JOINT PAIN LIKE KNEE PAIN

I discussed joint pain

The aching, tightness, popping, and swelling that can make everyday activities a chore. Your knees are often your most aching joint. This is because they are literally caught in the middle of the leg and not only experience their own pain, but can be painful because of referred injury from the feet and hips. 

There are many reasons for your joints to ache, including weakness, injury, excess body weight, but many people have joint pain because of cartilage damage. When people are diagnosed with arthritis this means their cartilage is damaged.

Cartilage is normally the glistening…smoother than ice…biomechanical wonder….that lines the ends of our bones….until it starts to break down. Technically, the definition of cartilage wear is osteoarthritis…yes, I said the awful word. For most of you this cartilage break down is most problematic in the knees and hips.

PAIN IN THE BACK OF THE KNEE ??

Top 3 Reasons Why You Suffer From Pain In The Back Of The Knee

1. Possible Arthritis

This is one of the most common causes of pain in the knee. In fact, if you are over the age of 65 one in two of you have arthritis with the knee been one of the most common joints involved.

The pain of arthritis is usually a dull tooth ache pain that is occasionally sharp with sudden movements. The pain is usually located over your joint line (where the tibia meets the femur) and in the front of the knee. Mild and sometimes severe swelling is associated with this pain. The pain is worse when you exit a chair or car. It is also worse with any prolonged walking or standing. The pain is usually better with rest, heat (sometimes ice), wrapping the knee and pain medication.

Occasionally the knee may catch on the rough uneven surfaces of your cartilage. Patients often complain of grinding in the knee, and occasional popping.

2. Minor Tear of the Cartilage Surface

Rather then a cyst or fluid build-up, the causes of the pain behind the knee might simply be slight micro tears in the cartilage. This can be treated with the same solutions at the end of this article. Tears, if minor, require no surgery and will heal on their own depending on the time allowed for healing and if the activity that aggravates it is avoided.

3. Baker's Cyst

The cyst usually occurs due to some other problem in your knee such as arthritis or even a tear of your meniscus. The swelling from this problem causes fluid to build up in your knee. This fluid pushes out the weakest point of your joint capsule surrounding your knee. This is usually to the back portion of your knee capsule, and a cyst forms. The cyst has a valve made out of your joint capsule tissue. This valve can sometimes become clogged and the fluid becomes trapped in the cyst. Thus, even when the injury has resolved, you still have the swelling in the back of your knee. This is associated with pain usually described as dull and aching. The pain is worse with prolonged walking or standing. It is sometimes improved with rest, elevation and taking pain medication.

Many people agree that when it comes to pain behind the knee, the best plan of action is Control, Avoid, and Rehabilitate.

Control:

Cryotheraphy which involves putting ice on the area for 5 minutes at a time. This will help reduce the pain. Do not continue to apply ice if a burning sensation is felt.

Heat from a heating pad for 10-20 minutes on a lower setting may help reduce pain. Alternative methods include creams that create a heating sensation like Icy-Hot or AST BioFreeze gel.

Bracing from a comfortable knee brace can provide some needed relief and stability to the area, reducing the pressure on the area and thus; reducing the pain. There are many knee braces available that can be worn during activity or at any time where the area becomes bothersome.

Avoid:

There's nothing special about this old saying. Simply avoid the activities that aggravate the pain and participate in ones that seem to help it. Making a list of things NOT to do and a list of things TO DO will be helpful in determining what makes the pain worse. Avoid activities that continue to make the pain worse or no better. This is typical advice. Pain is a warning signal.

Rehabilitate:

Talk to a Doctor/Physiotherapist and make a plan of action to rehabilitate the knee thru controlled motions. Rehabilitation includes motivation to do the prescribed exercises. The correct exercises as prescribed and the proper equipment to keep the motions in controlled.

Pain behind the knee is very common in some many sports that you can suffer from this by doing almost anything from snowboarding to racquetball. By taking precautions in your sports and understanding what might cause this, will allow not only enjoyable sports activities, but a lifetime of activity.

PAIN IN THE FRONT OF THE KNEE ??

Pain in the front of the knee 

Pain in the front of the knee is a very common complaint. The pain usually originates from the tissue around the kneecap including the tendons, bones and cartilage surfaces. These tissues are put under high forces during many common activities and especially during sports. Running, jumping, hiking, squatting and lunging can place up to six times an individual's body weight through these tissues. Repetitive high loading eventually leads to tissue breakdown and subsequent pain. Women are more susceptible to these problems because their kneecaps are smaller and often "track" abnormally. High forces in a small distribution area leads to painful "chondromalacia" (chondro=cartilage; malacia=bad).
The most common medical finding is damage to the cartilage behind the kneecap (patella). The cartilage covering, or articular cartilage, that covers the knee cap bone is the thickest cartilage covering in the entire human body. The reason the cartilage covering in this area is so thick is because the knee cap takes more pressure per unit of area than any other joint in the body. With squatting and lunging activities up to six times the body weight is placed into the small bone of the knee cap and the cartilage. With activities this cartilage can begin to breakdown and produce pain.
The thigh muscles (quadriceps) help keep the kneecap (patella) stable and in place. Weak quadriceps increase the risk of patellar tracking disorder.

Ligaments and tendons also help stabilize the patella. If these are too tight or too loose, you have a greater risk of patellar tracking disorder.

The goals of nonsurgical treatment of patellar tracking problems are to decrease symptoms, increase quadriceps strength and endurance, and return to normal function. Exercises for patellar tracking disorder are not complicated and can be done at home in about 20 minutes a day.

Most patellar tracking problems can be treated effectively without surgery. Nonsurgical treatment may include rest, regular stretching and strengthening exercises, taping or bracing the knee, using ice, and short-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).1
Quadriceps strengthening is the most commonly prescribed treatment for patellar tracking disorder. Exercises to increase flexibility and to strengthen the muscles used for hip rotation can also help.1
Patience and dedication are essential. The slow progress and improvement can be frustrating, but most people can be spared a surgical procedure by closely following a conservative therapy program.

IMPORTANCE OF MORNING BREAKFAST ??

IMPORTANCE OF MORNING BREAKFAST

Breaking your fast in the morning should not be negotiable, and here are just a few reasons why:

• The breakfast meal is necessary to fill our minds and bodies after going without food during the hours we were asleep. Countless studies have shown that adults who race out the door without a morsel in their mouths don't perform as well at work as when they're fueled. The same goes for kids who go to school hungry.


• Without food, your blood sugars levels could resemble a roller coaster, leading to fatigue and irritability. It will also be harder to make decisions and stay level-headed ... not a pretty picture in the workplace or at home.

• Skipping breakfast often leads to a high-calorie, mid-morning snack or sends an invitation to indulge in a heavier lunch. And that can quickly cause your pants to get tighter.

• Breakfast can help keep disease at bay. A recent study suggests that starting your day with a solid breakfast helps keep diabetes in check, and certain choices, like a bowl of oatmeal, could curtail cholesterol levels.

• Good habits are contagious. A sensible morning meal sets the tone for the choices you'll make the remainder of the day.

Don't give yourself the option of making excuses that lead to skipping the meal that could dictate your day. Squash cravings and satisfy hunger by combining foods rich in protein -- such as egg whites, eggs, almond butter, reduced-fat cheese, low-fat or skim dairy products) -- with whole-grain carbs (high-fiber cereal and whole-grain bread) and healthy fats (nuts, avocado and olive oil). Those three nutrients -- protein, whole-grain carbs and healthy fats -- are like the three legs of a stool. They support and enhance each other while providing a strong foundation for your body.

SIGNS OF A HEART ATTACK ??

Signs of a heart attack

Many people think a heart attack is sudden, like a "movie" heart attack, where someone clutches her chest and falls over. But the truth is that many heart attacks start slowly as mild pain or discomfort. These feelings may even come and go. A heart attack is very serious and you should get to the hospital right away by calling 108. Learn what to expect at the hospital when you're having a heart attack.

For both women and men, the most common sign of a heart attack is pain or discomfort in the center of the chest. The pain or discomfort can be mild or strong. It can last more than a few minutes, or it can go away and come back. See the figure, "Signs of a Heart Attack," for a full list of heart attack signs.
Women are more likely than men to have the "other" common signs of a heart attack. These include shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, and pain in the back, neck, or jaw. Sometimes the signs of a heart attack happen suddenly. But they can also develop slowly, over hours, days, and even weeks before a heart attack occurs.

The more heart attack signs that you have, the more likely it is that you are having a heart attack. Also, if you've already had a heart attack, your symptoms may not be the same for another one. Even if you're not sure you're having a heart attack, you should still have it checked out.