WHAT ARE THE MAIN PROSTATE CANCER SYMPTOMS?

Prostate cancer can sneak on men and they will not know it until late. There are no warning signs for early prostate cancer. Since prostate cancer does not push against anything, there is no pain and a person may not know about it for years. It is hence crucial for regular prostate cancer screening.

What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?

The tumour causes the prostate gland to swell and cancer spreads beyond the prostate and causes many symptoms. These symptoms include an urge to urinate often, trouble in starting and stopping a stream of urine, the urine stream will be sometimes weak, or it may start or stop, pain and burning when you urinate, pain and burning when you ejaculate, blood in the urine and semen, pressure or pain in the rectum, pain and stiffness in the lower back, pain in the hips, pelvis and thighs.

All these are not directly the symptoms of cancer but signs of cancer growth blocking the prostate. These symptoms can also occur if you suffer from enlarged, noncancerous prostate or have a urinary infection.

Symptoms of advanced prostate cancer

Specific symptoms are typical of advanced prostate cancer. A dull, deep pain accompanied by stiffness in the lower back, ribs, pelvis and thighs, especially in the bones of these areas. Sudden loss of weight and appetite, fatigue, nausea or vomiting is also signs of advanced cancer. Swelling in the lower extremities, paralysis of the lower limbs is also seen. You may also have constipation and bowel problems in the advanced stages of prostate cancer.

When to consult your doctor?

The first sign that you are having a problem is when you experience trouble urinating, or you feel that urination is painful and different from usual. Immediately you should consult your doctor who will examine you for prostate gland problems and determine whether it is enlarged, inflamed with an infection or cancerous growth. If you have lower back pain, pain in the pelvis, weight loss, swelling in your legs or weakness and a hard time walking, then you should consult your doctor and get yourself examined for prostate too.

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WHAT IS THE DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE?

This is an age related condition when the vertebral disc between two adjacent vertebra (Spinal bone) undergoes wear & tear leading to back pain or lower limb pain

What causes the Pain ?

The vertebral disc acts as a shock absorber for the spinal column. It also increase the flexibility of the spine. Once the disc loses its structural integrity the disc bulges causing compression on nerve root leading to pain in the back or the lower limb. In severe cases it may lead to numbness and loss of function. In long standing cases the disc space narrows putting stress on the facet joint (Joint between adjacent vertebrae) leading to wear& tear of the facet joint thus causing pain & decrease flexibility.

2. Symptoms of disc degeneration are:

• Pain in the low back with or without radiation to lower limb
• Numbness of the lower limb with or without loss of muscle strength
• Decrease flexibility of spine with or without deformity
• Bowel & Bladder control issues
• If the degeneration is in the neck the pain & numbness or loss of function is in the upper limb.
• Gait Problems with symptoms like unable to grip slipper or feeling of walking on cotton

3. How is degenerate disc diagnosed?

• Clinical Examination done to determine the neurological loss and site of pain.
• Radiological Examination done to confirm the level of involvement.
• X-Ray gives an idea of the bone changes MRI gives a clear picture with regards to disc and nerve root compression,
• Other special investigation like contrast CT may he suggested under special circumstances.

4. What is the treatment?

• Treatment for degenerative disc disease include physical therapy, exercise , medication, losing weight and if required, surgery. Apart from medicines and physiotherapy.
• Medications include pain relief medicines, short term steroids and muscle relaxers.
• Physiotherapist use physiotherapy in form of (IFT) Interfertial therapy in relieving pain. Physio will also advise posture and exercise.
• Apart from medications and physiotherapy, minimal invasiver procedures like injections of steroids / local anesthesia may be advised for therapeutic / diagnostic intervention respectively .
• If not amenable to above management surgery may be advised by doctor for pain relief
• Surgical Management is also indicated as first line of management when there is loss of function.
• Early diagnosis & Management in the above scenario gives better outcome , consult your doctor for the same.

HOW TO KEEP UP TRAINING EVEN WHEN YOU REMAIN INDOORS?

In the present pandemic situation, many prefer to continue their training indoors. Even a bad weather day like a rainy day is a perfect opportunity for cross-training indoors.

Cross-training indoors is the key to performance improvement and injury prevention. If you concentrate on running alone, then you may miss the adjustments required to make to stay healthy.

The three components that get involved in cross-training include cardio, strength and agility.

Cardio

It is recommended that at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise is required per week for optimum cardio vitality. Runners, on the other hand, may require up to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise. All these will go to train our heart and lungs and keep them healthy.

If you have a treadmill, elliptical bike or similar equipment, you can do your exercise or else you have to choose an equipment-free cardio regime.

You may very easily create your own indoor circuit training, which consists of running, walking and marching. You can practice running in place, stair climbing, jumping jacks or jumping rope.

There is the option of choosing high-intensity training (HIT), which is nothing but seven to eight minutes of intense exercise. Spread it between normal exercise and elliptical. Dancing is another option and nothing like a fast-paced Zumba number. All these will get your heart up and running smoothly.

Strength

Suppose you don’t have too much space to spare for exercise; there’s plenty you can do with your control of body weight and strength exercises.

The strength exercises should focus on a lot of major muscle groups. Try to have a series of six to ten exercises with an average of ten repetitions. You can exercise to a point where at the end of the exercise, your muscle gets deeply tired. Remember not to hurt yourself in the process.

Agility

Last is the agility factor or exercises. Focusing on agility will improve our ability to prevent injuries. There are many options available, including yoga, pilates and barre. You can use the cool-down period of stretches and have the most beneficial agility training.

Finding other resources

You can always access the online training. You can also watch an experienced runner who is a part of a running club. Such experienced trainers and sportspeople will be able to guide you easily as to what is appropriate for your age and ability.

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KNOW MORE ABOUT UTERINE FIBROIDS

Uterine fibroid is a condition prevalent for most women at some point in their life. Many women already have uterine fibroids and never know it because it does not cause any pain or symptoms.

What are uterine fibroids?

Uterine fibroids that medically are called leiomyomas are muscular tumours that grow on the uterus. They are mostly non-cancerous, having them do not mean that they will lead to cancer.

These fibroids vary in size, shape and location. They are usually seen in the uterus, uterine walls and on the surface of the uterus. They sometimes have a stalk or stem by which they attach to the uterus. Uterine fibroids appear in women of childbearing age – between 30 and 40 years, but can appear at any age.

What are the symptoms of uterine fibroids?

Though usually, a person may not be aware of the uterine fibroid, they are found on a routine examination or ultrasound. The symptoms of uterine fibroids may include:

I Excessive bleeding or painful periods

I Bleeding in between periods

I Pressure of some sort, pain and fullness in the lower stomach

I Enlarged abdomen or uterus

I Difficult bowel movement and constipation

I An urge to urinate often

I Pain during intercourse

I Frequent miscarriage & infertility problems

 

What is the cause for uterine fibroids?

Still, the exact cause fo the fibroid is not known though we know that hormones and genetics are the main reasons for their presence. Hormones estrogen and progesterone will thicken the uterine wall during the monthly period and they affect the fibroid growth. That is why during menopause when the hormone production slows, there is a marked shrinking of the fibroid. Researchers have also found a genetic difference between the fibroid and other cells in the uterus.

Who is at risk of fibroids?

Age and race are the main reason and along with that, some other things causes uterine fibroids, like family history. Certain other factors include getting the first period at a very young age, birth control use, vitamin D deficiency and a diet rich in red meat. Diet deficient in greens, vegetables, fruits and dairy products and excess alcohol consumption also cause fibroids.

How to prevent fibroids?

Though many of the causes are beyond your control, fibroids can be prevented with change in certain lifestyle habits. Women with sugar complaint and a diet high in sugars are one of the reason. Easting fresh fruits, vegetables like arugula, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and turnip could lower your odds. These vegetables are rich in beta-carotene, folate, vitamin  C, E and K plus other minerals and full of fiber. Along with regular diet, exercise can help lower your chances of uterine fibroids.

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GET TO KNOW IMPACTED WISDOM TEETH

Impacted wisdom teeth is found at the back of the mouth as they are the third molars. Usually, these teeth do not have enough space to emerge or devlop and hence get cramped up or impacted in the bone.

The specialty of wisdom teeth is that it is the last adult teeth to emerge. There are totally four wisdom teeth in a grown-up person, two in the upper jaw and two in the lower jaw.

Problems of impacted wisdom teeth

As far as wisdom teeth remain hidden, there is no cause for worry but more often the wisdom teeth get impacted and result in pain, damage and cause other dental problems. Many a time impacted teeth by themselves do not cause any immediate harm. The impacted wisdom teeth, though it will be hard to clean properly and so cause tooth decay and gum disease than other healthy teeth.

 

The best way to tackle impacted wisdom teeth is to get it removed. It is also advisable to remove impacted wisdom teeth that do not cause any present issues to prevent any future problems.

 

Symptoms of impacted wisdom teeth

 

Impacted wisdom teeth normally do not cause any symptoms. When an impacted wisdom teeth get infected, it can damage other nearby teeth or cause dental problems.

 

Infected wisdom teeth cause redness and swelling in the gums, gums get tender and starts bleeding. The infection also causes jaw pain and swelling of the jaw area. The other symptoms include bad breath, an unpleasant taste in the mouth and difficulty while opening and closing the mouth.

 

What causes impacted wisdom teeth?

 

Wisdom teeth usually emerge between the ages of 17- 25 years. Generally the wisdom teeth emerge without any problem and it lines up with other teeth that have already emerged as it positions behind the second molars. When the mouth is too crowded for third molars to develop, they get trapped in the gum and become impacted.

Sometimes an impacted tooth will partially emerge so that the crown becomes visible.   This condition is called partially Erupted. The affected tooth may grow at an angle toward the next tooth (second molar). It can also grow toward the back of the mouth or at right angle to the other teeth as if the tooth is lying down within the jawbone. The impacted wisdom tooth may emerge up or down but stay trapped.

 

Complications of the impacted condition

 

Impacted wisdom teeth cause many dental problems, including damage to other teeth by putting pressure on the nearby teeth, especially the 2^nd molars. The condition also causes some sack like growth or cyst formation in the gums near the impacted teeth. All these may lead to tooth decay or carries that affects the teeth and  gum infection too.

 

How to prevent impacted wisdom teeth?

It is not possible to prevent impacted wisdom teeth from showing up but you can always watch for its growth and symptoms. You should have regular consultation with your dentist and let the doctor examine your wisdom teeth while checking for any infection, pain and abnormalities.

Your dental doctor may use a dental X-ray to locate impacted wisdom teeth, study its position and recommend remedial action even before any symptoms or complications develop.

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