Knee Pain, Knee Injuries and Iliotibial Band Syndrome

Knee pain and knee injuries, as a result of Iliotibial Band Syndrome, can be an extremely painful and frustrating injury that puts a big strain on both the knee and hip joints.

Knee pain and knee injuries are very common among runners and cyclists. However, they don't usually occur in an instant, like a hamstring strain or groin pull, but commonly start off as a twinge or niggle, and progress quickly to a debilitating sports injury that can sideline the best of us for weeks.

For those who aren't familiar with Iliotibial Band Syndrome, let's start by having a look at the muscle responsible for the problem. The iliotibial band is actually a thick tendon-like portion of another muscle called the tensor fasciae latae. This band passes down the outside of the thigh and inserts just below the knee.

If you look at the anterior (front) view of the right thigh muscles and follow the tendon of this muscle down, you'll see that it runs all the way to the knee. This thick band of tendon is the iliotibial band. Or iliotibial tract, as it is labelled in the diagram.

The knee pain occurs when the tensor fasciae latae muscle and iliotibial band become tight. This causes the tendon to pull the knee joint out of alignment and rub against the outside of the knee, which results in inflammation and pain.

Causes

There are two main causes of knee pain associated with iliotibial band syndrome. The first is "overload" and the second is "biomechanical errors."

Overload is common with sports that require a lot of running or weight bearing activity. This is why ITB is commonly a runner's injury. When the tensor fasciae latae muscle and iliotibial band become fatigued and overloaded, they lose their ability to adequately stabilize the entire leg. This in-turn places stress on the knee joint, which results in pain and damage to the structures that make up the knee joint.

Overload on the ITB can be caused by a number of things. They include:

• Exercising on hard surfaces, like concrete;


• Exercising on uneven ground;


• Beginning an exercise program after a long lay-off period;


• Increasing exercise intensity or duration too quickly;


• Exercising in worn out or ill fitting shoes; and


• Excessive uphill or downhill running.

Biomechanical errors include:

• Leg length differences;


• Tight, stiff muscles in the leg;


• Muscle imbalances;


• Foot structure problems such as flat feet; and


• Gait, or running style problems such as pronation.

Treatment For Iliotibial Band Syndrome

Firstly, be sure to remove the cause of the problem. Whether is be an overload problem, or a biomechanical problem, make sure steps are taken to remove the cause.

The basic treatment for knee pain that results from ITB Syndrome is no different to most other soft tissue injuries. Immediately following the onset of any knee pain, the R.I.C.E.R. regime should be applied. This involves Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, and Referral to an appropriate professional for an accurate diagnosis. It is critical that the R.I.C.E.R. regime be implemented for at least the first 48 to 72 hours. Doing this will give you the best possible chance of a complete and full recovery.

Cheap and Natural Home Remedies For Joint Pain Relief

Feeling some pain in your joint could be very agonizing. Although it is not the kind of pain that tells a person he or she is going to die, it's the kind of pain that many sufferers say they'd rather die than experience a second time. The statement may be quite an exaggeration, but if you were the one suffering from such severe pain in your bones, you would probably be able to say just the same.

Joint pains may be caused by several factors, therefore a uniform joint pain relief may not be applicable to all of them. Arthritis is the most usual reason for joint pains though. Many people who experience this kind of pain for the first time tend to blame aging and think they are already suffering from arthritis. This may be true to some, but definitely not to everyone.

Aside from arthritis, a certain joint pain may also be caused by some injuries or medical conditions. It may also be due to bursitis. It is the inflammation of the bursae - the fluid-filled sacs that pad and cushion bony parts. They allow free movement of the tendons and muscles over the bone. When these sacs swell, the joints feel the pain.

There are medications you can buy from the drugstore or ask your doctor to administer to you to alleviate pains in the joints. However, there are home remedies too that can offer joint pain relief. They are not only cheap, they are effective as well. Some of them are even more effective than commercial drugs. Below is a list of home treatments for painful joints:

* Warm Bath - Warm water is highly soothing to painful joints. It also helps the muscles to relax and facilitates good blood flow.

* Oil - Any oil may help in giving an instant joint pain relief. Apply some on the affected area and massage it lightly. This will bring relief to your aching bones. However, if you are experiencing joint pains due to gout, massaging is not a good option. People who have gout arthritis say that massaging the affected area makes the pain worse. Just to play safe, simply put some oil on it and leave it as that.

* Garlic-- Eat garlic cloves that were fried in butter.

* Turmeric powder - Take half a teaspoon of turmeric powder. Mix it with warm water and apply it three times a day.

* Bananas - Among all fruits, bananas are known to be the best for your joints because they provide them strength. They say that bananas even grease them.

* Exercise -- When you exercise, you also increase the flexibility of your joints and your bones. When experiencing joint pains, water exercise may be a great remedy. It can reduce the pain and improve your flexibility without needing to exert too much effort since the water helps you carry your body weight.

* Camphor rub - Mix one teaspoon of camphor oil to one teaspoon of sunflower oil. Massage the affected area. This will provide you with calming warmth that helps in lessening your pain.

The Myths About Arthritis And The Joint Pain That You Can Possibly Live With

Joint pain as a result of arthritis affects one in five adults in America. Till this date, the management of osteoarthritis has only focused on pain relief. There is no specific drug that can get rid of arthritis joint pain effectively. This is in contrast to rheumatoid arthritis, in which there are several treatments that have proved to prevent the bone degeneration and joint damage if treated properly at an early stage.

Therefore, it is more promising in tackling a joint problem arising from rheumatoid arthritis than osteoarthritis.

Nevertheless, there are various alternative approaches to reduce and mitigate the symptoms of arthritis pain. And in doing so this may also improve the condition. Most of the elderly people have put up too long with joint pain caused by osteoarthritis.

They have suffered and live with arthritis as a matter of fact. This is something that they believe there is nothing that can be done about it. Joint pain arising from arthritis can affect any part of the joints from the jaw, neck, hip, knee down to the ankle. While this condition progresses very slowly and the pain comes and goes, it does affect the daily life of the patients tremendously.

There are many non-pharmacological treatment options in the market now. These have studied, tested and made available to patients. It does help in their pain relief efforts generally. In fact, these alternative treatments can be adopted to ease the discomfort caused by arthritis. That maybe chronic in nature. The myths that arthritis pain is something that has to be tolerated can no longer be validated further. Much efforts are required in educating the masses. There is a need to understand the many factors that contribute to osteoarthritis.

These factors can be categorized into conditions that are not modifiable and conditions that are modifiable. Factors that are not modifiable include hereditary, family history, sex, age and genetic predisposition. On the other hand, there are many non-pharmacological treatment options that are suitable to treat and relieve joint pain arising from conditions such as injury, obesity, muscle and skeletal deficiency and postural misalignment.

Coupled with the above factors, arthritis pain is further compounded from inactivity through the course of aging. It is also a common belief that exercising may worsen the condition resulting in more painful joints. And as one ages, the inactivity level also increases over time. This seems to be the rule of the day. A vicious cycle thus begins whereby inactivity weakens the muscle and skeletal system leading to cartilage breakdown. This worsens the condition. Dreadfully, the inactivity fulfills the common self-made belief that arthritis is an unavoidable wear and tear disease associated with aging!

Best Joint Supplement - Natural Joint Pain Relief

Many elderly people complain of joint pain. It can be so debilitating at times that it can restrict mobility, making a person completely invalid. An aching joint thus interferes much with day to day activities. The main cause of joint pain is damage to the joint. The phenomenon is also termed as arthritis. Knee, hip, shoulder, spinal joints etc are prone to easy damage for they bear the load of the body or support the body structure.

Wearing out and tearing of cartilage, exposing bone heads at a joint to friction is the basic cause of pain in joint. Friction between bone heads reduces them to spurs. This leads to pain at joints, tenderness, swelling, heat, stiffness, and redness of skin at the joints. The pain may be acute or chronic, making mobility quite impossible. Aging and cessation of cartilage repair process, obesity, bone infection, prior history of bone fracture or any other bone injury, auto-immune joint disorder, elevation of uric acid levels and crystallization of uric acid within joint, drying up of synovial fluid are factors leading to pain in joint.

It is necessary to timely manage joint pain. Light exercise, massage, heat compress, Epsom salt bath etc can minimize the negative impacts of joint pain to some extent. The market offers uncountable analgesics, steroid drugs to manage joint pain. But one must think twice before trying them out, keeping in mind their adverse side-effects on human body.

Therefore it is best to treat pain with supplements that are purely natural in formulation. Joint Advance is one such natural joint pain relief supplement, shielding your joints, making them healthy and nourishing them from within. Joint Advance is free from harmful side-effects, for it is composed of herbal ingredients. The supplement enjoys doctors' endorsement, and you will feel its amazing results within 30 days of intake. This stupendous product will make you feel strong at your joints like never before. The manufacturer of the product enjoys GMP or good manufacturing practicing status.

The ingredients of Joint Advance are Glucosamine complex, Chondroitin Sulfate, MSM, white willow barks extracts, ginger, and Vitamin C. These ingredients are easily metabolized in to the patient's system, providing nutritional strength to the weak joints. With Joint Advance you will throw away your walking stick and feel like dancing again! This is 100% herbal and natural, hence there is no side effects of using this for long time.

New Research Shows the Effectiveness of Bariatric Surgery in Treating Type 2 Diabetes

Today, in the United States, we are in the midst of an epidemic of Diabetes. Between 2000 and 2030 the number of people, world-wide, with Diabetes is expected to more than double. Most of this increase will be due to obesity-related Type 2 Diabetes. The National Institutes of Health most recent estimates are that nearly 24 million people, almost 8% of the population in the US now have Diabetes. Of these patients, 90 to 95% suffer from Type 2 Diabetes and is most often obesity-related.

Like for obesity itself, dietary, behavioral and medication therapies to manage Type 2 Diabetes have a very high failure rate. Despite all of these efforts, less than half of all patients achieve adequate control; defined by the American Diabetes Associate as a Hemoglobin A1C of less than 7%. (Hemoglobin A1C is like a monthly average of your blood sugar levels.)

Diabetes is associated with an increased risk for heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, nervous system disease, limb amputations and complications during pregnancy. Having diabetes doubles your risk of death.

Patients struggling with obesity-related Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and their Bariatric surgeons have known for years that diabetic medication requirements can decrease very quickly after Bariatric surgery. Often, patients who enter the hospital on multiple diabetic medications leave the hospital several days later after undergoing Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass surgery on little or no medication at all! Clearly this benefit is independent from the weight loss that Bariatric surgery will eventually provide, since it occurs almost immediately.

Those patients who still require some medication can see further benefit over the following one to two years as their weight loss progresses; and the benefits appears to last, extending out for years.

Doctors from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have recently published a new research study that shows just how significant this improvement can be. This landmark study examined over 2200 patients from seven different states, all with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, who underwent Bariatric surgery.

At the time of surgery each patient was on an average of more than four daily diabetic medications. Six months after surgery 75% of all of the patients were off of all their Diabetic medications; two years after surgery 85% of all patients were free of medication.

Most of the patients in this study underwent Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass; a surgical procedure that re-routes the pathway that food takes through the digestive system. Only a few of the studied patients underwent procedures that do not alter this pathway. Bariatric surgeons believe that it is this altered pathway, diverting the food from traveling through the first part of the small intestine, called the duodenum, which is responsible for the dramatic improvement in Type 2 Diabetes even before a patient has had time to lose any weight.

Not only were patients healthier, but as a result they spent a lot less on healthcare. The current cost of treating Diabetes in the U.S. is estimated to be over $175 Billion a year, about one in every five dollars currently spent on health care. The annual cost of Diabetes drugs alone has more than doubled in the last ten years. The research study showed that after undergoing Bariatric surgery, a patient's annual health care costs decreased by 70% three years after surgery.

This study demonstrates the prominent role that Bariatric surgery can play in addressing our increasingly critical national goals of improving health while decreasing health care costs overall.

And Diabetes is but only one of the many serious health conditions that are associated with the obesity epidemic. These other conditions include heart disease, hypertension, pulmonary disease, degenerative joint disease and higher rates of many forms of cancer; all of which have been shown to have dramatic improvements after Bariatric surgery.

The authors of the study concluded that "Until a successful non-surgical means for preventing and reversing obesity is developed, Bariatric surgery appears to be the only intervention that can result in a sustained reversal of both obesity and type 2 Diabetes...."

Quite simply, current research indicates that Bariatric weight reduction surgery results in a significant lowering of health care costs for all of us; both the patients and the rest of us who share in our nation's health care costs. Bariatric weight reduction surgery must be a covered benefit of all insurance plans for these, and many other reasons.

"Coverage of Bariatric surgery should be available to all obese patients who meet criteria regardless of their degree of coverage....."

Steven C. Simon, MD, FACS Arizona Weight Loss Solutions

Makary et. al. Arch Surg. 2010;145(8):726-731

Arthritis: Causes and Treatment

Arthritis is defined as joint inflammation and is also used to describe dozens of other rheumatic diseases. The term 'Arthritis' covers osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus, gout and fibromyalgia, to name but a few. The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis and usually affects older people as it is a degenerative condition. However it can affect younger people, particularly if a joint has been injured or is deformed. There is no known cure for osteoarthritis but general wear and tear on the joints is a factor in developing the disease.

Osteoarthritis affects cartilage which covers bone between the joints and acts as a shock absorber. When the cartilage wears out bones rub against each other which can cause excruciating pain. Osteoarthritis attacks people in different ways. It generally develops slowly over the years but in some people it can develop extremely quickly. Sometimes the disease can be quite mild whereas in other cases it can produce a lot of pain and disability. Osteoarthritis frequently occurs in the hands, spine (including the neck and lower back) plus the knees and hips. Symptoms involve pain and stiffness in the joint. In the very early stages of the disease people may only suffer pain after exercise which quickly disappears after rest. As time goes on the pain can become constant and prove particularly debilitating. In its worst form, mobility may be lost. Fortunately, the majority of people are not crippled by osteoarthritis. When treated properly, millions of people live full and active lives for years.

Correct management of the disease is vital. Obviously, in order to treat the disease, doctors need to ascertain that symptoms are, in fact, those of osteoarthritis and not some other illness. In order to diagnose osteoarthritis, as there is no simple test which indicates the presence of the disease, doctors usually carry out several tests. These include a clinical history of the patient, a physical examination, X-rays and often MRI or Magnetic Resonance Imaging. If the test results prove positive, the doctor will then embark on a programme of pain management. This will vary from person to person, depending on the severity of the pain.

There are many treatments which help to control and lower the pain, plus helping to restore mobility. Good nutrition and rest are an essential part of the treatment in addition to exercise and weight loss. If people are carrying too much weight, then weight loss is crucial as osteoarthritis will aggravate weight-bearing joints such as the hips, knees and spine. Before taking up any form of exercise it is advisable for the patient to discuss the subject with a doctor. The wrong sort of exercise could result in more damage to the joints. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen are usually prescribed for pain relief. The use of heat cushions or ice packs will also often help to reduce pain. Never take alternative or herbal medicines for arthritis without a doctor's approval. When treating knee joints, a series of injections may be prescribed to reduce pain, under the careful supervision of a doctor. This treatment may not be suitable for all people suffering from painful knee joints. The decision will be made by a doctor. Finally, surgery may be an option in some cases, particularly those concerning the hip as well as other joints. Joint replacement techniques have improved tremendously over the years and, for people suffering constant pain, surgery can provide them with a new lease of life.

Arthritis and Nutrition, Learn What Foods Are Great for Reducing Pain Associated With Arthritis

Is there a relationship between arthritis and nutrition. That is, does the foods we eat (or don't eat) affect whether the expression of arthritis in our bodies

Unfortunately, we are taught in our western civilization to take this potion, or put on that special lotion, and like jack and the magic beanstalk, we hope to go to bed, plant the magic seeds, or take a magic pill, and wake up, and puff, all our problems disappear over night.

Worse, the FDA has taken cox-2 inhibitor off the market that were medication for controlling the inflammation in the body, because of the increased risk for cardiovascular events like stroke and heart attacks

So, learning about the foods you eat and how they affect the expression of arthritis in the body can be really important if you happen to be an arthritis sufferer. More important, learning how the foods you eat can be making you suffer with pain and suffering. So let's start.

Arthritis, according to the Mayo Clinic is defined as "inflammation to one or more of your joints" It's a rather vague definition truth be told, cause it really doesn't explain the WHY?

That is, "ok, inflammation to the joints is going on, but more important is WHY IS THERE INFLAMMATION TO THE JOINTS"?

MedlinePlus expands the definition a bit more and defines arthritis as: "inflammation to one or more of the joints which results in pain, swelling, stiffness and limited movement"

Ok, well that's a bit better, still not really answering the question as to WHY. So before we talk about the nutrition aspect to Arthritis, lets learn about the "WHY", before we answer the how.

Arthritis according to MedlinePlus has over 100 different types, so we are going to try and keep a vague generalization as to why we get "Arthritis". However, typically speaking, repetitive trauma, wear and tear, overuse, and just plain old-fashioned aging are terms that try to explain Arthritis.

For the most part, all are a pretty good picture to the genesis of arthritis. But Again, have you ever stopped to think WHY this happens. Or better yet, is arthritis something that you just have to accept as a forgone conclusion?

My simply answer to you is.........drum roll please.......NO. Arthritis is not a forgone conclusion. In fact there are many things that we can do to combat not only the why, but the how as well. That is, we can address the WHY: breaking down of the joints, wear and tear, limited and restricted movements, stiffness, repetitive trauma, and calcification.

It is true that was we get older, just based on pure chronological time, we have more life experiences. With these life experiences such as (injuries like slips, falls, or sports injuries) work stressors (standing or sitting all day, using the arms above the head repeatedly) and poor postural habits can lead to the development of wear and tear.

It is important to address what we can do to reduce these repetitive stressors and their effects on our body, such as muscle stiffness, joint wear and tear, muscular weakness and diminished energy. But for this article, Lets keep to controlling the inflammation with our diet.

When we experience mechanical stress on our body over and over and over, what happens? Joints breakdown, cartilage erodes, bones tend to rub, less lubrication is in the joints, pain fibers gets stimulated, and what happens after that????

INFLAMMATION

Looking back at both definitions I used for Arthritis, INFLAMMATION, was the common denominator with both. Osteoarthritis (OA), is the most common type of Arthritis. Osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative joint disease ( when present in the extremities) or degenerative disc disease (if in the spine).

But whether the arthritis is in the spine or in the extremities (or both), it classified as osteoarthritis when the cartilage in your joints "wear down" over time (mainly from overuse). This wearing down process will ultimately create the inflammation that in turn, causes a number of other biological changes including pain, stiffness, and limited movement (old age).

Thus inflammation results in painful swelling in the joint, stiffness and movement limitations (old age).
Eventually all of that leads to the joints in the body from functioning properly, which in turn, ultimately results in the breakdown in your joints.

So if we can control the inflammation, then we can control the swelling, stiffness, and movement limitations.
Controlling inflammation in the body, is much like a fireman who is putting out a ragging fire. IF the fire is burning like crazy, it's going to take more time, effort, and probably water pressure to put out the fire.

The easiest fires to control are the small tiny ones, or better yet....the one that didn't start yet. That's how to look at inflammation in the body. Ragging fires (Typically from acute trauma) are controlled with NSAID's.

However, nutrition is the way we ensure that inflammation doesn't start in the first place in the body. Consider proper nutrition like the fire alarm in the body, ensuring that no major catastrophes begin. So how do we do that?

Well, in a nut shell, the chemical mediators that are released by the cells through wear and tear or the breaking down process that I talked about earlier, are controlled by our diet. These chemical mediators are derived from either Omega-6's (n-6's) or Omega-3 (n-3's).

Humans are supposed to eat (ideally) a 1:1 ratio of n-6's to n-3's. However, on average, we currently eat about 10:1 to 30:1. Anything above 4:1 is considered to be pro-inflammatory.

Bad n-6:n-3 Ratios Screws Everything Up!

As mentioned earlier, we need not go through this dizzying vicious cycle. The foods we eat will either positively or negatively effect the healing or harm cycle.

If we eat the wrong foods, foods that have a high n-6's:n-3's ratio (greater than 4:1 is considered pro- inflammatory) the chronic inflammation cycle will be perpetuated. The foods that follow are the best foods to eat for Arthritis.

FOOD: ANTI- INFLAMMATORY
Food
N6: N3
Fruits < 3:1
Broccoli 1:3
Kale 1:1.3
Lettuce 1:2
White Potato 3:1
Sweet Potato 4:1
Grass-Fed
Meats 3-5:1
Wild Game 3:1
Fresh Fish 1:1
Farm-Raised
Salmon 1:1
Chicken Breast
(1grm of fat),
Bacon and
Dairy 4:1
Flax, Hemp,
Chia Seeds 3:1

All the foods in featured above have a 4:1 or less ratio of n-6's:n-3's, and are considered anti-inflammatory. Eat these foods to reduce the inflammation, that results in pain, swelling, stiffness, and limited movement associated with Arthritis. In my next article, I will cover What 6 Foods To Avoid That Accelerate Arthritis And Speed Up Your Biological Clock And What Foods Slows it Down. Until then, study the foods above, increase them in your own diet, and watch you pain go away.