Oncology Treatment @ Murugan Hospitals

Oncology Treatment

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology - Murugan Hospitals

KNOW YOUR SPINE

Keeping your spine healthy is vital if you want to live an active life!!!

Your spine has the most important jobs in the human body. Your spine is made up of small donut-shaped bones, called vertebrae, which sit on top of one another, separated only by pieces of spongy tissue called discs. Intervertebral discs act as shock-absorbing cushions for the vertebrae. Without a spinal cord you could not move any part of your body, and your organs could not function.

The vertebrae are the 24 bones that make up your spine. The bones in the vertebrae are divided in five categories:

·                The top seven bones are part of the  cervical spine. They control the flexibility in your neck and support your head movements. Cervical vertebrae are slightly smaller than the rest of the bones in your spine.

·                The next 12 vertebrae are part of the  thoracic spine  and are connected to your ribs, which extend just past your shoulder blades and protect your vital organs. You get your stability from the thoracic vertebrae as well as the support to lift heavy objects.

·                Many people are familiar with the next five vertebrae of the lumbar spinal region. These are the biggest and heaviest vertebrae and support the total weight of your whole spine. Most lower back pain occurs in the hard-working  lumbar spine.

·                The  sacrum  is a bone that’s shaped like a triangle and connects your spine to your hips. This vertebrae controls signals to your genitalia, your upper legs and thighs. It’s very tough and rarely damaged except in traumatic accidents.

·                The  coccyx  is the last vertebrae, also called the tailbone. It’s made up of four bones fused together to support you while sitting. The tailbone on a woman is slightly rotated to accommodate childbirth, leaving it more exposed to injury.

Symptoms:

Cervical and thoracic pain usually affects the central or paraspinal soft tissue without radiating into the arms, around the chest or down the legs.  Sometimes if the pain radiating from chest wall implies structural pinching of the nerves in the spine, it may require a surgical solution if it fails to improve in days or weeks. There are also some other symptoms as follows:

1. Inability to maintain normal posture due to pain
2. Stiffness in the low back area
3. Ifhe pain lasts for more than 10-15 days.
4. Muscle spasms either with activity or at rest.

Get your Spine Health back:

Dr. Arun Prakash, Orthopaedic Surgeon at Murugan Hospitals will “Make you walk within 8 hours”. He hopes to take care of the precious parts of your back. With an initial visit, we will complete a thorough medical history and physical examination. If needed, an X- Ray, CT or  MRI may be prescribed, although it is not always necessary. Get to know your spine better to treat it better with our orthopaedic surgeon. We develop walking, sitting and standing techniques that lead to a healthy back. 

PCOS

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormone disorder that affects 5-10% of women. Not all women have same symptoms, it varies. To be diagnosed with PCOS a woman must have 2 of 3 possible issues: chronic lack of ovulation (anovulation), chronic high testosterone (hormone) levels (hyperandrogenism), and ovaries that have multiple small cysts containing eggs (polycystic).

Risk Factors of PCOS:

When ovulation does not happen regularly, it interrupts the usual hormone cycle and causes levels of estrogen making the lining of the uterus to thick and causing abnormal bleeding. Over the time it leads to pre-cancerous changes or uterine cancer. This ovulation can also make a difficulty to get pregnant.

Metabolic syndrome is common in women with PCOS. Symptoms include extra weight around the waist and hip, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and insulin resistance/diabetes. Each of these symptoms raises the risk of heart disease. Obesity is common in women with PCOS.

If women are overweight, losing weight is a big step toward lowering the risk for diabetes and heart disease. Losing weight can help restore regular periods and improve other hormonal imbalances, but weight loss is often an incomplete solution to PCOS.

Treatment of PCOS:

It is important that all the symptoms of PCOS are addressed and managed long-term, to avoid associated health problems. PCOS is a long-term condition and long-term management is needed.

Dr. Niroopa Arun, Gynecologist at Murugan Hospitals is well-known to manage the PCOS depending on the symptoms you experience, like:

• lifestyle modifications – increasing your physical activity levels and eating a healthy diet can both help to manage PCOS
• Weight reduction – research has shown that even five to 10 per cent weight loss can provide significant health benefits
• Medical treatment – with hormones or medications.

VARICOSE VEINS ARE OBSERVABLE!!

Varicose veins happens when the flow of blood vessels through the veins don’t work properly. Blood collects in the veins, causing them it become bulging, twisted veins that are easily visible through the skin. Varicose veins appear large and bulge if left untreated along the surface of the skin. They can be painful and lead to venous insufficiency. If left untreated, varicose veins can cause swelling, increased pain, skin discoloration, and ulcerations of the lower legs that may turn into slow healing wounds.

When there is no pain, following signs may have varicose veins:

·         Veins that are dark purple or blue in color

·         Veins that appears twisted and bulging.

When painful signs and symptoms occur, they may include:

·         An achy or heavy feeling in your legs

·         Burning, throbbing, muscle cramping and swelling in your lower legs

·         Worsened pain after sitting or standing for a long time

·         Itching around one or more of your veins

·         Skin discoloration around a varicose vein

Risk Factors:

These factors may increase of developing varicose veins:

·         Age – Aging causes tear on the valves in veins that lead to regulate blood flow.

·         Sex – Mostly women are likely to develop the condition. During the hormonal changes like pregnancy, menopause because during these period hormones tend to relax vein walls.

·         Family History – if any other member of the family had varicose veins, there’s a greater chance of having varicose veins.

·         Standing for a long period of time – if standing for a long period of time, there is a great loss of blood flow. So, it leads to varicose veins.

Dr. Krishna,Vascular Surgeon says varicose veins may be entirely asymptomatic and cause no immediate health problems. When symptoms are present, the most common are ankle and leg swelling, heaviness or fullness, aching, restlessness, fatigue, pain, cramps and itching. Varicose veins can also be associated with ulcers (sores) of the legs. In the most severe cases, varicose veins may lead to thickening and discoloration of the skin of the legs, eczema and non-healing sores around the ankle area. Varicose veins, especially when they are very large, are at risk of forming a blood clot, a condition known as superficial thrombophlebitis.

Dr. Krishna, Vascular Surgeon treats varicose veins by Minimally Invasive Laser & Radiofrequency ablation of Varicose Veins. Patients can start to notice a difference of their varicose veins, but complete results may take weeks to months. Additionally, some patients may require adjunctive procedures depending on the severity of their varicose veins, as mentioned above.

“Don’t ignore leg pains”

MINIMALLY INVASIVE TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT

Dr. Arun Prakash says Total knee replacement (also called knee arthroplasty) is a common orthopaedic procedure that is used to replace the damaged or worn surfaces of the knee. Replacing these surfaces with an implant or "prosthesis" will relieve pain and increase mobility, allowing you to return to your normal, everyday activities.

People who will undergo this surgery were

·        Severe pain with difficulty in walking

·   Failure of non-operative treatments like activity modification, anti- inflammatory    medications and lifestyle modifications

·       Failure of Steroid Injections, Arthroscopy Debridement,

The traditional approach to knee replacement uses a long vertical incision in the center of the knee to view and access the joint. Minimally invasive total knee replacement is a variation of this approach. The surgeon uses a shorter incision and a different, less-invasive technique to expose the joint—with the goal of reducing postoperative pain and speeding recovery.

Total Knee Replacement (TKR) surgery has today become a commonly performed and highly successful surgical procedure. New implant designs provide greater and more normal range of motions. Better understanding of the role of the ligaments in the knee has resulted in improved joint stability.

Benefits of the minimally invasive surgical techniques are:

·         Constantly evolving and speeding up the rehabilitation process.

·         Shorter hospital stays

·         Less time on a walker

·         Quicker return to normal ways of life

·         Lesser post-operative pain and minimal scar (improved cosmesis)

Watch your diet for gouty pain

Gout is a painful and potentially disabling form of arthritis that has been around since ancient times. Gout can affect anyone, and its risk factors vary.

 Gout is caused by uric acid crystals forming within or around joints, making them painful, red and swollen, most often in the feet, especially the big toe. 50% of first episodes occur in the big toe, but any joint can be involved. Fortunately, it is possible to treat gout and reduce its very painful attacks by avoiding food and medication triggers and by taking medicines that can help. However, diagnosing gout can be hard, and treatment plans often must be tailored for each person.

KNOW ABOUT FORMATION OF URIC ACID CRYSTALS:

Uric acid forms when your body breaks down compounds called purines, which are found naturally in our cells and in some high-protein foods. Your bloodstream takes uric acid to the kidneys and it leaves your body in your urine. However, if your uric acid levels are too high, either because your body isn’t excreting it or you have a condition that causes high levels in your blood, uric acid crystals can form within or around your joints. This causes swelling, inflammation and pain  in the joints, as well as in soft tissue like bursa and tendons. The crystals can also build up under your skin and eventually cause hard bumps called tophi.

EAT RIGHT FOR AVOIDING URIC ACID CRYSTALLIZATION

Gout is directly affected by the levels of uric acid in your blood. Foods rich in purines raise your uric acid levels, because purines break down into uric acid. So, avoiding foods high in purines will reduce your risk of another gout.

FOODS TO BE AVOIDED:

Sugary Foods: Sugar, Glucose, Honey, Jaggery, Jam, Cake, Chocolate, Ice- cream and concentrated milk preparations – Kheer, Khoa.

Pulses High in Purine: Soya bean, Black gram, lentil, chick peas.

Vegetables High in Purines: Cauliflower, asparagus, spinach, peas & mushroom.

Organ Meats and meat extracts

 Sea Foods Crab, Fish roes, Herring, Mackerel, Sardines, Shrimps,

Fatty Foods: Butter, Ghee, Vanaspathi, Coconut oil, Palm oil, Deep fried foods, Papads, Vadaam

Salty Foods: Added salt in cooking, Sea fish, Salted meat, Salted dry fish, Salted Butter and Cheese, Salted Nuts, Pickles, Sauce varieties, Canned and Tinned foods, MSG.

Raisins, khas- khas, Alcohol

FOODS HELP TO ELIMINATE URIC ACID

ü Whole Wheat Products

ü Green Tea, Barley water

ü Fruits: Apple, Oranges, Sweet lime, Guava, Kiwi, Pears, Banana, Cherries, Berries especially strawberries, and blueberries, Lime

ü Vegetables: Amla, Capsicum, Tomato and Green Leafy Vegetables, Tomatoes, Broccoli, Cucumbers, Carrot, Beetroot. Raw vegetables like potatoes or corns are effective to reduce uric acid in the body.

ü Consume Omega 3 Fatty acids from flaxseeds, walnuts, fishes like salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines

ü Skimmed milk and Curd - daily.

ü 100 gm/ day of meat, fish and poultry is recommended

ü Drink 3 liters of water

ü Almonds, walnut, figs, dates in limited amount