Women and Shoulder Pain

Women tend to have more shoulder pain then men. That is because we are always slinging a purse over one shoulder that digs into our muscles. Some of us also get shoulder pain from slinging a heavy child around all day along with diaper bags, umbrellas and whatever else we need.

Few of us even notice our shoulders until they start to develop aches and pains. It is then that we realize how we subtly rely on the shoulders to accomplish movement in every kind of activity including golfing, swimming, driving, walking and eating. Shoulder motion is absolutely essential to all kinds of activities – everything from a push up, to carrying a purse to typing.
Anatomically shoulders can be described as a joint that connects the upper arm, collarbone and shoulder blade and it is this complexity of anatomy that makes them so important in order for us to stay fluid and functional in our movements. The joint actually interlocks with different types of sinews, bones, nerves, blood vessels, ligaments, burses and soft tissues that define an entire muscular area that is known as the shoulder girdle.

Movement in the shoulder becomes painful or restricted when it is injured or a nerve is pinched in the neck. Muscle spasms, whiplash injuries, poor posture, reticulitis, bursitis, arthritis and referred pain from internal diseases also cause these problems.

You can also get shoulder pain from playing golf, tennis, cycling, washing the dishes – you name it!

Yet another reason this type of problem is so common for mothers is because we often sit at home offices made of a kitchen counter or table and a kitchen chair. Our home offices hardly ever come with a proper chair or other needed things.

People also often injure themselves by using their indoor exercise equipment incorrectly. This of course does not mean that you should avoid doing sports in order to avoid injury. It is quite simply a fact of life that it is difficult to get through life without sustaining some kind of sports or recreational injury.

Shoulder pain can be constant or it can come and go away. The pain can be dull or sharp and many people who have it suffer numbness in the area and restricted motion. With proper chiropractic treatment many cases of shoulder dysfunction can be treated without having you rely on painkillers or having to resort to surgery. Chiropractic treatment is probably your best bet because it will not make you so dopey you can't look after your children properly.

Parenting Tips
, , , ,

Strep Throat and Rheumatic Heart Disease

If your kid gets strep throat, watch out! It can cause a much more serious condition.
Rheumatic heart disease is an inflammatory condition where the valves of the heart are damaged by rheumatic fever which is itself a condition that develops two or three weeks after infection by group a Streptococcus evidenced by scarlet fever or a ‘strep throat' (strep pharyngitis).

Despite the name, the condition that causes rheumatic heart disease, (rheumatic fever) actually has nothing to do with genuine rheumatism. Instead, the name comes from the fact that there are similarities between the symptoms of the condition and rheumatism.

Rheumatic fever is generally a condition that causes inflammation that affects many of the connective tissues of the body including those of the brain, skin and joints as well as those of the heart. In many cases, the damage caused by rheumatic fever is permanent and irreversible.

In developed countries of the West, rheumatic fever and the heart damage caused by it is relatively unusual nowadays. However, in developing countries, rheumatic heart damage or disease is the leading cardiovascular cause of death.

Strep throat can also cause Myocardial ischaemia or ischaemic heart disease. This is a condition caused by reduced blood flow to your heart, a condition that is most commonly caused by arteriosclerosis of the coronary arteries (a narrowing of the artery caused by thickening of the arterial wall).

As myocardial ischaemia generally results from a thickening of the arterial walls which produces restricted blood flow to the heart, it is a condition that tends to worsen with age. This is why heart disease is so often called the 'silent killer.'
Flus, pneumonia and other respiratory diseases can also give your kid cardiomyopathy. This is a term that refers to any form of reduced effectiveness and efficiency of the myocardium, the muscle element of the heart that makes it what it is. People who have cardiomyopathy are at a significantly increased risk of heart arrhythmia, sudden cardiac failure and/or heart attacks.

It can also cause irregular heartbeats. These are called arrhythmias. This is a catchall phrase that is used to describe any heart malfunction which is caused by irregularities or defects in the electrical signals being sent to your heart.

Don't just shrug off any case of strep throat in your family. Be aware it could lead to much more serious complications.

Parenting Tips
, , ,