Tag: Soft Tissues

Advancement in Hair Transplantation

A standard hair transplantation procedure involves the removal of donor strip of hair from the back of the head from where the follicular unit grafts are dissected under a microscope. These grafts are then preserved in saline and are then transplanted on a bald patch on the crown area of the scalp.

Given the time consuming and tedious nature of this procedure, a hair transplant surgeon is often able to transplant only about 500 to 600 follicular unit grafts per day. However, thanks to the recent hair transplant advances, this technique is often replaced by the follicular unit extraction (FUE). The cost per graft of FUE is typically twice the cost of the standard follicular unit hair transplant procedure discussed above but it is comparatively faster and minimally invasive.

Some hair transplant advances

In a typical FUE procedure a small round punch is made in the donor area to directly extract 1, 2, 3 and 4 hair follicular unit grafts. The follicular units extracted using this process is typically referred to as “blunt dissection” where a punch is made to envelope the entire follicular unit separating it from the surrounding soft tissues.

Once the underlying follicular unit is separated from the surrounding tissues, it is easily extracted using a small forceps. The small holes left behind after the follicular unit extraction gradually heal over the next few days and are not detectable to the naked eye once the patient’s hair grows out. The healing time is much less than the donor strip extraction procedure.

While the FUE procedure has been adopted by most hair transplant clinics, the standard strip excision method is still the most popular hair transplant procedure because it is more economical than the FUE.

Moreover, due to some recent hair transplant advances such as the use of trichophytic closure technique, the linear donor scar created by the strip excision procedure is now often rendered almost undetectable to the naked eye. This advancement in the hair transplantation technique has made FUE procedure relatively less appealing.

Hair transplantation research

Besides the hair transplant advances in the transplantation procedures, a lot of research is also underway to clone the hair. If the hair transplantation research is successful it will be possible to make several copies of donor hair in the laboratory. The application of this technique would be used in the form of hair transplantation. In the traditional procedures, the biggest limitation is often the donor which is not able to meet required density. However, hair cloning promises to overcome this problem by having the amount of hair required to be grown in a laboratory from a single donor hair and then implanting it into the scalp.

Hair transplantation research for cloning is very difficult and there are many hurdles that have to be overcome regarding the safety and cosmetic characteristics of the cloned hair. Some hair transplantation research has also provided breakthrough for some hair loss medication like Dutasteride.

What May Cause Back Neck Pain

Though cases of cervical neck pain is more infrequent as compared to lumbar pain, a large portion of the American population still undergoes neck pains that often come with arm pain. The majority of such cases may be healed in time without the need of medical interventions. But there are a number of symptoms that may prove to be indications of more serious cases and need immediate medical help.

One such symptom is the progressive neurological degeneration, which may manifest as weakening of the arms or loss of sensitivity and coordination of the limbs. Another sign is the sustained pain that is accompanied with unplanned weight loss, fever, shakes and chills, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting that are signs of spinal infection or tumor.

While the majority of back neck pain does not have identifiable anatomical roots, many are closely linked to general conditions such as muscle strain and herniated vertebral disc.

Acute Back Neck Pain
The most common causes of acute neck pain are muscle strain, neck strain and strain experienced by other softer tissues such as ligaments and tendons. Neck strain is due to stiff neck caused by wrong bed position and partly due to carrying too many loads. A sudden jolt and pressure on the other hand may cause muscle strain.

Majority of minor injuries on the soft tissues usually heals a couple of days after the pain. There is good blood supply in this section of the body, which allow the circulation of protein and essential nutrients that trigger fast healing. To alleviate the pain and symptoms of back neck pain, the sufferer may use conservative methods such as physical therapy, ice or heat, osteopathic manipulation and medications.

Chronic Back Neck Pain
This form of neck pain is very much the same in effects with acute back neck pain. However, they largely differ on the symptoms. Listed below are some of the symptoms of chronic back pain:

Neck back pain that goes down to the arms
Neck pain that may be linked to certain activities
Arm pain due to lack of coordination
Neck back pain that may be felt for much longer duration of time
Neck pain that may go worse by the end of the day and in the morning

Other than these, there are a number of common symptoms that may be associated with cervical conditions. These may bring other cervical problems like wrist pain, shoulder pain, headaches and elbow pain.

Back Pain Exercises for People Who Cant Stretch Themselves Enough

Back Pain Exercises for People Who Cant Stretch Themselves Enough

To rehabilitate the spine, necessary and proper back pain exercises are needed. Exercises don’t only promote wellness of the bones and muscles but may also act as preventive measures for recurring attacks and may also lessen the severity of pain of possible future episodes of back pain.

Active back pain exercise that is controlled and systematically done are natural pain healers. Active movements help distribute the essential nutrients throughout the ligaments, discs and muscles that raise health of each component for optimum performance. And so is the opposite truth, the absence of exercises and productive activities help lessen the vigor of each component which makes them prone to injuries, impairments and degeneration.

Universally, the back pain exercises must be a well-balanced combination of the following:

Stretching exercises like hamstring stretching
Strengthening exercises like the dynamic lumbar stabilization exercise
Mckenzie exercise
Low impact aerobics like walking, water therapy bicycling and swimming
and other back exercise programs

It must be noted though that the intensity and rigidity of exercises and activities must be primarily based on the specific diagnosis. As with any other treatments, the effects will always be determined by several factors that are uncontrollable such as the threshold of the patient over pain, the level of pain that the patient experiences during attacks and the severity of the condition. It is wise to see a physical therapist with specialization on spine wellness. He can best device a back pain exercise plan that is customized for the specific conditions of the patient.

Stretching exercises work by stretching the soft tissues that are found at the ligaments, muscle, tendons located around the spine and at the back bone. The spinal column and all that encompasses it are specifically designed for mobility and stretching. However, due to some factors like injuries and degeneration of the discs, these body parts cannot be moved. Patients experiencing extreme pain may find it hard to mobilize these areas and may require them to perform exercises that may last for some weeks. Yet after faithful application of exercise routines, everything may go back to normal and little or less exercise may then be performed after the healing.

Hamstring stretching exercise on the other hand focuses on the hamstring muscles that are directly linked to the low back pain symptoms. Tightness of the hamstring muscles is known to be a proponent to pelvis stress and the muscles and bones located at the lower back bone. Working on these parts may lessen the degree of pain and the frequency of attacks.

These are only two of the most commonly used back pain exercises. Other exercises and routines are listed in the above section of this article.

Massage therapy can help you get better sleep

Modern times give people instant everything. It gives them instant convenience, instant solutions and instant results among so many others. But, amidst all the advantages it gives to people, it also brings a lot of stress that hinders them to get better sleep.

Studies show that the most common cause of todays health problems lack of sleep that can be caused by too much stress. Aside from improper diet, and unhealthy life style, prolonged periods of stress subconsciously affect many systems of the human body, lack of sleep may lead to possible health problems such as gastrointestinal disorders, heart disease, memory loss, and decreased immune function.

One of the most popular stress-reduction techniques being practice nowadays is massage therapy apart from using stress-relieving tablets and capsules. By definition, massage therapy is a hands-on manipulation of the soft tissues that include muscle, skin, tendons, and associated fascia, ligaments. Massage therapy also concentrates in treating joint capsules in the body. Apart from decreasing muscular tension and increasing the removal of metabolic waste, massage therapy also promotes nutrient delivery to healing tissue caused by extended periods of stress and will eventually help a person to get better sleep.

The wonders of massage therapy

Indeed, massage therapy has become a significant part of general health care for many people living in todays stressful world. Numerous professionals and even traditional healthcare systems throughout the world recognizes that massage therapy can play an important role in treating chronic ailments can and contribute to a higher sense of general well-being since it greatly helps people get better sleep.

Considered as the modern antidote for stress, massage therapy helps combat stress by trying to reduce the tension build up in the muscles. Aside from boosting the bodys immune system, massage therapy prevents the decrease in circulation and nutrient delivery to tissues. Known as one of the ultimate stress reducers, more professionals are advising their patients to include massage therapy in their health care treatment plans.

People, especially those who live by the rule of stress and dont have enough sleep, find massage therapy very helpful in so many ways. Among the extensive benefits of massage therapy, most people consider the therapeutic affect of the treatment on their bodies. Since massage therapy causes diverse physiological effects due to the therapists hands moving over the body, its therapeutic affect is proven to improve health by acting directly on the muscular, nervous, circulatory and immune systems.

Aside from aiming to develop, maintain, rehabilitate, or augment physical function, massage therapy also relieves or prevents physical dysfunction and pain. Massage therapy also relaxes tight and tense muscles while improve circulation, recovery time, and immune system function, which reduce overall stress. And with the continuing research on the beneficial effects of massage therapy, its effectivity was also discovered in controlling chronic or acute pain.

Concentrated in creating different movements that can physically stretch muscles, ligaments, tendons, and fascia, massage therapy also encourages the circulation through the tissue, inhibit muscular spasms, and be either sedating or stimulating to the nervous system.

But, far from the common conception, elementary knowledge of massage therapy is not enough for ordinary individuals to practice it. Being a regulated health profession, massage therapy requires professionals who have completed hours of education at accredited schools and have extensive knowledge of anatomy and physiology, assessment, bodywork techniques, and pathology to know when massage therapy is or is not suitable.

With the array benefits massage therapy offers to peoplespecially in stress reduction and in helping them get better sleepit is no wonder that a wide patronage of it will increase energy and will improve peoples outlook on life.