Home Remedies for Muscle Spasms and Cramps

A muscle spasm or cramp can catch you totally off-guard and for the initial 5 seconds, it will render you completely unable to concentrate on anything but the shooting pain in your calf or your arm or any other part of your body. While you can prevent the occurrence of muscle spasms, it can be done only to a certain extent. Hence, it's always a good idea to know some useful home remedies for muscle spasms and cramps that you can use in the case that you do experience them.

Effective Home Remedies for Muscle Spasms and Cramps

The causes of muscle spasms and cramps are myriad. It could be due to a lack of minerals in your blood stream or due to overexertion of the part of your body. Whatever the reason may be, the pain and the discomfort caused by the muscle spasms can turn out to be pretty unbearable at times. In order to avoid such a situation, this section will provide you with some easy home remedies that you can use to relieve the strain on your muscles.

Massage

One of the best home remedies formuscle spasms and cramps is a nice long and luxurious massage of the area that is affected or simply the entire body. Try a herbal massage using herbal oils and the like. Gently massaging the area will help relieve the tension that the muscles are experiencing, thus relieving the cramps and relaxing the spasms.

Hot Bath

Another tried and tested method to ease the discomfort caused by muscle spasms and cramps is to indulge in a hot water bath. A hot water bath could either be a hot water bath in the tub or a shower in which you have hot water spraying directly on the affected area. The important point to be kept in mind is that the affected part of your body gets completely soaked by the hot water. This will help improve the blood circulation and your muscles will not feel very tense.

Cold Treatment

Instead of the hot water, you can also indulge in the exact opposite, that is, cold treatment for the muscle spasm or cramp that you're experiencing. Take an ice pack and place it on the affected area. You can also wrap ice cubes in a soft cloth and gently pat the area that is cramping. It will help numb the area and the pain will gradually subside.

Exercise

While it's true that resting an injured part of your body is extremely important, a spasm or cramp is simply the result of a tension between the expansion and contraction of the muscles. So, in order to relieve this tension, there are some simple exercises that you can do. Try out some simple stretching exercises of the affected area. Continue these simple exercises for about half an hour. However, make sure that you do not exert yourself too much.

Appropriate Diet

Quite often, these muscle tensions take place due to the deficiency of certain nutrients in our body. Calcium and potassium are the main minerals, the deficiency of which can lead to cramps and spasms. Hence, consuming a diet that is rich in calcium and potassium will help to curb the level of discomfort caused due to the muscle spasms. Calcium rich foods include dairy and dairy products etc., and foods rich in potassium are whole grains, potatoes, celery, tomatoes, etc. Also, during the spasm or cramp, you can consume chamomile tea, as it will help to soothe and relax the irritated muscles.

Having a reasonable exercise regime and taking care of the food that you consume can go a long way in reducing the instances of muscle spasms and cramps. Nevertheless, if you do experience them, you can try out any of the muscle spasms and cramps treatments given above to ease the pain.

Treat Yourself at Home with Acupressure Therapy

People nowadays often complain about frequent pains and strain in different parts of the body like neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, joint pain and headache, strain in eyes. These problems mainly happen due to our unhealthy lifestyles and lack of proper rest.

But these problems can be easily treated at home with an ancient Chinese therapy called Acupressure. There are several pressure points in our body. These pressure points are linked with proper functioning of our body. If these pressure points are massaged properly, they can give relief from pain and suffering.

Acupressure can be used as a natural healing process to obtain relief from pain and illness. Here are 5 problems which can be treated by massaging acupressure points and the problems associated with it.

1. Toothache- 

• Many of us have gone through toothache at some point in our life. This pain is due to lack of proper dental care resulting tooth decay and swelling in the gums.
• 3 points related to toothache are:
  
• Point between the thumb and the index finger.
• Point underneath the cheekbone.
• Point in between the skin of 2nd and 3rd  toe.

2. Shoulder Pain-

• Shoulder is one of the moveable joints of the body, and vulnerable to pain and injuries due to instability, inflammation and frozen shoulder.
• Here are 4 points connected to shoulder pain.
• The point is located on the side base neck and at the end of the shoulder muscle.
• • Another Point is on the back of shoulder and neck around the pointed bone in your upper back.
  • Point in between the skin of 2nd and 3rd  toe.
  • Point between the thumb and the index finger.

3. Neck Pain-

• Neck pain is the result of hours of sitting in a same posture, inaccurate sleeping position, injury or whiplash. 
• Neck Pain includes massaging these 4 points.
• This point lies in the wrist joint, at the backside end of your hand and in the middle of your wrist.
• On inclining the head forward, you can feel two bones stand out, the pressure point is located between these bones.
• This point lies on the outer border of the forearms, 2 finger-widths above the wrist joint.
• Point between the thumb and the index finger.

4. Headache-

• Excessive use of cell phones, laptops and computers now a day’s often results in severe headaches and eyestrain. Sometimes headache can also be due to strain in the neck.
• Points for treating headache are:
• Point is located at the end of your foreheads and on the outer sides of your eyebrows.
• Another point is located on just above the middle of your eyes.
• Point in between the skin of 2nd and 3rd  toe.
• Point between the thumb and the index finger.

5. Back Pain-

• Common causes of back pain are poor posture or pressure on back for example, lifting heavy weights, twisting back suddenly. 
• 4 points for treating back pain are:
• Point between the thumb and the index finger.
• Two points located just above your hips on both sides of your spinal line.
• Point in between the skin of 2nd and 3rd  toe.
• Two points beneath the exact middle end of your hips.

Post workout pain is a thing of past

Most of the people are not satisfied with their body shape, someone wants to lose weight and someone wants to gain muscle and get in shape. However, the era of technology has resulted in less physical inactivity. Therefore, many people join gym to maintain their overall health and get engaged in some sort of physical activity. But initial days of workout in gym can be extremely sore resulting in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and puts you in the dilemma whether you can carry on with your fitness goals or not? Don’t worry. Here are 7 tips that can help you overcome post workout pain, so that you can continue with your workout and stay healthy and in shape.

1. Ice Pack- For new gym goers starting days are quite regressive and may have repercussion like unnecessary swelling of muscles. Applying ice pack on your muscles can reduce inflammation. Ice Pack scales down the swelling in the muscle tissues lowering your metabolic activity letting your muscle to recover after work out.
   
   
2. Stretching- After work out your muscles become stiff, and the muscle fibers get shorter. When you do stretching your muscles becomes more responsive and flexible. Stretching allows oxygen to circulate through your muscles, leading to rapid recovery from delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Stretching should be done before and after workout.
   
   
3. Massage-The main cause of the muscular pain after gym is lactic acid produced by the tissues in your muscles. Massage can aid muscles by breaking down the lactic acid and helping you recover from after workout pain. Massage can be done for at least 15 minutes to soothe pain after a tough workout.
   
   
4. Hot Steam Tub- A dip in a hot tub can help you sore muscles to relax. The heat from the hot tub causes the body to release endorphins which can have calm effects on your muscle. Steaming your body at bearable temperature also helps to increase blood circulation which further soothes your aches and pains.
   
   
5. Caffeine- Caffeine has the capacity to reduce DOMS by holding the central nervous receptors that cause pain. Caffeine elevates your performance in gym and reduces fatigue and helps in burning excessive calories. Caffeine also aids aging muscles to keep producing power. A cup of coffee should be taken 5 minutes before starting your daily workout to reduce soreness.
   
   
6. Eat berries and cherries to make your muscle merry- Blueberries and cherries help in producing melatonin hormone, resulting in sound sleep and faster recovery from sore and torn muscles. Blueberries and cherries also have potential of eliminating toxins from your body produced during a gym session. Strawberries, blackberries, plums and raspberries are also loaded with nutrients and antioxidants.
   
7. Foam Roller- After a vigorous session of workout foam roller can be used to lift muscle pain, soreness and fatigue. Foam roller is also the most conventional way to get rid of muscle spasm. Pressure the sore muscles using the foam roller to relive soreness in the tissues and promoting blood flow. Rollin can be done for 5 minutes, divided in 30 seconds sessions on a concentrated muscle.

Advantages of Mini Invasive Subvastus - Total Knee Replacement - Dr. Bakul Arora

Advantages of Mini Invasive Subvastus - Total Knee Replacement

Find Orthopedic Doctors near you in Delhi. View experience, fees, recommendations of Orthopedists and book appointment instantly. Orthopaedic surgeons use either surgical or non-surgical methods to treat various problems associated to the musculoskeletal system of our body. Bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons and nerves - all combined together are called musculoskeletal system, that help in numerous body functions. Any impairment in these organs, leads to problems of voluntary and involuntary movements of the body. 
Common duties and responsibilities of an orthopaedic surgeon includes conducting meetings with patients before providing treatment and study the medical case, supervising physical examinations of patients like X - rays, MRI's and various other testing sources, planning and coordinating specialised patient care after the surgery. 
An orthopaedic surgeon has to locate problematic area in the patient's body, chalk out a plan to deal with it, and then work proactively for eliminating the disease and injury. In case, treatment plans and medications don't work, he can perform replacements or surgery on the diseased body part.

Dr. Bakul Arora is a Consultant Joint Replacement & Orthopaedic Surgeon and practices Currae Hospital in Thane West, Phoenix Wellness Polyclinic in Thane West, Drone Hospital in Bhiwandi, Apple Hospital in Airoli & Cumballa Hille in Grant Road, Navi Mumbai.

Dr. Bakul Arora has completed MBBS from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, India, MS (Orthopaedics) from Father Muller Medical College, Mangalore, India & Fellowship in Mini-Invasive Joint replacement and has expertise in Minimally Invasive Arthroplasty, Trauma Surgeries, Subvastus Knee Replacement, Direct Anterior Hip Replacement Surgery, Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine etc.

You can book an online appointment with Dr. Bakul Arora on www.Lazoi.com

Common signs and symptoms of dengue viral infection

Dengue refers to a tropical disease caused by four different types of virus. It is usually transmitted by an Aedes mosquito that is infected with a dengue virus. There is no vaccine for dengue and the only way to reduce infections is to improve hygiene levels so as to prevent mosquito bites and prevent mosquitoes from breeding. It’s particularly difficult to create a vaccine because it’s caused by different viruses and there are no animal models available for testing. The disease kills thousands of Indians every year and is a seasonal threat, particularly during the monsoon seasons. Immediate diagnosis and treatment is essential to prevent this condition and its possible complications.

Warning signs and symptoms of dengue fever in detail

High fever: Clinically known as high grade fever. It is one of the primary symptoms of dengue. Easily confused with fever due to other causes like viral fever, doctors suggest testing a patient with high grade fever for dengue immediately to prevent any further complications. A fever of about 104 degrees Fahrenheit is a common indicator of dengue.

Joint and muscle pain: Another name for dengue fever is break bone fever - a name that explains how severe the joint pain can be! A symptom that is confused with viral fever and other forms of malaria, joint and severe joint and muscle pain combined with other symptoms can indicate dengue.

Enlarged lymph nodes: Another trademark symptom of dengue as described by the World Health Organisation - enlarged lymph nodes.

Pain behind eyes: Also known as retro-orbital pain, this symptom is one that is quite common to viral fever and can be easily confused. But when seen in conjunction with other symptoms, it can indicate dengue fever.

Headache: Due to the sudden drop in platelet count, headaches are common in patients with dengue fever.

Diarrhoea: Accompanied with abdominal pain, diarrhoea is also another symptom.

Rashes: Seen all over the body, rashes caused due to dengue are easily discernable and easily diagnosed.

Extreme fatigue: The World Health Organisation categorises this symptom as one indicating severe dengue. Caused due to the drop in platelet count, patients suffering from dengue often suffer from extreme fatigue. Combined with high fever, this symptom is an indicator of severe dengue.

Low blood pressure: Thought to be due to the rapid drop in one's platelet count, low blood pressure is another symptom of severe dengue that requires immediate treatment.

Vomiting: While vomiting and nausea is a common symptom in people with dengue fever. According to the WHO, vomiting blood is a symptom of severe dengue that requires immediate medical attention.

Bleeding gums: Another symptom of severe dengue fever according to WHO, bleeding gums is a sign that the patient's platelet count has dropped to dangerous levels and he/she needs immediate medical attention. That being said, this symptom only when combined with other symptoms should be treated as a medical emergency.

Because dengue fever is a viral infection, there is no specific treatment for the condition. The patient should seek medical advice and drink plenty of fluids. For severe dengue, medical care by experienced physicians can frequently save lives. It is important to maintain the fluid volume of the patient for recuperation of the patient. Also, a patient can suffer from dengue for a second time if the viral strain is different from the initial infection. Moreover, the second infection can be more serious than the period one.

Osteoarthritis: Relief from pain naturally

Osteoarthritis is one of the most painful and crippling autoimmune diseases to affect the joints. It is a condition that affects the articular cartilage and the subchondral bones. Symptoms of this disease include joint pain, tenderness, stiffness, locking, and at times, effusion. In this condition, there is progressive loss of cartilage due to which the bone may be exposed and eventually damaged. It is the most common type of arthritis and is one of the leading causes of chronic disability across the globe. Since it is an autoimmune disease, there is no fixed cure for it. Therefore, it is better to try natural measures to relieve the pain as mentioned below.

Massage Therapy

One of the most popular natural pain relief methods is massage therapy. This is performed by massage therapists who focus on superficial layers of the muscles while using massage oil or lotion. This helps relieve the muscle tension and pain, increase the flexibility and mobility, and clear the lactic acid and other accumulated waste in the body. All this eventually leads to a reduction in the pain and stiffness in muscles and joints of the body.

One of the most important massage therapy benefits is that it also prevents muscle spasms in other parts of the body. It boosts circulation in the affected joint, which decreases joint stiffness and also promotes cartilage repair. This achieved by massaging the muscles surrounding the affected joint.

Yoga

Yoga is a safe and effective way of dealing with the pain associated with osteoarthritis. The movements of yoga increase the strength, flexibility, and balance of a person. However, consult your doctor before you start this therapy since he may guide you regarding the yoga exercises and poses that are appropriate to your condition.

Acupuncture

Another simple measure for natural pain relief is acupuncture. The World Health Organisation has managed to single out forty different conditions that can be treated with the help of acupuncture. One of those diseases listed was osteoarthritis. This therapy involves the insertion of hair thin needles into specific points of the body known as acupoints. One of the benefits of acupuncture is that it helps balance the flow of energy in the body. Certain studies have also reportedly shown that this helps release natural pain relieving substances in the body, like endorphins and serotonin.

Besides the aforementioned measures, rather than taking pain killers, people can always try taking certain supplements, like chondroitin sulphate and glucosamine to help deal with the pain. Although there is no proper cure for osteoarthritis, one can always make a few lifestyle changes to ensure that the person lives a long and relatively pain free life.