HYPERURICEMIA AND EXERCISES

HYPERURICEMIA and EXERCISES 

Hyperuricemia occurs when there is increase in uric acid in the blood. High uric acid levels can lead to several diseases, including a painful type of arthritis called gout. Elevated uric acid levels are also associated with health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease.Uric acid is a waste product created during the normal breakdown of Purines.

Purines are natural substance found in some foods like liver, mushrooms and dried beans e.t.c.,

When your body digest Purines, it produces a waste product called URIC ACID. This Uric acid is normally cleaned out of the blood by kidneys and passes out of the body along with urine. 

What are the common  causes of Hyperuricemia:

1. When kidneys are not eliminating Uric acid efficiently.

2. Over weight 

3. Insulin resistant 

4. Heavy Alcohol intake

5. Genetics 

6. Diabetes 

7. Hypertension 

8. Hypothyroidism 

9. Taking Diuretics 

10. Iron overload 

11. Total fasting 

12. Increased   consumption of meat

NORMAL VALUES OF URIC ACID:

Men- 3.5 to 7.0 mg/dl 

Women- 2.5 to 5.7 mg/dl

When there is in increased level of Uric acid then it may leads to Gout and Cardiovascular problems.

Due to lack of symptoms we won’t notice increased Uric acid levels in the blood. Men are frequently affected than women. In women we can see in Menopause stage.

What is a GOUT: 

Gout is a painful form of Arthritis commonly seen in the large Toe, Tendon sheaths, Ear cartilage and in kidneys as stones. It results from excessively high Uric acid levels in the blood. There are two types of Gout: 

1. Primary Gout and 

2. Secondary Gout 

PRIMARY GOUT is congenital and is the result of metabolism problem which is associated with insufficient removal of waste by the kidneys. 

SECONDARY GOUT is an acquired disease caused by Illness such as Tumours, Anaemia, Diabetes, Kidney function problems. 

SYMPTOMS OF GOUT:

• Intense joint pain 

• Redness 

• Tenderness 

• Swelling of the joints

TIPS TO REDUCE URIC ACID LEVELS :

1. Reduce your body weight. 

2. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables 

3. Drink only low fat milk and diary products 

4. Check purine content in your diet

5. Avoid Excessive Alcohol Intake 

6. Eat only Low fat food 

7. Do Exercises daily 

8. Plan your diet from Qualified Dietician 

9. Reduce intake of meat

10. Control your sugar levels in the body 

TREATMENT: 

1. Change your eating habits 

2. Take proper Medications

3. In Acute Gout attacks - Anti-inflammatory Medications 

4. Cold compression 

and Elevation 

5. Exercises 

PHYSIOTHERAPY TREATMENT: 

Your Physio will plan the treatment by proper Assessment of your joints and current Uric acid levels in the blood of your body and according to your age and health issues. So don’t start exercises without doctor advice and please do the exercises under supervision of qualified physiotherapist.

1. Strengthening exercises like squats, Lifting lite dumbbells , lunges e.t.c,. to maintain the maximum function of the joints.These exercises are performed to tone and condition your muscle to improve your joints health. 

2. Stretching Exercises to make your body more flexible 

3. Range of motion Exercises like Yoga and Pilates. 

4. Low Impact Exercises like knee bends

KNEE BEND EXERCISE: 

Lean over and slightly bend your knees, while trying to touch your toes. This exercise helps in reducing inflammation and relieve tension in the joints. 

5. Walking helps in over all body movement and increased in blood supply to the joints. 

6. Electro Accupuncture treatment for Gout. 

7. In acute gout attacks , you shouldn’t exercise until your pain and inflammation are reduced. 

NOTE: Please consult your doctor before starting any exercise program

DIABETES IN TODDLERS

DIABETES IN TODDLERS 

Diabetes are of two types 

a.Type 1 diabetes and 
b.Type 2 diabetes 


TYPE 2 DIABETES:

Insulin is a hormone made by pancreas, which increases in the blood after a person eats. Insulin controls blood sugar by removing or taking the sugar or Glucose from the blood and moving it into the body cells. Because too much sugar in the blood can make a person sick. Type 2 diabetes can develop when insulin levels are always or often high. 

Insulin Resistant:
When your child is insulin resistant, then the pancreas has to work extra hard to make enough insulin to move sugar into body cells. Then too much sugar will build up in the blood and leads to Type 2 Diabetes. Insulin resistant means insulin is trying to move sugar into body cells but the sugar cannot get in. The common causes of insulin resistant are Body fat, Eating too much and unhealthy food, Genetic factors e.t.c.,
Physical Activity :

Encourage your child to do more physical activity for 1 hour per day. Children won’t pay interest to do exercises so make them do following activities which they enjoy most. The activities like

1. Join him on a sports team 
2. Encourage them to play outside 
3. Dance
4. Water balloon fight outside 
5. Wash the car
6. Fly a kite 
7. Test the child running speed, how fast they can run between telephone poles or houses. 
8. Skating 
9. Playing Parachute 
10.Yoga 
11. Gymnastics
12. Martial Arts 
13. Ride bike or scooter 
14. Walk the dog 
15. Take the stairs instead of the elevators 

These are some of the activities which you can make the child do and make them free or control from Diabetes 2. 

Along with the activities you have to meet your dietician to plan the diet. 

Diet: Make them limit intake of refined carbohydrates, 

Increase intake of Fiber, 

Limit intake of transfats and saturated fat. 

Along with the physical activities and diet, meet your doctor for a regular checkup and give medicines properly.

TYPE 1 DIABETES: 

Type 1 diabetes associated with a deficiency or lack of insulin. Usually, this Type 1 diabetes starts between 4&6 years of age and 10&14 years of age, approximately half of children diagnosed before the age of 10. 

The common signs and symptoms are: 
1. Increased Thirst
2. Frequent urination 
3. Extreme Hunger
4. Weight Loss
5. Fatigue 
6. Behavioral changes
7. Blurred vision 
8. Irritability 
Diabetes is a serious disease that can lead to other serious conditions such as heart disease and kidney failure. So proper care and treatment is needed

PRECAUTIONS DURING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY :

1. While doing physical activity you should be very cautious about the glucose levels. Because while doing activities the blood sugar levels may drop and leads to HYPOGLYCAEMIA. So before starting the exercises program give him extra carbohydrates. 

2. Check blood glucose levels before and after exercise. 

3. Prepare a kit that contains snacks, glucose tablets, fruit juice, water and any medications prescribed by your doctor. 

4. Be sure to check blood sugar levels more frequently after the activity and overnight to assess if insulin doses need to be adjusted. 

5. If your child is in sports, make sure that coach knows the child has  Type 1 diabetes and explain to the coach how to respond if any problem occurs.

6. Make your child wear a medical alert identification bracelet or Necklace that alerts others to your child’s diabetes. 

Follow these precautions and make your child to fully enjoy the same activities as every other kid do.

Please talk to your doctor before starting any exercise program

TOE WALKING IN TODDLERS & PHYSIO TREATMENT

TOE WALKING IN TODDLERS

It means walking on toes or on the balls of the feet, it is common in who are just beginning to walk, but it can be a sign of a physical problem if it continuous. It can accompany some disorders like cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy autism spectrum disorder and in some children who have short Achilles tendon and sensory problems. Toe Walkers develops tight calf muscle or back leg muscle and decreased movement of their ankles. Also the muscle on the front their legs become weak and wasting of the muscle of the leg.

Sometimes it occurs in children who have no such underlying disorders and those children are called Idiopathic Toe walkers. It is not a serious condition which often resolves spontaneously and does not cause the child significant problems apart from cosmetic appearance. It is seen more commonly in males than females and in hypo or hypersensitivity condition children don’t like the feeling of different surfaces on their feet, which causes them to raise the heels and walking on Toes.

      Treatment:

• Surgical procedure – Releasing or lengthening the tight Achilles tendon and gastrocnemius muscle.
• No need of surgery for Idiopathic Toe walkers.
• Recently Injection of Botulinum Toxin A (Botox) has been used to weaken the calf muscle thus preventing toe walking.
• Repeated bracing and casting of feet and ankles

Physiotherapy Treatment - Exercise program should be fun so that children enjoy the challenges of achieving goals. The following are the some of the exercises which you can make the child do easily but before starting the exercise programme please consult your doctor and physiotherapist.

• Marching on the spot. Make the child bring their knees up high and then land with a flat foot 
• Walking uphill
• Walking on an uneven surface such as Sand
• Sit to stand exercises
• Encourage them barefoot standing using a variety of Textures.
• Make the child do squats on a foam balance pad, Squatting also helps in transmitting the body weight evenly on both the feet which helps in improving sensation also.
• Tell the child to walk on the heels only, Keep the Toes off the ground at all times.
• Balance Exercises
• Strengthening Exercises,
• Tell the child to pick up small objects with their Toes.
• Climbing stairs and
• Stepping over obstacles    
• Gently Stretching of the leg and foot muscles
• Leg braces and splints 
• Wearing proper shoes – Before taking shoes to your child please check these once. Select a high cut shoe with a wide sole which provides good foot support. The Shoe should not be flexible in the middle section. The back heel should be firm.
• Make the child stand without shoes on a dynamic surface, like incline wedge or wobble board. So, that they shift their weight to maintain balance and will experience an active stretch of the affected muscle. 
• Stretching – In a lying position, hold their foot in your hand. Apply light pressure by bending the foot upwards, once you feel tightness or resistance hold for 10 to 15 sec and release. Repeat to alternate foot and stretch.