Knee Arthritis? Flexible Options Can Help Keep You Active

"The number of patients between the ages of 40 and 60 who are experiencing knee arthritis is growing, and unlike most older patients, this patient population presents a unique set of treatment challenges," noted lead author Brian Feeley, M.D., assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery, University of California, San Francisco. "Understanding available options and tailoring treatments to each patient's needs and desires is the key to successful outcomes."

The review examined both surgical and non-surgical treatments available for younger patients with knee arthritis, to determine the best course of action for patients who want to continue to participate in demanding sports. Unlike elderly patients, where pain reduction and basic mobility are the two primary goals, Dr. Feeley noted younger, more active patients require more flexible treatment programs to allow them to remain as active as they would like.

"There is an increasing trend in the United States of people who want to stay active in sports and recreational activities after the age of 40. These patients are not content with being told to stop what they love doing," added Dr. Feeley. "As a result, orthopaedic surgeons and other physicians need to come up with different treatment strategies including non-operative treatments or even cartilage restoration procedures, to address pain and functionality, and to help keep patients as active as possible."

While some patients may eventually require surgery, Dr. Feeley said in most cases, non-operative management such as bracing, viscosupplementation (injection of hyaluronic acid), activity modification or anti-inflammatory medication might be used initially, to see if the symptoms resolve or if there is enough improvement to make surgery unnecessary.

"In a vast majority of cases, the onset of arthritis is a slow, degenerative process and therefore there is rarely a need to rush to surgery," he added. "Depending on the symptoms and activity level, many patients can be managed well with non-operative treatment strategies, whereas others truly benefit from surgical procedures. For each patient, it is important to tailor treatment to their symptoms and activity level, and to look for a healthcare provider who is willing to work with them over time to keep their knee as healthy as possible."

Although alternative treatments like acupuncture, glucosamine and chondroitin may be incorporated into an overall treatment plan, Dr. Feeley noted that currently there is no strong clinical evidence supporting the efficacy of these alternative-types of treatment.

For patients suffering with arthritis of the knee, Dr. Feeley recommends the following approach to help patients remain active:

1. Take control of your situation -- understand the disease process and learn about different treatment options.
2. Work with your physician to come up with both short-term and long-term courses of treatment to help manage your symptoms early while maintaining the health of your knee and body for as long as possible.
3. Be flexible with your activities and do not put the exact same stresses on the knee everyday. In some cases, mild activity modification such as switching to more biking or swimming and less running may make a huge difference in the number and severity of symptoms. Trying new activities also can help keep morale high.
4. Don't be afraid to ask questions of your physician. Look for a doctor who can help you understand the advantages and disadvantages of each treatment option, and who is willing to work with you to tailor a treatment strategy to your individual needs.

"Even when surgery is necessary, proper follow-up treatment and physical therapy tailored to the patient's needs can go along way toward keeping that patient active and satisfied in the long-term," stated Dr. Feeley.

What is lazy eye?

Lazy eye, which is also called ablmopiya, is a kind of vision problem that has poor or indistinct vision in one eye or in both eyes. Sometimes people may also call strabismus especially exotropi “lazy eye” by mistake. It is estimated that about 1 – 5% of the population is affected by lasy eye, mostly children. The eye disease’s name “Lazy eye” is inaccurate, because it is not caused by the laziness of the eye or the patient with the condition. Lazy eye isamblyopia, isamblyopia,caused by no transmission or poor transmission of the visual image to the brain. In other words, it is a problem in the visual system of brain but not an organic problem in the eye. Detecting the condition in early childhood increases the chance of successful treatment. The maximum critical period of detecting lazy eye is from birth to two years old. Since one of the eyes is usually normal, many people with lazy eye can not aware they have the eye problem until examined at older ages.

Treatment of lazy eye consists of correcting the optical deficit and encouraging use of the poor eye, usually by patching the good eye. Patient should also be wary of over-patching the good eye when treating for amblyopia, avoiding reverse amblyopia in the other eye. Another simple treatment carried out in University of Southern California involved only the use of basic computer software and vision training exercises showed that 28 of 30 patients with lazy eye can develop 20/20 vision.

Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus also known as “diabetes”, is a serious metabolic disease that effects the body’s ability to derive energy from blood sugar, or glucose, characterized by increasing glucose level (blood sugar) in patient’s body, and this increased blood sugar level is result from defects in insulin secretion, which leads to hyperglycemia.
Insulin is hormone necessary for glucose metabolism. The major factor that causes Diabetes are usually Environmental & hereditary. More than 18 Million of North Americans have Diabetes mellitus. It is a well known fact that Diabetes is a type of disease that effects every organ of human body.
The main observed side effects of Diabetes are blindness, glaucoma, kidney failure, nerve problems and heart disease.
Diabetes is categorized in Two type: IDDM:Insulin dependent Diabetes mellitus and NIDDM:Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. IDDM is aka Type 1 diabetes or juvenile-onset diabetes, since it often develops in early stage of life. While NIDDM Is called as Type 2 diabetes or adult-onset diabetes, as it occurs on older adults.
Some acute signs of diabetes which are easily noticeable in diabetes patients are: excessive urine production, resulting thirst and increased fluid intake to compensate the fluid demand, unexplained and sudden weight loss, blurred eye vision, and changes in energy metabolism.
The Cure of Diabetes is possible as insulin is widely and easily available in the market. Though there is no permanent solution for this disease, but regular intake of prescribed insulin dosage can help person living healthy normal life.
Regular exercise with daily morning walk is proved to be very helpful in controlling higher glucose level. For diabetes patients it is advisable to eat plenty of regular meals & snacks to avoid fluctuation in glucose level of body. Low fat, high fiber foods to achieve and maintain normal weight. Try to avoid: Saturated fat foods, : “Pure Calorie” driven foods like sweets, chocolates which can contribute to obesity.
At last do keep in mind the fact that “Prevention is better than cure”, a scientific research proved that weight loss is powerful preventive medicine for overweight people at high risk of diabetes.