Sunday, February 7th, 2010
I broke my fibula and dislocated and broke my ankle(same leg) last sunday. I had surgery on monday which consisted of a plate to repair the fibula and screws in the ankle. Im now home in a cast. I know im in a cast for about 6 weeks, but what im curious about is the healing process after the cast comes off?
Hate to be ther bearer of bad news but I broke mine 2yrs ago, and the total recovery time is approx 1 year, im serious, check with your GP
Technorati Tags: ankle surgery, Bearer Of Bad News, Broken Ankle, Broken Fibula, Gp, Healing Process, Last Sunday, Recovery Time, Screws
Posted in ankle surgery | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
It is estimated that 80% of Americans will have some type of back pain at some point in their lives. Many of the remedies we apply with regard to this problem actually work against the natural healing abilities of the human body. This list will help reduce the severity of most cases of back pain and help speed the healing process. In addition, it’s always beneficial to consult a professional to rule out more severe health conditions.
1. Don’t use heat. The majority of people have been told to use heat when having back problems. This is the absolute worst thing you can do. Back pain usually has little to do with muscles and everything to do with nerves. Nerve irritation from misaligned spinal bones causes muscles to brace against the misalignment to protect you from further injuring yourself. This is a good thing. So muscle spasms should not be massaged away or forced to relax. Muscles only do what nerves tell them to do and they will relax only when the nerve irritation is removed.
Back pain is most often caused by nerve irritation resulting from injury to spinal joints and ligaments. The actual injury that caused the pressure may have happened years prior. Because of the joint dysfunction, the slightest incorrect move or strain can cause the disc and surrounding tissues to swell, just like when you sprain an ankle. The swelling causes pressure on spinal nerves, which causes that shooting pain you feel when you move in certain directions.
The solution in this case is ice. Ice will reduce the swelling which will, in turn, reduce the nerve pressure. Heat, on the other hand, will cause surrounding tissues to swell, which will ultimately increase the nerve pressure. Heat will certainly make some people feel better, but will cause more problems in the long run.
Tip: never, never, never use heat on the spine.
2. Walk. Walking is the very best exercise for your spine. It’s even better if you add a couple of inches to your stride, causing you to reach a bit with each step. Walking causes your ab and hip muscles to work together and support each other. It also can cause stuck spinal bones to move a little more freely which can reduce swelling and pain. The movement will also help keep your hip joints moving through a complete range of motion, which will lessen the chances of them getting fixed to one another.
Tip: one word of caution, though. If walking makes your pain worse, stop.
3. Be careful with pain relievers. While pain pills may the first thing you reach for when your back hurts, you might be causing yourself more problems. Besides the risk of side effects that all pain relievers pose, blocking the pain signal your nerves are sending could make the injury linger.
The pain signal acts as an alarm clock. It alerts you that something is wrong. It also lets you know your limits. If you bend forward and feel a sudden rush of horrible pain, that movement obviously isn’t good for you. Your body is telling you not to do that. Now if you cover that pain signal with drugs, you stop your body from being able to communicate that important message to you. This can make you able to do things your body doesn’t want you to do, making your problem worse.
Tip: if you’re going to take medications for pain, take them before you go to bed or when you aren’t going to do anything else that day.
4. No Crunches. People with back pain have been told for years to strengthen their abdominal muscles by doing crunches. While strong abs are important for spinal stability, crunches will eventually destroy your back.
The natural curves of the spine are its most important feature. They act as shock absorbers, much like the ones on your car, and keep your body from falling apart from the physical activity you engage in every day. When you do a crunch, you force your lower back into the floor which removes the lower back curve. Then the strain from the exercise is absorbed by the surrounding spinal joints, muscles, and ligaments, which they were not designed to do. Over time this will cause problems.
Also, when the curves of the spine are healthy, a naturally occurring locking mechanism exists that holds all spinal bones in their proper places. When you straighten the spine while doing a crunch, this locking mechanism is removed and the spine becomes vulnerable to greater injury.
Tip: find some other exercises to strengthen your abs. Bodyweight calisthenics do this wonderfully. Any exercise where you use your entire body in the movement will produce more powerful abs. Swimming, push-ups, and sprints are great, as well as abdominal isometrics. They won’t give you a six-pack, but they will certainly stabilize and strengthen your spine without causing harm.
5. Get adjusted. Misaligned spinal bones don’t just move back into place by themselves. It does happen, but rarely. Since some type of force probably caused the misalignment in the first place, a controlled force in the right direction at the right time is needed to correct it.
What you should also know is that spinal nerve irritation is not gone when your pain disappears. It lingers like a cavity until it’s fixed. The pain reappears when you physically do too much and irritate the problem, but it is always present once it’s created. That’s why people tend to hurt themselves in the same spot time after time. It’s not a new injury every time it happens, but rather an old injury resurfacing.
Tip: if you had a cavity, you’d get it fixed, so find a good chiropractor and make spinal adjustments part of your health regimen.
Richard Bond
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/5-tips-for-reducing-back-pain-149870.html
Technorati Tags: Back Pain, Best Exercise, Healing Process, Health Conditions, Human Body, Joint Dysfunction, Misalignment, Muscle Spasms, Muscles, Natural Healing, Nerve Irritation, Regard, Severity, Spinal Bones, Spinal Joints, Spinal Nerves, Spine, Tissues
Posted in ankle sprain | 6 Comments »
Friday, October 16th, 2009
A player of mine was complaining of ankle pain, so I sent him in to the trainer for diagnosis. He said it was a high ankle sprain, and that there was nothing that could be done to treat/stretch it. This would mean that he will be bothered by this for the remaining 2 months of the season, and I wish to get him healed sooner than that. Is there any type of physical therapy I can do, or are there certain stretches I can have him do? We are taping his foot up really tight and just having him play on it right now. The trainer said this won’t cause further damage, but will delay the healing process.
taping it tightly when playing will help prevent further injury while he is playing but it WILL make healing slower.
make sure he wraps it tightly with an ace bandage when he’s not playing and have him rest it as much as possible.
elevate it when sitting down. he can also apply ice to help reduce swelling and ease pain. place ice in bag first to avoid direct contact with skin. apply for 10-15 mins at a time.
if not allergic. he can take ibuprofen for pain/swelling. take 200-400mg every 6 hours as needed but no more than 1200mg in 24 hours.
the best things for healing a sprain are rest and time. playing on it will make it harder for it to heal.
hope he feels better soon
hope he feels better soon.
Technorati Tags: Ace Bandage, ankle pain, Diagnosis, Direct Contact, Healing Process, High Ankle Sprain, Ibuprofen, Physical Therapy, Place Ice, Stretches
Posted in ankle sprain | 3 Comments »
Monday, October 12th, 2009
I found out that i tore a ligament in my ankle and I need surgery, i was wondering if anyone knew how long the recovery time is. I’ve had knee surgery before but that was a total reconstruction of my ACL. My ankle is only partially torn. I believe the ligament is the ATFL, whatever that is.
you tore a ligament now
you had ACL (ligament) surgery in past
same time if everything goes the same along the way of your healing process… good luck!!
Technorati Tags: Acl Surgery, ankle surgery, Atfl, Good Luck, Healing Process, Knee Surgery, Ligament Surgery, Reconstruction, Recovery Time, Torn Ligament
Posted in ankle surgery | 1 Comment »