Spinal Stenosis: Cause & Symptoms

Spinal stenosis is the result of the narrowing of free spaces in the spine. This will cause extra pressure to act onto the spinal cord and the nerves running through it. In majority of the cases, spinal stenosis affects the lumbar spine. This will eventually cause pain along the legs and make walking a difficult task to accomplish. Causes There are many different possible causes for spinal stenosis: As we grow older, our soft connective tissues such as the tendons and ligaments will start to harden and thicken. When this happens, spurs will start to develop and some may make...

Bunions: Cause & Treatments

Bunions are bony humps that form at the base of the big toe. When this happens, the big toe will curve towards the other toes and cause the base of the toe to push towards the first metatarsal bone. It usually occurs at a joint and the entire body weight will be acting on it. This will result in tremendous pain and discomfort. Causes As we grow and develop, more pressure is acting on the foot due to the need to support the body’s entire weight. Therefore, it gets worse as age increases. Bunions is hereditary and will run in...

All about Electrodiagnostic Testing

Our body possess a huge ability to generate electricity and it is through this ability that allows us to achieve good health. The electricity that is generated will send important signals from all parts of the body to the brain and provides a source of instantaneous communication. These electrical signals are created by the nerves and instructions are sent to the muscles to carry them out. However, signals can easily be affected due to diseases or injuries. The presence of pain and numbness in different parts of the body can help doctors to diagnose the exact cause of injury and...

Lisfranc (Midfoot) Injury: Cause & Treatments

Lisfranc or midfoot injuries are often the results of broken bones in the midfoot or torn ligaments. Lisfranc injuries can vary from complex to simple depending on the number of joints and bones that are involved. Many patients often mistaken their midfoot injury to that of a simple sprain. As a result, many choose to self-medicate with pain relief cream. However, Lisfranc injury is not as simple as it seems and may even require surgery in some cases. Located in the midfoot are clusters of small bones forming an arch at the top of the foot. There are five long...

Causes And Symptoms Of Scaphoid Fracture Of The Wrist

A scaphoid fracture is essentially a break in the bone located at the thumb of the wrist. First and foremost, there are eight carpal bones in our wrist and the one that is most prone to a fracture is the scaphoid bone. Scaphoid bone fractures require a timely diagnosis, as they need to be treated in order to recover. When proper treatment is administered, healing will be speedy. Without proper treatment, the patient may suffer from long-term consequences such as stiffness and even arthritis as the bone supply in the scaphoid is scarce. In this article, let’s look at some...

Causes And Recovery Of Nerve Injuries

Nerves are the ones that sense what is happening and passes that information to our brain where it will get processed. They are extremely fragile and can be injured by pressure. A nerve injury will hinder the transmission of information and this can result in devastating effects such as the inability of our body to function properly and even a loss in our sense of touch in that region. Nerves are essentially the wires that we see in our home. Our body sends electrical pulses as signals to work together and these signals will be passed on as the sense...

Symptoms And Treatments For Kienböck’s Disease

Kienböck's Disease is a medical condition of uncertain etiology. What this means is that the exact cause is unknown. This disease involves the collapse of the lunate bone located is the wrist and is usually unilateral. The blood supply to the lunate will then be hindered and without blood, the bone will die off. This is because blood contains the necessary nutrients and oxygen that the bone cells need to grow, repair and sustain itself. When this supply is cut off, osteonecrosis will occur, leading to painful wrist and the eventual development of arthritis. Symptoms Patients who suffer from Kienböck's...

All About Wrist Arthroscopy

Wrist arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical technique performed with the aim of diagnosing and treating existing problems with the wrist. You may be familiar with traditional surgery where the intended area is cut open, treated and stitched back. On the contrary, arthroscopy uses small fiber optic instruments that allows the surgeon to look inside the body and treat it with robotic arms. This will reduce the chance of infection and shorten the recovery time. Why is it needed? Following a wrist injury, the wrist may be unable to perform to its full ability. There may be the presence of...

Causes and Symptoms of Flexor Tendon Injuries

Flexor tendon injuries as the name suggest are injuries affecting the tendons. Tendons are thick, elastic fibrous cord like structures that connects the muscles to the bones. The ability for our fingers to bend and flex is due to the flexor muscles. Flexor muscles start from our elbow down to the forearms and finally the tendons which are finally attached to the fingers. Each of our finger has two flexor tendons and that includes the thumb. The usual culprit for a flexor tendon injury is due to a deep cut in the fingers or hands which injures the flexor tendons....