Complications Surrounding Advanced Tendon Strain
November 28, 2009 by Tom Nicholson
Filed under Health & Fitness
Tendon strain is very painful regardless of the way anyone describes the feeling. Tendon strain occurs when there is an injury that abnormally stretches the tendons inside the body. Tendons connect the bones to the muscles inside the body and they can become injured while playing sports or even twisting an ankle.
There are different degrees of tendon injury. The worst of these of course, are stretching a tendon to the point of tendon rupture. You can suffer such tendon injuries during a fall, playing sports or even by overuse.
Tendon strain can occur in the wrists, arms, feet and legs from excessive force on the tendons. Even a weightlifter performing incorrect weight lifting can suffer from tendon strain. One common tendon strain to skiers is taking a fall that may tear the rotator cuff tendon in the shoulders.
When you twist your foot, for instance, you are overstretching the Achilles tendon, which is found right above your heel. This tendon is used a tremendous amount as it is what accelerates your body forward when starting a footrace, for example. People have been known to suffer a tendon strain when trying to stand on tiptoe as an example, if they have not kept that particular tendon moving properly prior to the injury.
A tendon strain is treated in different manners depending on the amount of injury of course. If the tendon has snapped, immediate surgery is recommended, as the injury may be permanent, resulting in permanent disability if medical treatment in the form of surgery is not received.
Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation or R.I.C.E. applications work well as a treatment for tendon strain, when there is no need for surgery. However, it is debatable as to the amount of rest that is called for to relieve this problem. Not stretching the tendon can cause a premature shortening of the tendon. It may even cause more serious medical problems; therefore, medical professionals agree that a slow stretching is essential for the tendon on a daily basis, to prevent such occurrences.
Ice should never be left on the area for more than twenty minutes at a time; you will also need to cover the area in order to protect the skin from direct contact with the ice. Some swelling will occur in the injured area; however, ice can help to prevent swelling.
Limit the use of a compress and make sure that you do not make it too tight while using an ace bandage.
Elevation is helpful for reducing swelling; however, you should make sure that you do not elevate the area higher than your heart to get the best results of elevation.
After such an injury, it is necessary to keep your range of motion. However, you will need to exercise the area of the injured tendon strain most carefully. You may also wish to apply heat when the swelling goes down completely. After a complete recovery, strengthening exercises are essential.
Tom Nicholson has spent years helping carpal tunnel sufferers. Please click here to learn more regarding having asore wrist.
Begin Curing Yourself With Easy Carpal Tunnel treatment
November 5, 2009 by Tom Nicholson
Filed under Health & Fitness
Some studies have led medical health practitioners to the conclusion that carpal tunnel syndrome can be successfully treated with increased supplementation of vitamin B6. This research concludes that CTS is brought on by the joints and ligaments in the hand and wrist becoming weakened by too little of this very important vitamin.
For instance, in research conducted by the Portland Hand Surgery and Rehabilitation Center in Oregon, 441 people were examined and it was concluded that in these patients higher levels of vitamin B6 corresponded with fewer incidences of carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms. PHSRC also concluded that higher levels of vitamin C in proportion to lower vitamin B6 levels corresponded with more incidences and greater frequency of flare-ups of carpal tunnel symptoms. Similarly, Japanese university student research with a random sample of 174 students concluded that lowered levels of vitamin B6 led to increased risk of getting CTS.
There are many way that you can put more vitamin B6 into your system besides taking gel cap supplements. Consider rounding out your diet with avocados, turkey, sunflower seeds, salmon, mangoes, brown rice, bok choy, barley, sweet potatoes, and pork. You will also hear that drinking beer in moderation can make a difference in elevating your levels of vitamin B6. Diet can be a very important factor in keeping yourself healthy. There are also some situations that can encourage a vitamin B6 deficiency. For instance, women on oral contraceptives find that they can be deficient in this vitamin as can people who eat too many foods that have Yellow Dye #5, which is found in some highly processed cheeses and pickles. Also be aware that high levels of stress can affect your body in this fashion.
When people do choose to take supplements, they usually are told to do so with 50 mg doses no more than three times per day. B6 supplements might cause increased urination. Health practitioners agree that you should not get more than 200 mg of B6 per day unless you’re instructed to do so by a physician. In greater dosages, B6 is a neurotoxin which can also harm sensory nerves.
The issue is that in some research cases, this is something that is seen to happen. Some studies as well as some anecdotal evidence have cause physicians to prescribe this vitamin on a routine basis. According to Dr. Alfred Franzblau of the University of Michigan School of Public Health, one issue is that patients might be overdosing on vitamin B6 in the format as prescribed by their doctors, who might seem them taking as many as 300 milligrams of the vitamin or more.
So, can increased levels of vitamin B6 really prevent carpal tunnel syndrome? Or is this research too “iffy” and this supplementation too dangerous to be tried? One treatment for CTS which is known to be safe is performing a set of exercises designed specifically to removed CTS symptoms and then prevent future onset. No drugs, no possibility of overdosing, no “iffy” results; you strengthen your hand and wrist and CTS is gone and prevented.
Developed CTS exercises are non-invasive and drug free. They are designed to be used to strengthen the hand and wrist so that CTS symptoms fade away and future possibilities of getting carpal tunnel syndrome are prevented. It is likely that these will be even more effective for you. Follow this link to see more carpal tunnel exercises.
Strange Carpal Tunnel Exercises Provide Relief For Most Complained About Symptoms
June 18, 2009 by Tom Nicholson
Filed under Health & Fitness
When you deal with carpal tunnel and all the pain, all you think about is making sure the area is healed and pain free. However, it’s really not that simple and you will need to do a variety of exercises to help, even though they may not seem to be exercises that would really help out your carpal tunnel. Here we are going to show you some carpal tunnel exercises that focus on other body parts to help out your pain.
Torso Twist
For this exercise you need a chair with no arms. Sit on the right side or the left side. Ensure you put your feet on the ground. Then turn at the torso all the way until you are able to grab onto the back of the chair on both sides. If you are sitting on the right side, then you’ll turn the head towards the right once you are able to grab the chair. Twist as much as possible.
Once you do one side, then do the other side as well. Holding the position for a bit is the important part of the exercise. Usually it’s a good idea to begin by using the five second rule. Hold five seconds to start out, but if the carpal tunnel exercises become easier for you, then hold it a bit longer. If you can twist further, then work on twisting further as you get more used to the exercise.
Exercise 2 – The Neck Release
Once you have done the torso twist, then go on to this exercise, sitting normally in the chair. Take the right hand, reach it back and use it to grab the right side of your chair. For the best results, slowing bring the neck down to the chest as far as you can. Take the left hand, reach on the other side of the head, and then carefully pull the neck to that side, getting a nice stretch.
For those who don’t always have great posture when working at a desk, this is one of the best carpal tunnel exercises. Although it doesn’t focus on the arms and wrists, you will feel the effects on the neck and shoulders, helping out. When you loosen these areas up you’ll be able to sit properly at the desk, get the arms up better, and it will make it easier for you to use your hands for your job.
Exercise 3 – The Shrug
Another quick and easy exercise not specifically related to carpal tunnel exercises is the shrug. You can do this standing up or sitting in your chair, but you simply bring the shoulders as high up to the ears as possible. Once you reach this point, drop your shoulders and repeat the process. Also, you may want to reach your high point, then hold the position for a few seconds before releasing.
When it’s all said and done, all of these may not feel like carpal tunnel exercises, but they all help to prevent the syndrome. Doing them during your breaks, in between working points, or a couple of minutes each hour will leave you feeling refreshed. Once you get in the habit of doing them everyday, you will be preventing any further problems with carpal tunnel.





