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The bones provide us skeletal structures. They pillar our mobility and overall health. So, it only makes sense that we make proactive efforts in ensuring they are strong and sustainable.

But then most of us rarely care, do we? Even when injured, we would rather hope that it gets fixed than approach a top orthopedic doctor in Kolkata and seek proper treatment. We would rather risk disorders like osteoporosis, fractures and Paget disease than take proper care of our bones.

While ‘prevention is better than cure’ is surely prevalent, the majority do not follow that narrative when it comes to healthcare.

The simplest way to keep your bones and joints healthy is to involve self in the right exercises. Exposed to high pressure and force, your bones adapt to that new “environment” by building more cells and becoming denser. So, to a threshold, the more you work out, the stronger your bones get.

However, we get it: you don’t have the time to exercise. (Read: You don’t care about exercising!)

In that case, there are still ways how you can help your bones stay stronger and healthier. Here are four tips on how to do that:

1. Eat Foods Rich In Calcium

Calcium is the food to our bones.

In fact, calcium is the main mineral in our bones. So, feeding them enough calcium every day is quite important to ensure that old bone cells, which constantly get broken down, gets replaced by the new ones.

Some of the common calcium-rich foods include cheese, yogurt, beans and lentils, leafy greens, almonds, tofu, and milk.

Add more of such foods to your diet and spread them throughout your days at different mealtime.

2. Increase Your Protein Intake

Protein is the most important nutrient that powers and sustains our everyday function. So, you don’t necessarily need any special reason why your daily intake of protein should be adequate.

However, when it comes to strengthening bone, protein helps improve calcium absorption, which then enhances bone formation and decreases breakdown.

Contrary to popular belief, our bones are not made up of calcium only. It is a complex network of strong protein chains over which calcium and phosphorus get deposited. Thus giving them the required strength. When there is a decrease in this protein structure, there is significant loss in the bone strength, leading to fragility fractures.

To that, there have been several studies that suggest that when a large percentage of calories come from protein, it helps preserve our bone mass.

So, give your daily diet a hard look. If it’s low in protein, include more foods that are rich in this nutrient.

Some common protein-rich foods are eggs, chicken breast, oats, milk, tuna, shrimps, peanuts and Brussels sprouts.

3. Get More Vitamin D

No matter how much calcium-rich foods you’re eating, your bones might not necessarily absorb all of this mineral. It needs Vitamin D for that. Interestingly, about one billion people worldwide suffer from deficiency of this key nutrient.

So, your body must get an adequate amount of Vitamin D every day.

Sun is the best source of Vitamin D. But there are also few food items that can ensure a sufficient supply of this nutrient in your body. It includes salmons and sardines, egg yolks, fortified yogurts, milk, margarine, and cheese.

4. Fix Your (Unhealthy) Diet

This is quite a no-brainer. When you’re focusing on healthy eating, the unhealthier part must go.

Junk foods aren’t just bad for our bones but also our entire health.

Foremost, avoid eating low-calorie diets. Even when you’re trying to cut back on your weight, dropping your calories is a bad and unhealthy idea. Provide your body with enough calories through a well-balanced diet. The bones need this to build and stay strong.

In addition, you want to avoid high-salt foods. Avoid too much of Vitamin A and caffeine. Cut back on your alcohol consumption, sugary snacks, inflammatory foods, and red meat.

Conclusion

Even when you’re following all the above-mentioned tips, a sedentary lifestyle remains a villain to the overall health of our bones. So, unless you want to end up at any arthroscopy fracture specialist doctor in Kolkata, you want to avoid being highly inactive.

If you can’t afford the time to exercise, fair enough; do, however, involve self in light physical activities. Like, instead of taking a bus or car, choose to walk to your office; when talking to someone over the phone, use that time to walk; if you spend a lot of time on your desk at home, invest in a standing desk.

There’s a lot you can do to stay physically active. You don’t need to enroll yourself in the gym. All you need is will.

Yes, with the best chronic back pain surgeon in Lake Town, Kolkata, by your side, you can expect nothing but successful surgery. Moreover, with how advanced and easy such (minimally) invasive treatments have become today, they are quite common now.

But then that said, it doesn’t mean you should blindly opt for surgical therapy. If you’re experiencing back pain or lower body weakness, your doctor would likely try all the various non-invasive treatments first before steering to surgery.

Pain medication to tame down the back pain, as well as medicines to strengthen your back portion, are the first option in the process a doctor would go for. Alongside this, you would also be recommended to make certain lifestyle changes.

For example, in recent times, sedentary lifestyle has emerged to be one of the biggest reasons behind back pain. If you’re leading a highly inactive life with very few physical activities involved in your days, you would be advised to get more active. Working out can make the biggest difference in healing your back pain. Exception of loosening your muscles and supplementing easy blood flow, it would also make your bones and joints stronger. Over the course, if you’re doing the right exercises, this healthy habit can do you away from your back problems.

If the pain persists, you might even be asked to go to a physiotherapist. Physical therapy from the right professional is now a very effective way to treat acute and chronic pain, soft tissue injuries and other physical ailments.

With such basic measures falling ineffective and after weighing in all the pros-cons, only then would your doctor advise you for chronic back pain surgery. Remember, though, to work along with the best orthopedic in Kolkata and not just “any” doctor you come across on Google.

Now, depending on your existing condition and requirement, your doctor will decide the kind of back surgery you should go for, which includes: Laminectomy, Spinal Fusion, Diskectomy, Foraminotomy, Disk Replacement, and Interlaminar implant.

Each of these procedures, much like any invasive treatment, includes some kind of risks. But if you have an experienced chronic back pain surgeon with you, you shouldn’t expect any snag. As mentioned already, such treatments have become quite common. With the advanced tools and technology available, they are less risky than ever. And then, of course, once the surgery is successful, they are lasting and you shouldn’t expect any complications.

You’re in your 20s or 30s. You’re fit. You feel super fine.

Yes, you tripped last night while you were walking and texting, but that pain can be shrugged off.

Yes, your back hurts because you haven’t been physically active in a while. But that pain will disappear; your youth will consume it away.

That’s exactly the basic narrative among the younger population when it comes to taking their bone and joint-related issues seriously and seeing a good orthopedic doctor.

Do you, too, have the same laidback, ill-informed attitude?

Here are 5 signs that you should see an orthopedic specialist in Sreebhumi Kolkata right away before the problem gets any bigger and serious (and costly):

1.You’re Experiencing Unrelenting Back Pain

This has become a very big problem in the younger population who have 10-7 desk jobs.

Add to that the sedentary lifestyle that they live, back pain is almost inevitable.

If your back has been paining for quite some time now, and there’s no relief even with OTC medications, this is something you should get serious about.

Of course, the problem may be far from requiring, say, arthroscopy surgery. However, if such pains are left unheeded, they might become chronic and cause serious lifestyle issues.

2.You Have Recently Been Involved In A “Minor” Accident

Many people shrug off minor accidents, hoping the pain would just vanish. The most they do is try the basic home remedies like apply warm compression.

But, at times, such “minor” accidents can span into something severe if not treated and cared on time.

So, if you’ve been in an accident recently and you’re experiencing joint pain, even mildly, you definitely should see a professional.

3.You Feel Weaker And Frailer

Indeed, there could be plenty of reasons behind this, most of which are outside orthopedic boundaries. But, in recent times, more of such problems are emerging due to mineral deficiency and disrupted blood supply to the bones.

So, if you’re feeling weaker and frailer, along with other symptoms like shortness of breath, cramps, fatigue, and loss of joint functions – and there are no other evident reasons as to “why” – you might want to visit an orthopedic specialist for a consultation.

4.There’s Swelling And Redness In Your Joints

If these aren’t the clearest tell-tale that you should see an orthopedic doctor, we don’t know what is.

For whatever reason, if there’s swelling in your joints, along with redness, tenderness, and warmth, it is definitely something serious. And you should visit a bone and joint-related professional immediately.

5.You Get Fractures Very Easily

If you are into sports or have met with an accident, getting fractured is only common.

However, if you get fractures every so often, the underlying problem could be much serious.

Of course, it’s a clear sign that your bones are weak. But to treat that, one needs to know why they are weak; the reasons could be plenty, some of which could be as serious as bone cancer.

So, if you’re getting fractured more regularly than you should, you should definitely get it checked.

Conclusion

These are five signs that you should visit an orthopedic specialist in Sreebhumi Kolkata right away.

Bone and joint-related issues, aside form very few, aren’t always related to age. They can pop no matter how old you are.

Paying timely attention and taking proper measures can save you from serious conditions and costly treatments.

Admittedly, it’s not always possible to avoid ACL injuries. When you’re playing sports like basketball, soccer, and football, sudden movements might cause tears in Anterior Cruciate Ligament, which are usually unavoidable.

But then that said, this doesn’t mean taking preventive measures is worthless. When you take the necessary steps to prevent ACL injury, you do minimize the involved risk factors.

How do you do this?

Here are five tips:

1. Keep ligaments healthy

Get your diet correct. It is one of the best ways to prevent injuries.

Give your daily meals a hard look and ensure that it includes the right balance of all the important nutrients.

In specific, increase your protein intake.

Diversify your food; include green vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, salmon, and other nutritionally-rich items.

2. Improve your techniques

If an amateur is asked to make pro-like tackles and pivots, she/he will definitely end up hurting self.
The key here is progressively improving to get to that pro level.

So, before you make difficult moves, it’s important that you’re physically prepared for it. Focus on your technique. Practice as much as you can. Once you start getting better at difficult moves, gradually increase the intensity.

3. Strengthen your leg muscles

Your ACL is surrounded by groups of muscles. So, if you can get those muscles strong and flexible, they can protect your ligament better.

Take up exercises that strengthen your hamstrings. This will fortify the muscles in your legs, improving their strength, flexibility, agility and overall health.

Some of the common exercises for stronger hamstrings include different forms of deadlifts, barbell hip thrust, glute bridge, kettlebell swing, and reverse sled pulls.

4. Wear the right gears

This goes without saying…

Invest in the right quality gears. They can significantly lessen the risks of injuries.

The extra paddings and layers create an additional barrier between the muscles and source of impact, which can be a savior in sports like football that includes many reckless tackles.

5. Understand your body

Yes, you want to be the best. But then this doesn’t mean you stretch your boundaries carelessly, overextending your capabilities. You will only end up hurting yourself!

Understand your body better. Understand what it’s telling you; when it’s telling you to stop.

The way to get better is a process that includes smaller steps. Try to improve yourself progressively – and not abruptly.

Allow your body to acclimatize to its new capacities and limits.

Treatment

These are five tips on how you can prevent ACL tears.

In case, you end up with the injury, go and see a doctor immediately. The early symptoms include a loud pop sensation, severe pain, loss of range of motion and quick swelling.

Find the best orthopedic doctor in Kolkata. The doctor will do the x-rays. You might also go through MRI and ultrasound to rule out other types of injury.

Following the diagnosis, you will likely be recommended Anterior Cruciate Ligament surgery. Or, depending on the severity of the injury, your doctor may even go for alternative treatments like rehabilitative therapy.

The total recovery might take anywhere between six to nine months. During the course, you would have to go through physiotherapy. All the while, you must take measures for effective care and caution.

Knee replacement surgery, or arthroplasty, has become quite a routine procedure today. Millions of people around the world opt for it to fix their acute knee problems, thanks to its longevity, which is expected to be anywhere between 20 and 25 years. Usually, people with severe arthritis are primary candidates for the surgery. Those with severe knee injury also go for arthroplasty.

Of course, if you’re experiencing knee problems, you must work along with your doctor to objectively know whether you really need a knee replacement or the alternative solutions are adequate.

Alternative solutions include taking the pain and anti-inflammatory medications, going through physical therapy, getting cortisone injections into the knee joint, losing weight and making other lifestyle changes.

If such alternatives fail, surgical treatment becomes rather essential. If you have severe pain and stiffness that’s causing difficulty in basic movement, if your knee is frequently swollen, if your knee has diagnosed or evident defects – your doctor might recommend arthroplasty.

Note, although the surgery has become quite easier, quicker, effective and safe today, as is the case with any invasive procedure, risks still exist. So, it’s important that you do your research thoroughly and find the best knee replacement surgeon in Kestopur, Kolkata.

Preparing for the surgery would include doing some basic tests like X-rays and blood tests. Your doctor would advise you how you should prepare for the big day; the foods you should have, foods you shouldn’t have, medicines you should take and so forth. Moreover, your existing conditions and medications, if any, would also be considered by the doctor in preparation for the surgery.

Arthroplasty usually takes somewhere between two and three hours. You will get general anesthesia. An incision will be made in front of the knee, the damaged part of the joint will be taken out and it will be replaced with the matching implant. Note, contrary to the popular belief, the surgery doesn’t include entirely replacing all the bones in the knee. Instead, it’s a resurfacing technique where only the bone from damaged surface is removed and replaced.

After the successful surgery, you would be able to be on your feet the next day. Of course, you would need support standing up; you would be given a cane, crutch, walker or parallel bars. Your hospital stay would likely be anywhere between four and five days. The recovery will depend on various factors, including your existing health conditions. You might need to go for physiotherapy for proper and quick recovery.

During the healing process, it’s essential to do the recommended physical exercises to gain strength in your repair knee.

Again, the success and recovery span of arthroscopy will depend a lot on the doctor handling your case. The more experienced and qualified she/he is, the better will it be for you. So, take your time to find one of the good Kolkata orthopedics doctors.

If you have any other question, kindly visit Healing Touch clinic and talk to Dr. Manoj Kumar Khemani.

Even when you take the necessary precautions, you can never fool-proof self from road accidents. Maybe you were walking on the road-side and a bike rammed into you. Maybe another car, recklessly driven, crashes into yours! Possibilities are limitless. Moreover, you can only do so much to protect yourself. In case if things go south, it’s imperative that you know how to make fixes and recover from the accident. To help you with that, here are eight tips how you can effectively recover from your first road accident:

1. Visit the right orthopaedic doctor

The speed and efficiency of your recovery will largely depend on the kind of doctor who’s treating you. Whether he’s skilled or not, what kind of specialization he has, had he dealt with such cases before, what experience he has – these are some important questions to consider. So, don’t just head to “any” clinic you come across. Pick the best orthopaedic doctor. The better your doctor is, the easier will be the recovery.

2. Don’t shy away from surgery

This is worth-mentioning given so many people run away from surgeries and opt for home remedies, which are far from effective in healing bone and joint problems. Don’t be one of them. If the injury is big, surgical treatment is the best option. Besides, surgeries are no big thing today. Their success rate is high; plus, they are quick and recovery is decently well thanks to all the medications available now. Find a good orthopaedic surgeon and go for the scissor if needed.

3. Take a break from your office or college

This goes without saying. A large part of your recovery post-accident and surgery is all about the amount of rest you get. So, take a break from your office or college and otherwise hectic lifestyle. Rest and rest some more.

4. Stay close to your family

At times like these when such unfortunate incidents put a pause on your life, dealing with your emotions can get quite difficult. You might often feel overwhelmed with all your emotions. To deal with this imminent phase, being surrounded by the people who love you is the key. So, don’t seclude yourself. Stay around with your family members. Talk to them; seek their support whenever you feel emotionally dazed.

5. Go for therapy

Sometimes the mental trauma of such accidents can be big and severe; depression is quite common. It might require intervention from professionals. So, if you’re finding it really difficult to deal with your emotions and cope with the stress and mood swings, approach psychologist or therapist. Go for therapy sessions. This can make the biggest difference in how you feel, improving your mental health and subsequently helping you recover from your injury.

6. Visit your orthopaedic doctor regularly

One of the biggest mistakes many patients make is lag in their doctor appointment. They don’t go for regular check-ups; they don’t go for necessary tests. This creates hiccups in their otherwise smooth recovery period. Several risks pop up. Early detections of any possible complications get missed. Visiting the clinic on a timely basis per your doctor’s recommendation is very essential.

7. Exercise and eat healthy

Eating healthy is the cornerstone of recovery from any injury. You must also exercise per your physiotherapy’s advice. Both of these speed up the recovery period, helping heal your injury, as well as keeping your mental health fit and stable. So, as you get better, partake in basic exercises to boost your muscles. All the while, get rid of junk food and opt for their healthier alternatives. Salmon, chicken breasts, fortified cereal, eggs, milk, yogurt, sweet potatoes, carrots, and spinach are some very good items that can boost your recovery.

8. Go back to your ‘normal’ slowly

Yes, it’s only usual that you want to be back living your regular lifestyle as soon as possible. But it’s crucial to not rush your recovery period and let it take its natural course. So, even when you think you have healed, don’t start with your old habits immediately. The key is getting back on track slowly and progressively. After such a strenuous period, you don’t want to put your bones, joints, muscles and even brain into a shock with sudden changes.

Conclusion

These are 8 simple tips on how you can recover from your first road accident. Sure, there could be challenges on the way and things might not necessarily be very smooth. The important thing is that you work with your orthopedic doctor closely; listen to his advice and follow his recommendations. And, of course, take care of yourself.

With advanced technology and medicinal therapies available today, sports injuries are easier to treat than ever. However, that said, complications might still pop-up. So, if you’ve sustained one such injury, be it a concussion, sprain, stress fracture or something else, it’s essential that you know how to sidestep such snags and keep your recovery on the right track.

In that context, here are five factors that may complicate your recovery period-

• Not taking care of yourself: Self-care is the most important part of the recovery. And yet, so many people act reluctantly. They don’t eat right, they don’t do the necessary tests on time, they don’t go for a doctor’s appointment on time. Moreover, they partake in activities that worsen their injury. It’s important that you take proper care of yourself and take all the necessary precautions.
• Getting treated by the wrong doctor: Your recovery will only be as good as the doctor treating your injury. So, it’s essential that you find the right clinician or orthopedic surgeon in Bangur, Kolkata who has the right specialization and experience to treat sports injuries. Unfortunately, many patients end up with the wrong doctor; meaning, they get below-par treatment and services, and this limits their recovery.
• Not taking physiotherapy seriously: Many people assume this as something optional when in reality this is quite important. Physiotherapy not only heals your injury, but it also eases your lifestyle back to your normal days. It ensures your better physical health and easy transition from injured-you to healthy-you. Not taking your physiotherapy seriously can give rise to many physical problems.
• Rushing the recovery phase: This is another quite basic mistake that patients make; it’s an even bigger one if you lead an active lifestyle. You want to resume your normal life as soon as possible. While this isn’t bad in itself, rushing the process can stem many complications. If, for ligament injury, your doctor has advised for 1km walk, you shouldn’t go for 10km; if the doctor has advised for 6 weeks of complete rest, you can’t take it as “3 weeks”. Pushing yourself to heal only worsens the injury.
• Not following the doctor’s advice: They know better. They understand your injury inside-out and they know better the best way to heal. Listening to the doctor intently and following his advice religiously is important. Of course, that’s not what many patients do. And they eventually end up with severe complications which delay their recovery and increase treatment cost.

These are five common factors that cause complications in the recovery of sports injury. If you’ve sustained any injury and if you want a fast, easy and hassle-free recovery, fight these factors and sidestep the possible complications.

When your bones are weakening, you won’t necessarily realize this in your 20s and 30s. However, the problem will get evident and cause serious troubles gradually when your 40s set and you’re closing to your old age. (Just ask elderlies with arthritis!)

This is the absolute reason why taking care of your bones from the go is so important. And there’s no such thing as “too soon” here. Even when you’re in your early 20s, just like you’re too attentive of your physical appearance, you’ve got to be equally careful of the strength of your bones. This means you must sidestep the basic mistakes that lead to weakened bones.

To help you get started on the right track, here are five things that are weakening your bones:

Eating protein-deficit meals

Protein is possibly the most important nutrient needed to build and maintain bones’ strength. Sadly, our regular meals pack very little of this essential nutrient. This is why you must make proactive efforts to increase your daily protein intake, even adding supplements to your diet. Eat more protein-rich foods like eggs, chicken breast, milk, oat, and almond.

Physical inactiveness

This is emerging as one of the biggest reasons for all the possible orthopedic problems that this generation will face in the coming decades. If you’re not moving enough, if you’re leading a highly inactive lifestyle (very common among those with 9 to 5 desk job), you’re hurting your bones; you’re weakening them. So, if you don’t already, start exercising. Just 20 minutes of daily run can make a big difference.

No strength training

Now,just exercising isn’t sufficient. You’ve got to spend more time on strength training. You must exert pressure on the bones to create an infrastructure where they are forced to get stronger. When you’re doing load-bearing exercises, it leads to a breakdown of your bones tissues, which then helps them remodel and increase strength. So, spend more time in squats, planks, row and other similar exercises that improve your strength.

Not eating enough

This is quite a no-brainer. If you’re not eating sufficient food, your bones will weaken. You need more calories. But then this doesn’t mean you eat anything and everything that comes your way in the name of more calories. You need healthy food that packs all the important nutrients. So, give your diet a hard look, audit and make changes with healthier alternatives.

Not approaching the doctor

This is a common mistake many people make. Even when they are experiencing bone and joint-related problems, they don’t necessarily approach the orthopaedic doctors in North Kolkata when they should. Are you one of them? Don’t take “minor injuries” so lightly. Don’t be careless; don’t be reluctant to the small problems you’re facing. If your knee is paining, visit the best knee doctor in Kolkata. If your back is paining, see an expert. The little things, if ignored, can stack up to become a big problem when you’re old.

These are five things that are weakening your bones. Take immediate steps and improve your lifestyle for a healthier future.

Yes, it’s chronic. However, early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis can make the biggest difference in effective management of this autoimmune disorder. Moreover, proper treatment can help minimize the common risks and complications the condition is usually associated with, including osteoporosis, infections, lung disease, heart problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, and lymphoma.

This is why identifying the early signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are so essential; in particular for those who are at a higher risk of the inflammatory disorder, like women (they are more at risk vs. men), individuals with a family history of this disease, those who are obese, those who smoke.

To help you stay on the safe track, and visit orthopedic doctors in Bidhannagar immediately if necessary, here are 5 early signs of rheumatoid arthritis you should look for:

1.  Joint pain-This is the most common symptom. Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by the inflammation in joints where the disease is actively present. This inflammation vexes the capsules that surround the joints, which then leads to pain.

2. Fatigue-This is a common symptom of many orthopedic problems, including rheumatoid arthritis. The irritation in your joints can lead you to feel tired. This can affect your sleep and overall mental health, paving way for chronic fatigue.

3. Joint swelling-In the initial stages, the swelling would usually be negligible. However, as the disease progresses, the swelling would become more evident. Over-exposed to this can lead to a serious loss in the range of motions of the joints.

4. Joint redness-This isn’t present in every case but it’s a very evident sign. The joint where the disease is most active gets quite red due to dilated capillaries.In addition, you might also sense warmth around your joints.

5. Stiffness-The constant inflammation and swelling lead to the loss of motion. This results in joint stiffness. And the stiffness gets severe as the disease spreads. You are more likely to feel this after long stretches of inactivity; like after waking up in the morning.

There are several other symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. In fact, 40 percent of people with rheumatoid arthritis experience symptoms that don’t even involve the joints. This is why self-diagnosis isn’t always the best idea. If you experience minor problems, it’s best to consult a qualified professional. Do your research and find a good clinician or orthopedic surgeon in Ultadanga. Work along with her/him to diagnose the disorder and then effectively treat it.