acupuncture works well for chronic pain as it goes deep into the issue.

3. Massage

Another excellent remedy for neck and back pain relief is a good, deep massage. Those stiff muscles and ligaments of your neck and back need a relaxation every now and then and what can be better than a pair of hands of a professional masseur? Seek someone who knows the pressure points well so that backache and pain in the back of the neck, both goes away.

4. Exercise

The more you keep moving, the healthier you will be. Don’t just lie down because you have back or neck pain, it will only cause more stiffness. Exercise regularly. Practice neck and back pain exercise        focusing on improving their strength, mobility and flexibility.

5. Ultrasound & TENS therapy

Why take two different treatments for neck and back pain when you can treat both using one device? Yes, SONICTENS, an electrotherapy machine that is a combination of therapeutic ultrasound and TENS, is one compact and sleek device that can work on multiple painful conditions. They help the brain produce its own painkillers called endorphins which ultimately eliminates the nagging neck and back pain well and good, naturally without any side-effects.

Conclusion

No matter what treatment you opt for, neck and back pain will keep coming if you don’t make necessary changes in your habits and lifestyle like maintaining a good posture, keeping your neck and spine in an aligned position, adjusting the monitor height and keyboard placement to your level, limiting phone or laptop usage, stretching in between, moving around etc. After all, care today is healthy tomorrow.

Arthritis can affect any joint in the human body and each has its own way of causing pain and discomfort. Some cause inflammation, some tingling and numbness, while some restrict the range of motion. One such common type of arthritis is – Knee Osteoarthritis.

The second most common rheumatologic problem, Osteoarthritis has a prevalence of 22% to 39% in India and is more common in women than men. It is a degenerative disease that can affect hands, neck, hips or spine but a majority of them have trouble with the knee joint, where its cartilage gradually starts to wear off, resulting in pain, inflammation and limited mobility.

The reasons for osteoarthritis in the knee can be due to various factors like over or repetitive use of muscles, an injury or trauma, overweight, genes, and age. If you think there is no way out of arthritis or the only way is medicines or surgery, then guess what, there are another simple, non-invasive and natural osteoarthritis treatment methods that can save you from a lifetime of side-effects.

1. Keep Moving

We understand it is painful to move around with OA but, studies show that physical activity keeps the muscles working and healthy for a long time. You don’t need to do any hardcore physical activity, a simple brisk walk is even enough. The point is, just keep moving. Staying sedentary or resting all day on the bed will only make your joints even stiffer and you may lose mobility forever. Keep them conditioned with some activity.

2. Weight Loss

Did you know it’s your knees that bear almost half of the weight of your body? So, you can imagine the amount of pressure it takes and being overweight doubles the pressure causing osteoarthritis in the knee joint. Excess weight can give a tough time to your weight-bearing joints such as your knees, spine, hips, ankles, and feet. Shedding weight will lift off the pressure from them and reduce the pain and discomfort of osteoarthritis remarkably well.

3. Seek Support

Support comes in two forms physical and mental. In the case of osteoarthritis knee, you need both. Use physical support like splints, braces, canes, and other aids and for emotional and mental support, talk to someone, your family, friends or someone close or see an expert for pain management tips. This will help you battle osteoarthritis even more strongly and get rid of it forever.

4. Low-impact Exercises

When we say exercise, don’t worry about heavyweight lifts as you can exercise even without that. There are certain low-impact exercises that will give your muscles a good workout without any struggle or strain. Like the resistance bands, aerobic workouts, running, jogging, cycling, swimming etc. Swimming is highly recommended because water relieves pressure on your joints and affords you the full range of motion you might not enjoy with other exercises. Or best, focus on osteoarthritis exercises for the knee for faster recovery.

5. Electrotherapy

A part of physical therapy, electrotherapy involves the use of treatment modalities that work on the root cause of your pain and eliminate it once and forever without any side-effects. Its therapeutic ultrasound and TENS therapy that comes in one combined device named SONICTENS is such a handy and easy-to-operate device that beats the effect of other osteoarthritis home remedies.

Conclusion

Osteoarthritis is indeed a painful condition but you can outlive it easily with the above treatment methods. Other than that, you can have an osteoarthritis diet in which you must include foods rich in vitamin C, omega-3 fatty acids that are found in fish and fish oil, nutritious fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean meats such as turkey and pork tenderloin. Beans, flaxseeds, walnuts, green leafy vegetable are good to combat inflammation of knee osteoarthritis.

“Am working out so I don’t need to do anything. I am fit.” Well, if you too are following the same then guess what, it is a wrong belief. Working out an hour in the gym will never make up to the 9 hours of sitting you do a job.

Sitting for long hours is a slow poison for your body. It slowly is damaging your joints and overall health inch by inch daily without even your awareness. You may say your job has a lot of field work and hence there is a lot of moving so you are safe. Unfortunately no, sitting doesn’t only involves a desk job, it can be any sedentary activity like watching television, working on the computer at home, or playing games on laptop or smartphones etc.

If you are wondering how can sitting which means resting to you can do harm to your health then, here are the damages long hours of sitting can do;

1. Weight gain
2. Chronic back pain
3. Stiff shoulder, neck and hips
4. Heart diseases
5. Anxiety and depression
6. Short life span
7. Dementia
8. Sciatica
9. HIgh blood pressure and cholesterol
10. High diabetes and cancer risk
11. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
12. Weak leg and glutes
13. Varicose veins

Why working out in a gym can’t counter long sitting hours?

Whatever exercise you do for an hour at your gym, can never cope with the sitting you do the whole day. It undoes all your effort. Due to long hours of sitting, the electrical activity in the leg muscles shuts off and whatever number of calories you had burned at the gym, drops to one per minute, and the enzyme production that assists in breaking down fat drops by 90%. Also, after two hours of long sitting, the good cholesterol drops by 20% which is why cardiovascular disease is common among deskbound workers.

How to break the long sitting habit?

Of course, you can’t leave your job just because it is unhealthy to sit for long hours but, you can always make the sitting healthier by practising the following;

• Stand as much as you can. If possible stand and work and also conduct your meetings and tea breaks while doing so.

• Avoid sending internal emails or using chat options. Get up and talk to your colleague in person. Doing so, will keep you and your internal relations healthy.

• Say no to lifts. Use stairs, try to walk as much as possible like park your vehicle a bit far away so that you walk to your office.

• If you keep on forgetting to get up and move in between, keep alarms. It will remind you to take a break from a long sitting position.

• Make use of your lunch break well. Rather than sitting and gossipping or checking out mobiles. Take a walk. Breath fresh air and relax.

• Stay hydrated. Dehydration can also cause your joints to ache and become stiff and due to constant sitting on computers, we often forget to sip water. Keep a bottle with you to make sure you get enough water for your body.

• After reaching home, don’t become a couch potato. Yes, you can relax a bit but avoid sitting again on your laptop or in front of the TV. Do your chores, play with your kid, engage yourself in some physical activity.

• Keep an electrotherapy machine like SONICTENS always with you which is extremely lightweight, portable and very much effective in treating all kinds of joint pain. Its electric impulses will stimulate the blood flow shooing away the stiffness and numbness from your joints.

Or the minimum you can do at least is to stretch. You can always take a stretch while at work as it requires no effort of time. You can check out our 5 easy desk-based stretches to ease your back pain due to sitting too long.

Today’s lifestyle is 9 hours of sitting in front of the computer and other hours on mobile and what we get out of it in the end? Neck and back pain.

There is nothing to blame but our sedentary lifestyle for all the aches and pains. Today, we have no time for anything healthy, be it taking a walk, eating or sleeping, but have time for browsing or scrolling things on computers, laptops or mobile. Sitting or lying, we are constantly into any of them so engrossed that we even forget to take a break or stretch a bit due to which it is our back and neck that suffer the most.

Due to ignorance and stressful schedule, the minor backache and pain in the back of the neck that you might be feeling sometimes can turn into chronic pain for a long time. But, there are solutions to every pain and discomfort and before discussing the treatments, here are the possible causes of neck and back pain.

• Poor posture
• Lack of muscle stretch
• Constant use of mobile and computer
• Disc herniation
• Sprains and strains
• Trauma or injury

Now, let’s see some simple yet effective neck and back pain home remedies that need a very less effort and time from your side.

1. Take a break

You might wonder how taking a break can be a remedy? Well, guess what, taking a break from your stressful schedule, stretching your muscles, moving around, and relaxing, all these can actually bring down the intensity of neck and back pain to an extent you cannot imagine as the muscles won’t get stiff and there will a good blood circulation as well. Remember, workloads can be postponed but health cannot.

2. Acupuncture

The old traditional Chinese treatment method, acupuncture involves the insertion of fine sterile needles into specific points that run along lines of energy called meridians. The energy, which the Chinese call “qi” (pronounced “chee”) flows in a healthy, harmonious body and when it gets stuck somewhere, we feel discomfort in that particular area. Hence, the purpose of inserting needles into the points is to break that knots and get the qi flowing again. Acupuncture works well for chronic pain as it goes deep into the issue.

3. Massage

Another excellent remedy for neck and back pain relief is a good, deep massage. Those stiff muscles and ligaments of your neck and back need a relaxation now and then and what can be better than a pair of hands of a professional masseur? Seek someone who knows the pressure points well so that backache and pain in the back of the neck, both goes away.

4. Exercise

The more you keep moving, the healthier you will be. Don’t just lie down because you have back or neck pain, it will only cause more stiffness. Exercise regularly. Practice neck and back pain exercise focusing on improving their strength, mobility and flexibility.

5. Ultrasound & TENS therapy

Why take two different treatments for neck and back pain when you can treat both using one device? Yes, SONICTENS, an electrotherapy machine that is a combination of therapeutic ultrasound and TENS unit, is one compact and sleek device that can work on multiple painful conditions. They help the brain produce its own painkillers called endorphins which ultimately eliminates the nagging neck and back pain well and good, naturally without any side effects.

Conclusion

No matter what treatment you opt for, neck and back pain will keep coming if you don’t make necessary changes in your habits and lifestyle like maintaining a good posture, keeping your neck and spine in an aligned position, adjusting the monitor height and keyboard placement to your level, limiting phone or laptop usage, stretching in between, moving around etc. After all, care today is healthy tomorrow.

Our knee joint being one of the complex joints in the human body, the pain and discomfort felt in it can vary a lot. You may have felt an achy pain in the back of your knee many times and taken it lightly because for us, knee pain is only one.

Our knee is one of the most injury-prone joints. It is a complicated mix of bones, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons that can break, strain or tear which is enough for a persistent knee pain to develop. So then, why does the back of the knee hurt? What can be done about it? Let’s understand all.

Causes of pain behind the knee

Behind knee pain (also known as posterior knee pain) is a common form of ache that people experience from time to time. It may heal on its own or can turn chronic if not taken care of. For that, you got to understand the pain first. Try to figure out the point on the back of your knee from where the pain exactly is coming from? Watch out for blood clots, clicking sound, lump, numbness and weakness in the leg, fevers and redness associated with swelling as the symptoms of each condition are different. Following are the possible reasons why the back of your knee hurts.

1. Leg Cramps

Overuse of muscles without being stretched make them tight, which causes cramp. The thigh or the calf muscles near the knee are the areas where cramp occurs the most. Leg cramps can also be due to dehydration, infection, nerve problems, and pregnancy. It is a sudden, painful spasm of the muscle which lasts for a few seconds or minutes and after it resides the muscle become sore for a few hours. Gentle stretching and massaging the leg muscle or placing heat pad can help reduce the pain and soreness.

2. Meniscus Tear

Each of our knees has 2 menisci – horseshoe-shaped pieces of cartilage that cushion and stabilizes the knee joint. A sudden trauma on a knee, fall or twist can cause the posterior portion of the meniscus to tear, inducing pain all over the back of the knee. Some may even feel a “pop” along with pain, stiffness, fatigue, and locking of the knee. Rest, ice, compress and elevation of the affected knee can help alleviate the symptoms and allow it to heal faster.

3. Arthritis and Gout

The natural wear and tear of the cartilage of the knee joint can cause pain in the back of the knee which is called Osteoarthritis which is a degenerative disease and is common among people. Even autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory arthritis like gout, can cause pain behind the knee. The symptoms include loss of motion or difficulty bending the knee, inflammation, stiffness, fatigue etc. Exercises, hot and cold therapy, active life all these help in managing the arthritis pain.

4. Baker’s Cyst

A swollen lump or a pocket of fluid that builds up in the back of the knee, leading to pain and swelling is Baker’s cysts. The synovial fluid that acts as a lubricant for knee joint when is produced in a large amount, builds up and forms a cyst. As the cyst grows, it shifts to the surrounding muscles or put pressure on tendons and nerves, and when it bursts, the pain becomes unbearable. Physical therapy can help heal Baker’s Cyst.

5. Hamstring Tendonitis

While walking, running or doing sudden movements, stiffness of sharp pain that is felt behind the knees eventually subsides a few minutes and comes back indicates that you may have tendonitis in your hamstring. Athletes are more prone to develop this. Due to the overuse and repetitive motion of hamstring muscles, a strain or cramp occurs commonly and ultimately develops into tendonitis. Hamstring exercises, knee braces etc. may help.

There are even other causes of pain in the knee joint like the Jumper’s Knee, Ligament Injury (ACL or PCL), Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), trauma etc. Whatever the reason may be, although the above-mentioned remedies like hot and cold therapy, R.I.C.E, exercises etc. may help, chances are you may feel pain in the back of the knee again. Hence, to treat your knees without any surgery or side effects, you need one effective and permanent solution – Electrotherapy. Devices like SONICTENS or Combo3 Plus are designed specially to help you with any kind of knee conditions, pain-free and naturally.

The pain of Sciatica is a confusing one, for which, if the right treatment is not given at the right time, it can get even worse. The radiating pain that emerges due to the irritation of the sciatic nerve, makes the legs, hip and even back hurt so badly that one can not even imagine.

Sciatica pain originates from the pinched sciatic nerve in the lower back and travels through the hips and buttock to all the way down towards the leg. The pain and discomfort that arises due to this can make the most mundane actions of our life into torture.

The major reason behind sciatica points out to herniated disk which occurs when a disk develops a tear or crack and bulges into the spinal canal that pinches the sciatic nerve. Some other sciatica causes are a bone spur, narrowing of the spine compresses the sciatic nerve, piriformis syndrome (when the piriformis muscle, which assists in rotating the hip, irritates the sciatic nerve) and pregnancy when a woman’s expanding uterus puts pressure on the sciatic nerve. Obesity, lack of exercise, wearing high heels, sleeping on a mattress that is too hard or too soft, diabetes, and age can also lead to sciatica pain.

As soon as a sharp, intense pain along with tingling, weakness, burning sensation and numbness take over, wait no more you need to get started with sciatica treatment. Now, of course, there are steroids and sciatica medicines that will give you instant relief from sciatica pain but soon, may return as well. In order to treat it from its root cause and get permanent sciatica pain relief, there are certain, proven therapies that are worth trying. Take a look.

1. Hot and Cold Therapy – Ice and hot water packs work best for sciatica pain relief. Start with cold packs first for a few days, then heat packs and then alternate them for a few minutes several times a day.

2. Physical Therapy and Chiropractic Care – Moving with sciatica can be difficult. To improve and achieve a pain-free range of motion, physical therapists and chiropractors can help.

3. Yoga and Stretching Exercises – Both are highly recommended methods for sciatica pain relief. They both improve flexibility and can strengthen the muscles around the sciatic nerve. Try lower-back stretches and sciatica exercises to help reduce the pressure on stressed-out disks.

4. Acupuncture and Massage Therapy – Acupuncture, an old traditional Chinese treatment, is a way of releasing the body’s natural painkillers – Endorphins. As far as massage is considered, an excellent masseuse knows exactly where the trigger points of sciatica are, which he/she by applying pressure to such irritated and inflamed areas, or trigger points, in the piriformis muscle, or the muscles in the lower back and glutes, can make it go away.

5. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – The throbbing pain of sciatica makes day-to-day life difficult. At times, pain can lead to depression for which a face-to-face session with a therapist can prove beneficial in managing sciatica pain very well.

6. Electrotherapy – A part of physical therapy, electrotherapy is the best known non-invasive, 100% natural and effective therapy so far for chronic sciatica pain. Easy to operate and handy electrotherapy machines such as US 111, SONICTENS, Combo3 Plus have clinically proven treatment modalities like ultrasound therapy, TENS, IFT, EMS etc. that can make your sciatic pain a history within a few sessions.

Conclusion

To get rid of sciatica permanently, you must put some effort yourself apart from the above-mentioned non-surgical treatment methods for sciatica like staying active, taking regular breaks from continuous sitting, maintaining a healthy weight etc. Your effort and sciatica treatment methods in combination will definitely put an end to it forever.

The human body is just like a vehicle, it needs regular maintenance to keep it functioning, for which, exercise is the key tool. It happens that sometimes due to some injury, disease, or condition, some part of our body becomes stiff and start losing its range of motion. Though medicines or other treatments help, there is one such treatment that works on the deeper issue and helps our body regain its lost strength, mobility, balance and overall fitness, naturally and that is Physiotherapy.

Various types of physiotherapy machines are available for different conditions which only physiotherapists can operate but now, due to the advancement of science and technology, there are certain portable physiotherapy equipment available out there that can treat multiple disorders or conditions as well as can be operated by a layman at home. Let’s take a look at them.

1. US 111

Not to be confused with diagnostic ultrasound therapy that is used to see the inside of the body, such as checking on a fetus during pregnancy, US111 is a portable physiotherapy ultrasound machine that can treat acute to chronic medical conditions such as pain, muscle spasms, joint contractors, bruises, certain injuries etc. It is used by medical professionals and can also be used as physiotherapy at home without any medical guidance.

The head of the ultrasound machine probe converts electrical energy into sound waves which pass through the skin of the affected area causing micro-vibrations in the tissues, generating deep heat (diathermy), which is usually not felt by the patient. The vibration  improves the blood and oxygen flow in the affected area thus reducing the pain/swelling/inflammation within a few sessions.

US 111 is a clinically tested and approved physiotherapy instrument and is even recommended by various medical professionals like physicians, chiropractors and physical therapists.

2. SONICTENS

A one of a kind instant pain relieving machine, SONICTENS is a combination of two therapies – Ultrasound (US) and Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) unit, together which can heal almost all types of acute to chronic pain like any joint pain due to arthritis, muscle cramps; spasms or strains, pain from herniated disc, pain due to injury; sciatica; tendinitis; bursitis; piriformis syndrome or tissue damage and others, naturally with no harmful effects.

SONICTENS combines the deep heat therapy of Ultrasound and the massaging electrical pulses from TENS unit, together which makes an effective drug-free solution for pain relief. The low electric impulses of ultrasound therapy when applied across the depth of the skin mimic our nerve system and blocks the pain signals from reaching to the spinal cord and brain, thus relieving pain and relaxing our muscles. While the TENS machine stimulates the production of endorphins which are the body’s natural painkillers, thus promoting faster healing of the affected area.

SONICTENS has been tried and tested clinically and has proved itself with 91% effectiveness ratio which is why is highly recommended by healthcare professionals including pain specialists.

3. COMBO3 PLUS

Our muscles are prone to injuries such as pain, strain or spasms, and once injured, they often take time to heal and in worst cases, they turn into permanent pain. To ward off such stubborn pain and help build the lost strength of muscles, a one-stop solution for all kinds of issues related to muscles has been designed which is called – Combo3 Plus – TENS, EMS & IFT Multi-Stimulator. This combination of multiple pain-relieving methods in one makes Combo3 Plus an excellent pain-management device one must have at home.

Used by all physiotherapy clinics, each treatment of Combo3 Plus serves its own purposes like;

• Interferential Therapy, which is an advanced form of TENS unit provides deeper stimulation and accelerates the self-healing process in the body, enabling it to regain healthy physical conditions.

• TENS therapy stimulates the nerve fibers and releases endorphins, the body’s natural pain killers to give instant pain relief.

• EMS generates electrical pulses that strengthen weak or inactive muscles and restore their lost mobility.

• Pelvic Stimulation works on the overactive bladder while Facial Stimulation treats facial or Bell’s palsy.

Each device is made compact and sleek that makes it easy to carry and operate it anytime, anywhere.

A hinge joint that allows us to move our foot up and down, our ankle , is more prone to injuries and sprains due to the constant usage. You never know when suddenly it twists leaving you with ankle pain and swelling all day long.

Sports is one of the major ankle pain reasons that lead to ankle sprains and injuries. Sprained ankles alone have been estimated to constitute up to 30% of injuries seen in sports medicine clinics. Running, football, tennis or even walking at times recurring  ankle pain cause which needs extreme care and attention. But, just because our ankle joint is prone to get hurt doesn’t mean we must stop doing what we love, right? Hence, here are some preventive measures following which, you can avoid any such ankle tragedies. Take a look.

Warm your ankle up – Don’t just get started with any exercise or sports directly. Stretch and jog a little to warm up your ankle muscles and start slowly.

Ditch those heels – Ladies, those high heels or stilettos you like to flaunt can give you pain in ankle a lifetime pain. Due to the lack of stability on those spiked heels, you may even break an ankle bone. Better, wear shoes with a wide, low, flared heel or lateral post shoes, like running sneakers. If you really can’t let go heels, make sure you buy one no higher than 1-½ inches.

Focus on your footwear – You may think there are so many varieties of footwear what does it matter in wearing any. Well, guess what, shoes and ankle pain are related a lot. Athletes must wear comfortable footwear according to their sports. If your shoes get worn out replace it immediately, in fact, avid runners or walkers should replace shoes every six months. Those whose feet have low arches should choose shoes that provide support in both the front of the shoe and under the arch while those with a stiffer foot or high arches should choose shoes with more cushion and a softer platform. Also, use proper shoe inserts and insoles as they not only provide shock absorption but will also prevent your ankle joint from rolling.

Avoid uneven surfaces – Cobblestone pathways, bumpy hillsides with loose gravel, shifting sand etc., can roll your ankle badly. Walking or running on such uneven surfaces in spite of wearing protective shoes can cause of ankle pain.

For ankle pain relief ,work on your ankles slowly – Don’t put pressure on your ankle muscles all of a sudden. The time spent on the activity like a gym, ankle pain exercises or any sports count should be increased gradually over a period of weeks to build the strength and mobility of your ankle.

Shed those extra kilos – Being overweight can put extra pressure on your ankle joints which can increase the progression of arthritis as well. Hence, maintain a healthy weight and keep your ankles strong and flexible.

Prevent recurring injuries – If you have a history of ankle injury or have experienced ankle pain and swelling before, you must wear ankle supports, sports bandages or compression socks to prevent the history of ankle pain from repeating.

Watch while you sit – Yes, your sitting position can also trigger ankle pain. If you have the habit of sitting with your feet crossed behind you and pointed down, please avoid that because it puts pressure on your toes that can lead to ankle stiffness and soreness. Better, sit at a desk and keep your feet flat.

In a nutshell

Listen to your body. If your ankle joint is hurting while doing any activity like walking, running, simply stop doing it at once or modify it. Keep your electrotherapy machine like SONICTENS or US 111 device handy to relieve any kind of sudden ankle pain relief without injury or with injury at the very moment.

A shoulder pain followed by increasing stiffness, unbearable pain, and the inability to carry out basic activities like picking something up, holding a laundry basket, combing hair etc. is not a silly thing to let go. If ignored, it can even make your shoulder completely freeze, which means you won’t be able to move your shoulders at all, and that is frozen shoulder.

Also known by the name adhesive capsulitis, frozen shoulder is a challenging condition that can give you sleepless nights, throbbing pain and extreme stiffness, gradually restricting the movement of shoulders completely. It usually affects one shoulder and women in the age group of 40 to 60 are more prone to get frozen shoulder than the men.

Some of the common frozen shoulder causes that make the shoulder joint to swell or freeze are said to be diabetes, trauma to shoulder joint, thickening of the shoulder joints capsule, prolonged immobilization of the shoulder due to an injury or surgery, overactive or underactive thyroid, cardiovascular disease, etc. Whatever the reason be, here are some tips to ease your frozen shoulder symptoms and hacks to prevent it from developing or worsening further.

1. Yes, you must give your shoulder rest but not too much. Movement is important. Continue with your activities slowly even if it’s painful to maintain the range of motion of your shoulders. Seek the help of your unaffected arm to help the affected shoulder.
2. Get some good amount of sleep especially in the early months. Place a pillow under your affected shoulder and allow your hand to rest on your stomach if sleeping on your back and if sleeping sideways, sleep on the uninvolved side hugging a pillow across your chest.
3. Avoid heavy lifting chores or tasks that can cause sudden jerks to your shoulders like pulling something, walking dogs, catching etc.
4. Give the frozen shoulder treatment of hot and cold compress alternatively to bring down the swelling and pain as well.
5. To get rid of the inflammation in your frozen shoulder, consume some healthy and anti-inflammatory foods like tomatoes, olive oil, green leafy vegetables; such as spinach, kale, and collards, nuts like almonds and walnuts, fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines etc. to help support faster recovery.
6. Keep your diabetes under control.
7. Never skip frozen shoulder exercises. Practice shoulder strengthening exercises or yoga to keep it moving but avoid hardcore exercises.
8. Correct your posture every now and then. Avoid slumping and slouching while sitting and try to keep your shoulders back and down away from your ears to avoid further discomfort.
9. Seek a professional for a good frozen shoulder massage to relax the stiff shoulder muscles.
10. Avoid exposure to cold winds or cold environments for too long
11. Try one of the old frozen shoulder home remedies by drinking the powdered mixture of methi, sonth (dried ginger and tamarind paste) and ajwain (carom seeds) with lukewarm water after meals.
12. If nothing helps, there’s always the safest and 100% natural frozen shoulder remedy that can be practised anywhere, anytime and need not any professional to perform as well, which is none other than electrotherapy. The combination therapy of ultrasound and TENS unit which comes in a sleek and compact device called SONICTENS will help you regain the lost mobility of your shoulder joint along with the freedom from pain and stiffness, permanently without any side effects.

Frozen shoulder is a prolonged and complicated condition as if not given proper care can rebound. Hence, taking preventive measures and severe care is necessary to get rid of it completely. A healthy lifestyle, regular exercise, physical activity, sound sleep, all these will melt the frozen shoulder away and prevent it from sprouting back again.

Diabetic foot pain, ever heard of that? If you are thinking, what does diabetes have to do with heel pain then guess what? it is a condition that anyone with a sweet tooth can develop with time.

Diabetes can give your feet a hard time. It is said that diabetic patients are more prone to develop foot problems but can it induce plantar fasciitis? Let us know how are they interlinked.

Diabetes and plantar fasciitis

Several studies have been conducted to find the relation between plantar fasciitis and diabetes and the outcome of each showed the percentage of foot problems especially heel pain was more in people having type 2 diabetes than those who don’t. Diabetic foot problems are said to rise majorly due to two factors i.e circulation issue and neuropathy (nerve damage).

Circulation issue in diabetes and foot pain

Reduced or lack of blood flow is termed as a circulation issue which can cause aches or pains in the body. In the case of diabetes, poor circulation arises in the veins and arteries which are the providers of blood to our organs, legs, and arms below the stomach level, symptoms of which is known as a peripheral vascular disease (PVD).

Inadequate blood supply to our feet makes it painful to walk and may even swell up in some cases, due to which, pressure builds up on the plantar fascia ligament that connects the heel to the toes in our body and tiny tears start to appear causing plantar fasciitis. The limited flow of blood, also lessens the number of important nutrients and amount of critical oxygen that one should receive to heal naturally.

Diabetic Neuropathy

Our nerves are the carriers of pain and other sensations in our body. Although high blood sugar (glucose) levels can cause damage to the nerves throughout the body, its the nerves in the legs and feet that are most affected in diabetic neuropathy and since the plantar fasciitis is the largest ligament in the human body, it is not surprising that diabetes affects those longest nerves.

Now there are 4 types of diabetic neuropathy – Peripheral neuropathy, Autonomic neuropathy, Focal neuropathies, and Proximal neuropathy, hence the symptoms vary depending upon the affected nerves which can range from pain and numbness in the legs and feet to problems with the digestive system, urinary tract, blood vessels and even heart.

Diabetic foot treatment

To get rid of the diabetic foot, it is obvious that you need to control your diabetes. Other than that, there are also some measures you can take to ease your feet like;

• using shoe insoles or cushioned supports
• weight loss
• practice of leg exercises
• regular use of a foot roller
• use of an electrotherapy machine called SONICTENS for permanent pain relief

Summary

A lot of studies has been conducted mapping the link between diabetes and plantar fasciitis like; a 2011 study entitled Diabetic Foot Problems: Inpatient Management of Diabetic Foot Problems, research by Stallings, Jennifer titled – Is there a relationship between plantar fasciitis and diabetes? Chapel Hill, NC: Diabetes Sisters (USA); etc., to find whether the thickening of the plantar fascia ligament due to diabetes can generally lead to plantar fasciitis or not, but it is yet to be concluded properly. A sugar control, proper healthy diet and feet care can anyways prevent you from developing both diabetes and plantar fasciitis.