Showing posts with label Bone Fracture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bone Fracture. Show all posts

Fracture Treatment for Bones

With the advancement in medical sciences the options for bone fracture treatments have also increased. For a broken or fractured bone to heal appropriately, the bone should be first realigned. Some years ago, casting or splinting happened to be the sole viable treatment alternatives and were utilized even when they were not the best ways of treatment because they were the only ways of treatment! However, this is not the case anymore, as many fractures need surgical interventions. Although, this is the most effective and common bone fracture treatment alternatives, bone splinting and casting must not be considered unaided for compound and complex fractures. Detachable pins can be placed surgically for aligning broken bones and to allow a quick healing. Once adequate healing takes place, the pins can be removed while regularly scheduled outpatient visits to hospitals. Generally, bone pins are not that painful and can be easily removed without anesthesia or any pain medication.
However, on the other side, fractures that are quite severe will need permanent hardware, generally metal plates for being placed surgically to let bones heal properly. When such a situation occurs, a patient would probably undergo immense pain along with stiffness during healing. Thus, this treatment is just believed to be a last option. With a change in diet also, a patient can attain quick healing. It is imperative to consume proteins, vitamin D and calcium in large amount while recovering. In case you are unfamiliar with these nutrients or are unsure of incorporating them in your daily diet, you may consult a nutritionist or a dietician to guide you accordingly. Physiotherapy and rehabilitation are two common transcribed treatments which one must consider after healing of fracture. A lot of people lose mobility and strength while undergoing bone fracture that may lead to depression along with weight gain.
Physical therapy may help in regaining the mobility and strength lost during the process of healing. Although, regaining lost abilities does not happen overnight night but takes times. It is required to spend an equal amount of time in the physical therapy after the process of healing is completed from bone fracture as spent in a mobility limiting device or a cast. To get back to your normal weight is also an easy process as you start to carry on with your same old routine. Incorporating some exercises after confirming it from a specialist can be great advantage to get back in shape safely. In some cases, bone fracture patients suffer a bone disease called osteoporosis, in which bone treatment alternatives are quite limited and should be treated with excessive care. Professional osteoporosis treatment is generally needed to help aid bone re-growth after fracture or break. When dietary changes, physical therapy and medical intervention are used in combination with each other, an excellent bone fracture treatment alternative can help a patient to recover totally.

Healthy Bone For Preventing Osteoporosis

Software Engineer Karen Liew's mother suffered from osteoporosis three years ago and she is worried that, with her current sedentary lifestyle, she might be at risk of contracting the disease as well. Karen's mother, Mdm Yam was diagnosed with osteoporosis and scoliosis in 2006 and is currently taking medication and regular private Tai Chi lessons on a weekly basis. Prior to taking up Tai Chi lessons, Mdm Yam had been taking calcium tablets for 2 years as prescribed by the doctor. Instead of showing signs of improvements, her bone mass density has shown to decline over the years. Her doctor feedback that the body does not absorb the calcium as intended and thus recommended that she should engage with regular exercise in conjunction with the medication.
Yip See Kit, senior coach from NewAgeTaichi which is also the personal trainer for Mdm Yam comments “Tai Chi exercise is considered as a safe and alternate complementary therapy for prevention of osteoporosis because of its weight bearing nature. Together with the focus on balance and fall prevention in the Tai Chi training program, it has greatly improved her condition.”
Coach Yip also conducted regular record of Mdm Yam's body composition measurement using Tanita InnerScan Body Composition Monitor before and after each Tai Chi lessons to monitor her bone mass and muscle mass. It was observed that she has been able to maintain her bone mass and that her BMR – basal metabolic rate also shows an increase after each Tai Chi lesson, which is one of the psychological benefits of exercise.
Jane Tan, senior coach of NewAgeTaichi with a Dip in sports & exercise science, stressed that the body need both exercise and vitamin D (readily obtained from sunlight) to effectively absorb the calcium into the body, otherwise the excess calcium will just pass out from the body as waste.
Since osteoporosis usually strikes women after menopause, a common belief is that it's an older women's disease. However, a recent study conducted in Britain by the University of Surrey and the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro in 2008 showed that 20 per cent of women aged 20 to 29 had low bone mass, which could lead to early onset of osteoporosis.
It would be a good idea for women to start engaging in weight bearing exercises (rebounding, running, jumping, jogging, Tai Chi, resistance training) as bone mass loss begins at around age 30, which will potentially lead to the disease and causing painful fragility fractures. Dr Lau Tang Ching, president of the Osteoporosis Society (Singapore), said that a person's bone mass usually starts declining by about 1 per cent a year after that age, and that a sedentary lifestyle together with poor dietary habits, which is often the result of living in a busy, modern world like Singapore, can multiple the risk of osteoporosis. In such cases, bone mass deterioration can occur at a rate of 2 or 3 per cent a year, he added. That, combined with unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as smoking means young people are at higher risk of developing this disease in the near future.
Dr Bernard Thong, head and senior consultant of the Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology Department at Tan Tock Seng Hospital stressed that prevention is easier than cure when it comes to osteoporosis. And that specifically means reducing alcohol intake and smoking, increasing aerobic exercise and improving dietary calcium and vitamin D intake, said Dr Thong.
According to Ministry of Health clinical-practice guidelines released in January 2009, the incidence of hip fracture in Singapore has increased 1.5times in men and five times in women since 1960s. One in five dies within a year after sustaining a hip fracture. About 800 to 900 hip fractures occur every year in Singapore because of osteoporosis.
“Fragility fractures of the hip and spine can lead to significant pain and immobility, and affect daily activities, especially among able-bodied working adults,” said Dr Thong.
“We are currently conducting Tai Chi for Osteoporosis classes, which is a special program catered for osteoporosis patients to educate and guide how to exercise safely and effectively. We have been getting very well responses from the participants and the class does not only restrict to people with osteoporosis and is also suitable to people with all ages,” added Coach Jane.
References
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By: Yip See Kit
Healthy Bone For Preventing Osteoporosis