Conditions

Meniere’s disorder that affects the inner ear and which is known to cause severe vertigo and dizziness. As most people know, the sense of balance is actually controlled and coordinated by the movement of fluids throughout the ear canals and the action of tiny hairs which detect these fluids and which give us an idea of our orientation.

Imagine holding a glass filled with water. If you tip the glass sideways, the water will stay in the same place while the glass moves around it. Thus the side of the glass will get wet and not the bottom. Now imagine that’s your ear and on that side of the tube are lots of tiny hairs capable of interpreting that wetness and creating nerve signals to send to the brain.

Meniere’s disease also causes hearing loss and a feeling of fullness or congestion inside the ear. It is often associated with tinnitus and can have a range of different causes. Generally though, it is the result of fluids building up and not being properly drained.

This is a serious but also quite interesting condition with lots of useful and interesting facts. Read on to learn 10 of them…

1. It’s Highly Common

Although the jury is out on what precisely causes Meniere’s disease, it seems pretty certain that the condition is highly common and actually going up as well. A shocking 615,000 individuals in the US are diagnosed with this condition right now. There are 45,000 new cases diagnosed each year and this seems to be going up. So the question is: why? It may be because we’re better at diagnosing it, but perhaps there is something else even stranger responsible?

Rheumatoid arthritis is a serious inflammatory condition that causes swelling, pain and loss of mobility in the affected joints. This comes in a number of different forms and can have a range of different symptoms and causes depending on the specific case, the individual and the area affected. In the specific case of rheumatoid arthritis, the condition is caused by the body’s own immune system (it is an ‘autoimmune condition’) and that means that it is the result of the body’s own system attacking itself. What’s currently unknown is what causes this to happen in some individuals and not others.

This is a potentially life changing condition that can make it harder to enjoy a range of activities and often results in chronic pain.

But what many people don’t realize is that there are also many other common symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis – some of which may not be as obviously related. If you suspect you may be developing the condition, read on for a list of 9 possible signs.

1. Joint Pain

Of course, the most obvious symptom of rheumatoid arthritis is pain in the joints. There are specific areas of the body which are more likely to be affected and these include the fingers, the toes, the elbows, the knees and other joints that are used frequently. Pain in the balls of the feet is also fairly common.

This joint pain is often also associated with swelling. It may come on slowly at first and only be noticeable as a mild discomfort to begin with. In other cases, it can be quite severe. Of course there are also many other potential causes for joint pain, ranging from muscle and joint injuries to hairline fractures. Generally, if you experience frequent pain and swelling lasting more than half an hour, it is advisable to see your physician.

Tetanus is a bacterial infection that attacks the central nervous system. IN the most sever cases, this can actually be fatal.

This makes tetanus highly dangerous of course, but what makes it even more threatening is the fact that it is able to enter the body through the smallest of pin pricks. We often associate tetanus with dog bites but in fact it can be transmitted through a range of different things: it can come from rusty nails for instance, or it can come from actual pins or needles. Some people mistakenly believe that tetanus is caused by rust but the truth is that any rough surface can carry it: that’s because tetanus is transmitted via endospores and these can hide in the grooves of such a material.

Fortunately, there are immunizations against this serious condition. Tetanus shots are required for children before they start school and will take the form of five shots delivered between the ages 2-5. You’ll then need an additional booster once every ten years.

Haven’t had your shot lately? Don’t worry. If you’ve just stepped on a nail, then you can make a visit, get your shot and you should be fine. That is why it’s important to stay up to date but also to be able to recognize the symptoms so that you can act quickly when necessary.

Here are the symptoms tom look out for:

1. Stiffness

Stiffness is one of the early and most noticeable symptoms of tetanus. This will very often affect the neck and the jaw in particular, though it might affect other muscles too.

There are many things that can cause stiffness in the neck and jaw of course – very commonly this is a result of sleeping uncomfortably. However, if you notice the symptoms appear after being pricked, stabbed or cut, then this is a serious warning sign and you should seek medical attention as soon as possible to be on the safe side.

Our knees are a highly complex network of small bones and even smaller tendons and ligaments. It’s though this complicated and delicate area that we generate most of our forward momentum and on which we place most of our bodyweight, and as such it’s no surprise that they often have problems and complications – particularly for athletes who will perhaps put their knees through their paces even more than the average Joe.

This can then be quite a problem as our damaged knees make it more difficult for us to run and to walk, and can even make sitting down painful. In such a situation it’s of course important to look at ways that we can improve the condition of our knee joints, and fortunately there are several ways to do this.

First of all though, you need to identify precisely what it is that might be causing your knee pain to begin with. With the knee being such a complicated structure, this is something that requires a little detective work on your part.

In this post, we will look at 12 surprising causes of knee pain and how you can address them.

1. Hairline Fracture

One of the most surprising things to learn if you are suffering from knee pain, is that the problem is actually caused by a fracture: a broken bone.

This comes as such a surprise because we tend to associate broken bones with significant injury and time out. The assumption is that we couldn’t possibly have a broken bone and not be aware of it.
Actually though, this is precisely what happens. The hairline fracture is a very thin break that is imperceptible to many but which is enough to cause slight pain when moving. It is often the result of general wear and tear/strain caused by every day life.