Common Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

Common Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammation of the joints. This disease is categorized as an autoimmune disease because people suffering from this condition have antibodies in their blood that target their own body tissues. As a result, the joints are mistakenly attacked by the body's own immune system. The condition is likely to occur in people between the ages of 40 and 50. It is very common in the US and not less than 2 million Americans are diagnosed with this disease. In fact, it is the most common type of arthritis in the US. Women are more prone to rheumatoid arthritis than men at a ratio of 3:1.

Rheumatoid arthritis can attack various organs and tissues in the human body. However, it mainly attacks synovial joints in the hands, wrists, ankles, and knees. Common arthritis symptoms include fever, weight loss, malaise, as well as muscle ache and pain. People suffering from arthritis are also likely to experience the feeling of tiredness, lack of sleep, the inability to use the hand or walk properly, and difficulty in moving their joints especially in the morning.

Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms include the ones mentioned previously as well as other specific signs which differentiate this type of arthritis from other types such as osteoarthritis and gouty arthritis. Besides the above mentioned symptoms, people with this disease will suffer from joint pain, joint stiffness, joint swelling and joint tenderness. They will also feel warmness around the affected joints. The pains are likely to occur symmetrically. For example, if you feel pain in one knee, you will also feel pain in the other. The sufferers can also find lumps under their skin, usually on the hands or elbows, which are called the rheumatoid nodules. This type of arthritis can also cause joint space narrowing and bone erosion as well. Other rheumatoid arthritis symptoms also include anemia, increasing ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate), ulnar deviation, rheumatoid factor, swan neck, and hand deformity.

Hand deformity is a common occurrence in people suffering from this condition. Hand deformities in people with this disease occur when ulnar deviation happens. Ulnar deviation is the condition when the fingers deviate towards the ulna (the inner bone of the forearm). The disease can also prevent the fingers from functioning properly due to ruptured tendons. As mentioned before, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, meaning that it can't be cured. However, surgery may be helpful to correct deformities caused by this disease.

Congenital Hip Dislocation - Symptoms and How It Is Treated

Congenital Hip Dislocation - Symptoms and How It Is Treated

Congenital hip dislocation symptoms are not be easily seen in a newborn child. However, a pediatrician will typically check for the presence of this disorder using a simple procedure that involves pushing the infant's legs apart.
Congenital hip dislocation is a disorder in which the hip bone (head of the femur) does not fit properly into its socket or is partially or completely outside of its socket. The condition is present at birth and is more common in girls.
This article shares how this condition is diagnosed in both infants and older children and explains how the dislocation is treated.
Congenital Hip Dislocation Symptoms and Causes
Due to the fact that symptoms are not easily noticed in a newborn, most infants are routinely checked for congenital hip dislocation by their obstetrician or pediatrician. If the test is positive, the medical doctor will hear a clicking sound when flexing and spreading the infant's legs apart.
In older infants or toddlers, one leg may appear shorter than the other or the toddler may walk with a limp, on his or her tip-toes, or with a waddling gait.
The cause of congenital hip dislocation is not fully understood. There may be a link to a hormonal imbalance in the mother during pregnancy or injury during the birth process which may be due in part to the position of the fetus (i.e. breech position).
Congenital Hip Dislocation Diagnosis and Treatment
Diagnosis is typically made by an obstetrician or pediatrician who may identify the problem during a routine examination. During a routine physical examination, the doctor will flex and spread the infant's legs, if a clicking sound is heard, the condition may be present.
For toddlers or older children, the doctor will monitor the child's gait to detect a limp or other unusual walking characteristics such as walking on his or her toes, or waddling like a duck. Other signs of this condition in toddlers and older children may include the appearance that one leg is shorter than the other, skin folds in the thighs that appear uneven and less flexibility on the side affected by the dislocation.
In older infants and children, the diagnosis may be confirmed by additional tests such as ultrasound and/or x-rays of the hip.
Congenital hip dislocation is usually correctable if discovered early and treatment will depend on the age of the child. In newborns and young infants, a soft device called a Pavlik harness can be used to maintain proper positioning of the hip bone in its socket. This allows the hip to develop normally.
For older infants and toddlers a procedure called closed reduction may be performed in which the hip bone is pushed back into the socket. This procedure may be performed under anesthesia. If this procedure fails, open surgery may be recommended.
Treatment typically involves immobilizing the hip joint until it heals. Immobilization can involve using a splint, brace or cast, which may need to be worn for many months. If a cast is needed for a very young child, the child

Sprained Ankle Symptoms - Is It Broken Or Sprained?

Sprained Ankle Symptoms - Is It Broken Or Sprained?

Though breaking your ankle and spraining you ankle is a completely different type of injury, it can be difficult to understand sprained ankle symptoms just by "feel". A bad sprain can be much more painful than a light break and vice versa. Unfortunately, for those of us who like to admit defeat and consult a professional, the best way to tell is to go to the doctor and get an x-ray. Guessing (even educated guesses) can result in larger problems down the road if your guess-work results in an incorrect diagnosis. However, there are a few telltale signs that can help you figure out if your ankle is broken or twisted - unfortunately none of these sprained ankle symptoms are one hundred percent reliable.
When you injured the ankle, what kind of noise did you hear? A popping or ripping sound is indicative of a sprain. A sprain is the stretching or tearing of ligaments in your ankle. That sound you heard is the sound of your ligaments doing things they shouldn't. One of my worse injuries sounded like Christopher Walken doing a Spanish accent. It turned out to be a sprain. A cracking noise indicates a break. Even small fractures can be difficult to heal. However, depending on the degree of the fracture and the environment in which you were injured, you may or may not hear a noise.
Next on your list of sprained ankle symptoms is a test of 'reactionary' vs. 'constant' pain. At the moment of injury immediately get off your feet. Any place will do; a bench, a curb, the ground. Taking pressure off the injury will help you determine the type of pain you are experiencing. Reactionary pain is experienced when you move the injured area. For example, placing your foot on the ground, moving your ankle in different directions, or touching the area are all simple tests. If you are only experiencing discomfort from the initial injury, and pain comes only when moving or touching the injured site, this is probably indicative of a sprain. However, complete tearing of a ligament could result in NO PAIN or EXTREME PAIN, making these sprained ankle symptoms all so confusing. If you are experiencing constant pain, regardless of how much you move or don't move the area, this is probably a break.
Here is another test of 'reactionary' vs. 'constant' pain. Sit on the floor facing a firm wall with both feet in front of you and put you injured foot flat against the wall. Push softly against the wall with your injured foot. If you are able to do this, no large bones are fractured or broken. If when you do this you experience a good amount of pain in places other than your ankle, you probably have broken something.
Sprained ankle symptoms my also include a feeling of ankle instability. I know, at this time who wants to put pressure on the injury right? However, a serious ankle sprain resulting from completely tearing a ligament will give you an 'unstable' feeling when walking on your ankle. A break will probably make it impossible to walk or you will experience pain in other parts of your body in addition to your ankle.
Another test of sprained ankle symptoms is the "wait and see" test. Initial injury is a very difficult time to diagnose yourself because really, a little pain and a lot of pain is difficult to differentiate, and who really knows what Christopher Walken doing a Spanish accent sounds like. So get home quickly (if you're able to walk yourself home it's probably a sprain) and begin the RICE system. If the pain keeps you up at night - it's probably a break. If after 24 to 48 hours you're feeling better, it's probably a sprain. If after 48 hour of RICE you are feeling better, you should start rehabilitation exercises for your ankle to speed up recovery time.

Scoliosis Genetic and Blood Tests Pave the Way for Early Stage Scoliosis Intervention in the Future

Scoliosis Genetic and Blood Tests Pave the Way for Early Stage Scoliosis Intervention in the Future

The treatment of idiopathic scoliosis has maintained a consistent dogmatic stance of observation for mild curvature less than 25 degrees, bracing for moderate curvatures between 25 and 40 degrees, and highly invasive spinal fusion surgery for curvature over 40 degrees. With the advent of genetic and blood testing this dogmatic stance will be rapidly changing. Controversy amongst scoliosis specialists has been evident especially when dealing with early and moderate treatment zones. With the lack of any genetic profile or understanding of what makes a scoliosis progress to severe surgical levels we simply were unable to tell whether or not the conservative treatments like scoliosis bracing and scoliosis exercise altered the natural course of the disease or if the scoliosis would not have progressed regardless of early attempts to halt progression.
Genetic prognostic testing now available, that will help determine the progressive nature of a patient's scoliosis. An analysis of 53 DNA markers associated with scoliosis has allowed categorization of three specific groups of patients: low risk for progression, moderate risk, and those that will progress to greater than 45 degrees and most likely require fusion surgery. When this testing is used as standard practice it may in fact change the entire paradigm of scoliosis management. Those that will not require treatment considered very low risk will need to be monitored only periodically if at all depending on the patients choice to seek alternative therapies for possible reducing the lower grade curvature. Those that are in the moderate risk zone will still require periodic evaluation and may certainly benefit from conservative methods of treatment, such as scoliosis rehabilitation. Those in the high risk category for curve progression, may be candidates for less invasive non fusion based guided growth type surgeries known as vertebral stapling.
The advent of growth modulation techniques, mainly vertebral body stapling, will most likely become more commonly utilized versus the reactive fusion based surgery that currently dominates the scoliosis surgery market. This guided growth technology may be effective in controlling curve progression until skeletal maturity, at which time the vertebral staples could either be removed or remain based on what the surgeons recommend. This newer technique generally will not negatively impact spinal mobility but at the same time alter curve progression levels and in some cases prevent progression. Further tweaking of the genetic testing may eventually identify those patients who will benefit from physical therapy or spinal bracing, so that these types of scoliosis treatments can be begin at the earliest possible stage in scoliosis development to ultimately maximize their effectiveness. The eagerly awaited scoliosis blood test which measures level of osteopontin (OPN) will hopefully be used in conjunction with the patient's genetic risk analysis and can be used to determine how effective a conservative treatment approach may be for any given patient before they fail a therapeutic trial.
Scoliosis is a condition with both genetic and environmental components (Nature vs. Nurture). Any basic algebra student can tell you that an equation with 2 unknown variables can't be solved and this is why trying to figure out which patients needed which treatments was almost impossible to do with any amount of accuracy. Until now, the Scoliscore test can provide us with the necessary genetic part of the equation and we can now focus on elimination of the environmental aspects of the condition (since altering the genetic component is currently impossible).....this means we can actually start working towards a cure through early stage intervention and elimination of environmental factors.
The prognostic technology of scoliosis is rapidly out pacing the rate of scoliosis treatment advancement. An early stage scoliosis treatment program is being developed in hopes of altering the natural course of the condition and take advantage of the opportunity this prognostic technology can provide.