Things to Know About Arthritis Care (Part 5)

This week we will talk about ankle and foot syndromes.

The common foot and ankle syndromes are:

• Achilles tendonitis

• Calcaneal bursitis

• Plantar fasciitis

These are some terms for localized ankle and foot pain syndromes.

•Calcaneal bursitis commonly presents as heel pain in the morning.

The key steps in managing these problems are:

• Rest during the acute phase

• Use splints, bands, soft pads etc.

• Do heat and/or cold applications

• Undergo physical therapy

• Take medications

• Do exercise and avoid repetitive motion

* Do weight reduction

Now the following are the key points we have to remember about low back pain.

• Low back pain is a very common disorder

• it is mostly related to dysfunction of muscles, ligaments, tendons and fascia

• The symptoms and x-rays seldom correlate in most cases of back pain

• Back pain may be associated with several musculo-skeletal and other medical disorders

The main symptoms of lower back pain are:

* Pain in the lumbosacral region, buttocks and thighs

* Pain is mechanical in nature

* Pain varies with physical activity.

We will continue with these common rheumatism issues in our next column.