Pain, Mobility & Better Living

Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Prevention, Dressing & the Right Orthosis Can Save a Foot  Imagine a person with diabetes who notices a small blister beneath the foot. It does not hurt, so they continue walking. A few days later, the skin breaks down. The wound becomes deeper, and what seemed like a minor problem turns into a serious medical concern. Why does this happen? Diabetes can damage the nerves that warn us about injury and reduce blood flow that supports healing. Repeated pressure from walking, ill-fitting footwear, and delayed wound care can turn a small injury into a diabetic foot ulcer. The most important message is this: a diabetic foot ulcer is not just a wound. It is often a warning that the foot needs protection, pressure relief, and a coordinated treatment plan. The good news? Many diabetic foot complications can be prevented, and timely, appropriate care can improve healing and reduce the risk of amputation. Why do diabetic foot ulcers develop? 7 Diabetic foot ulcers us...

Pain near the dimples of your lower back?   Discomfort while climbing stairs, turning in bed, standing on one leg or getting up from a chair? The problem may not always be your spine. Sometimes, the sacroiliac (SI) joint deserves attention.                Lower back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek medical advice. Many patients assume that every episode of back pain must be due to a slipped disc, lumbar spondylosis or sciatica. But there is another possible source of pain that often goes unrecognised: the sacroiliac joint. The challenge? SI joint pain can look remarkably similar to other causes of lower back pain. And treating the wrong structure may lead to months of frustration, unnecessary investigations and treatments that fail to address the real problem. The good news is that a careful clinical assessment can help identify whether the SI joint is contributing to the pain—and guide an appropriate treatment plan. What is...

       Teriparatide: The Bone-Building Injection Who needs it, what tests should be done, and what precautions should you know? A patient walks into the clinic with a vertebral fracture. The DXA scan shows severe osteoporosis. They have already tried an osteoporosis medicine—or the fracture risk is so high that waiting for a conventional treatment to work feels uncomfortable. Then comes the question: “Doctor, should I take teriparatide?” Teriparatide is different from many familiar osteoporosis medicines. Instead of primarily slowing bone breakdown, it is an anabolic—or bone-building—therapy . Given intermittently, it stimulates new bone formation and can reduce vertebral and non-vertebral fracture risk in appropriately selected patients. But teriparatide is not an injection for every patient with low bone density . The important question is not simply “Is my T-score low?” but: “Is my fracture risk high enough to justify an anabolic treatment?” What exactly is terip...

Cerebral Palsy: Can It Be Cured? Understanding the Causes, Treatment and the Powerful Role of Rehabilitation There is a moment many parents never forget. Their child is not sitting when other children are sitting. The legs seem unusually stiff—or perhaps strangely floppy. One hand is used much more than the other. Walking is delayed. Someone finally says: “Your child may have cerebral palsy.” For many families, the word cerebral palsy sounds frightening. The first questions are often immediate: Why did this happen? Will my child ever walk? Can cerebral palsy be cured? Will therapy help? The answers are more hopeful—and more nuanced—than many families are initially told. Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders affecting movement, posture and balance because of abnormal development or injury to the developing brain. The brain injury itself does not progressively worsen, although the person's abilities, symptoms and complications can change throughout life. ( CDC ) And perhaps th...

Raised Uric Acid: Does Everyone Need Medication? When a blood test says “high uric acid,” should you immediately start allopurinol? A routine health check shows uric acid 7.5 mg/dL . There is no joint pain, no swelling and no previous attack of gout. The immediate question often is: “Doctor, should I start medicine to bring it down?” Not necessarily. A raised serum uric acid level is not the same thing as having gout. Many people have hyperuricaemia without ever developing a gout attack . NICE specifically notes that while many people with gout have elevated serum urate, many people with hyperuricaemia do not have gout.  The decision to prescribe urate-lowering medication should therefore depend on the whole clinical picture—not just the number on the laboratory report. What is uric acid? Uric acid is produced when the body breaks down purines. Normally, it is dissolved in the blood and eliminated primarily through the kidneys. When uric acid remains elevated, monosodium urate crys...

Does Running Wear Out Your Knees? Running, jogging and knee osteoarthritis: separating myth from evidence For years, runners have heard a familiar warning: “If you keep running, you will damage your knees.” It sounds plausible. Running repeatedly loads the knee, and osteoarthritis (OA) involves changes in the joint, including cartilage and bone. So, does every step bring us closer to a knee replacement? The evidence does not support such a simple conclusion. For recreational runners, current evidence does not show that running itself inevitably causes knee osteoarthritis . In fact, several systematic reviews have found no higher prevalence of knee OA among runners compared with non-runners. However, the evidence is observational and has important limitations, so running should not be described as either universally harmful or universally protective. ( PubMed ) The Myth: “Running =Knee Wear and Tear” The knee is not a machine with a fixed number of steps. It is a living, adaptable biolo...