Question: What’s the difference between a strain and a sprain?

Answer: A strain is a muscle or tendon injury; a sprain is a ligament injury.

Back strain is when you pull your back muscles.

Simple strains are the most common cause of back pain, especially lower back pain. Muscle strain is often caused by overuse of a muscle or overloading a muscle. When a muscle is stressed beyond its limits, injury occurs.

A muscle strain (or pulled muscle) is an overstretched or torn muscle. With injury comes inflammation, which is part of the healing process. Inflammation causes pain and can also trigger muscle spasms. The severity of a muscle strain can range from mild to severe.

Strained back muscles can occur when the back is overloaded – such as when you lift a child or anything that’s really heavy. If your muscles are weak, they are more easily overloaded and can become injured. While any muscle can be overloaded, building your muscles helps them to become stronger so you don’t get injured when performing everyday tasks.

Poor lifting techniques as well as lifting objects that are too heavy can overload your back and cause strained back muscles. A fall or an accidental twisting of the back can also cause pulled back muscles.

You can strain your back muscles through overuse, too.

Back pain often occurs when a muscle contraction is held too long. Your body is made to move. When you hold one position too long, your back muscles become fatigued and strained. If you keep switching positions you are able to shift the workload to another group of muscles, preventing any one group of  muscles from becoming fatigued.

If you do too many repetitive movements, such as too many reps using weights, you can cause muscle strain from overuse. Increasing back exercises or weights too quickly can also cause back pain due to overuse injuries.

Poor posture is another main cause of back strain. The muscles are forced to work harder in order to support the spine, which leads to fatigue, strain, and back pain.

The lower back is most commonly strained, that’s because the lower back has to support the weight of the upper body, when standing or sitting.

The symptoms of back muscle strain.

Pulled back muscles include symptoms of back pain and muscle weakness and sometimes  back muscle spasms. The back pain may come on suddenly, but usually begin gradually.

The muscles begin to stiffen or spasm to cause you to reduce motion and prevent further injury. Muscle injuries cause inflammation. Inflammation is a part of the healing process, but may trigger muscle spasms. Muscle spasms may bother you for the first couple of days after an injury – when inflammation is at its worst. Though not serious, back muscle spasms can be painful. Inflammation also causes pain. So, that’s why your back aches when you strain your back muscles.

Healing time depends on the severity of the strain. Mild muscle strains usually heal within two weeks. Moderate muscle strains may take six to eight weeks to heal. Consult you physician if pain intensifies or lasts longer than normal.

When you begin rehabilitation, start slowly and increase movements daily. It’s important to get the blood flowing through the muscles, but you don’t want to do anything too fast and cause further injury to your back.

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You don’t have to wait until National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in order to think about caring for your breasts. Breast cancer is a disease that has affected many people either directly or to someone close. Getting regular checkups by your physician and performing regular breast checks will catch any problems before they become any bigger. Seriously ladies, early detection of breast cancer followed by prompt treatment saves lives.

Now, research has shown a link between exercise and healthy breasts. According to the Alberta Cancer Board, there is a strong connection between increased physical activity and reduced risk of breast cancer. Exercise keeps your body moving and that is crucial to your overall health, even your breasts.

However, some exercises like jogging or running will make your breasts bounce too much and cause discomfort. A 2007 study by researchers at the University of Portsmouth in England found that women experience an average bounce of about four inches. Some women reported experiencing more than double that amount. With all this bouncing and the risk of unnecessarily stretched breast tissue, it’s no wonder that many women shy away from these activities. However, by investing in a very supportive, well-fitting sports bra, you may be able to keep your lovely ladies in place and stop the bounce, once and for all.

A woman’s breasts are a symbol of love. Poetry, literature, music and scripture have all praised the beauty of the breast, as their authors proclaimed their affection for these truly magnificent artistic wonders. All through history, the breasts have been a part of the woman’s body that has been the most acknowledged and admired.

But that doesn’t mean your breasts have to be large in order to be gorgeous. Breasts are lovely no matter what their size. Be proud of your breasts and take good care of them and that includes getting regular check ups and remembering to do your breast checks every month. If you have a habit of forgetting to do your own breast checks, pick a day out of the month, mark it on your calendar and do it every month on that day.

Eating a balanced diet, low in saturated fats, sodium and sugar is also crucial to good health and that includes your breast. Studies have shown that eating at least 5 to 7 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables plays a major part in keeping you healthy from diseases. While no diet alone can guarantee you won’t get cancer, nutrient rich diets seem to show better results than diets high in saturated fat, sodium, and sugars.

Keep your breasts healthy and beautiful by eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, 30 minutes a day for six days a week, get plenty of rest every night and see your physician regularly. Mark your calendar today, and don’t forget those breast checks every month.

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A back sprain is a ligament injury. The severity of the injury can range from mild to severe.

Sudden movements like a fall or car accident can cause injury to the ligaments because the muscles don’t have time to react. When the muscles don’t have time to react and contract enough to keep the spine within its normal range of motion, it causes the back ligaments to stretch or tear.

Intense pain can result from a back sprain. The pain may worsen over a couple of days as the ligaments become inflamed.
Minor back sprains (slight tearing or overstretching of a ligament) cause minor back pain and swelling with little or no bruising. Moderate back sprains cause moderate back pain and swelling with bruising. Severe back sprains cause severe back pain, swelling and bruising and make it almost impossible to move. Like back strain, back sprains may trigger back muscle spasms.

Healing time depends on the severity of the sprain. Most back sprains heal in six to eight weeks but it can take several months for complete recovery from a severe back sprain. Ligaments take longer to heal than muscles.

Back pain caused by muscle or ligament injury will usually resolve without any special treatment within 2 weeks to 2 months. The problem is, people usually become impatient and ultimately cause more injury by trying to exert the back muscles to early.
However, laying around is usually not the prescribed method, either. Before beginning any exercise program, especially after an injury, consult your physician.

Your doctor may prescribe pain medications that contain codeine and/or muscle relaxants to relieve severe acute back pain, especially for the first week after the injury.

Drinking plenty of water is important to flush out the acidic byproducts of muscular activity that can accumulate and irritate the muscles.

Tip: To avoid aggravating back pain, ‘roll’ out of bed: bend your legs at your knees and hips and roll on your side. Push yourself up with your arms as you hang your lower legs over the side of the bed.

Many people who experience recurring back pain have weak core muscles – the muscles that support the back. Strengthening these muscles can prevent back strain from recurring, though the time for strength exercises is after the back pain has resolved.

Good posture and proper lifting techniques can help to safeguard you from back sprain. Mentally engage your core muscles when sitting, standing, walking or exercising. This will help to strengthen your back and protect it from injury.

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It’s what allows you to appreciate a golden sunset sitting poolside on a warm summer’s day. It captures your children as they take their first hesitant steps on their own. And it let’s you see the world around you in all its perfect splendor. Your eyesight does so much for you, and yet most people don’t think twice about their eyes or how to keep them healthy.

The truth of the matter is though that there are 37 million people worldwide that suffer from blindness, and about two-thirds of them are women. Women tend to have a genetic predisposition to developing eye conditions and often ignore the warning signs because we often put the health of our families in front of our own. However, more than three-fourths of the eye conditions that we suffer from can be easily prevented with regular eye exams and a healthy lifestyle.

So what exactly can you do to keep your eyes healthy and able to see the things around you clearly? For starters, if you’re a smoker, quit the habit immediately. You probably already know the negative affects that smoking can have on your body when it comes to lung cancer and heart disease. What you probably don’t know is that in addition to these devastating diseases, smoking has also been directly linked to cataracts and age-related macular degeneration or AMD, a disease that will eventually cause you to lose your sight completely.

Another lifestyle change you can work on is keeping yourself and your family at a healthy weight. That’s right. Being overweight has been known to cause Type 2 Diabetes, which can have a huge impact on your eyesight and can lead to cataracts and diabetic retinopathy, which is when damage occurs to the retina. Symptoms can include blurred vision, floaters, and even blindness.

In addition to seeing an eye doctor on a regular basis, there are several warning signs of eye conditions that you should be aware of. These include the following:

• A decrease in your vision, such as issues reading or watching TV, or trouble seeing to the side.
• Floaters in your vision or flashes of light
• Eye pain of any kind including persistent pain or pain when touched
• Redness or drainage of the eye
• Double vision
• Seeing halos around lights

Any of these symptoms are clear warning signs that something is not right with your eyes, and you should schedule an appointment with your eye care professional immediately.

With just a few simple changes in your lifestyle and an added awareness to the issues that can affect your eyes, preventing eye conditions before they can become a serious problem should be a much easier task for you and your family.

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When the majority of us think about weight problems in the United States, we immediately think about the huge problem with obesity this country faces. Sure, most of us have waged war with the belt before. And who hasn’t had to try to squeeze themselves into their favorite pair of jeans every now and then?

But what about those people with a different sort of weight problem? The ones who can’t seem to find anything to wear because everything hangs off of them? When you first think about it, it’s hard to fully digest how being underweight could be a problem since only about 8 percent of the country suffers from this weight problem. But believe it or not, being underweight is just as serious as being overweight, and it comes with its own set of health issues.

The definition of being underweight, scientifically speaking, has to do with your BMI or body mass index. People who are 20 and older who have a BMI of anything less than 20 are considered underweight. Anything less than 18.5, and you are in a health risk zone.

Now, we’re not just talking about having an eating disorder, but that is certainly one of the main causes of being underweight. Eating disorders affect millions of women every year and can even lead to death. But there are many other reasons why you could be underweight, and most can indicate other underlying serious medical conditions. Such diseases as cancer, hyperthyroidism, or HIV can present themselves with the inability to gain weight or sudden weight loss.

So even though you may feel great, being too skinny can lead to serious health complications. Some side effects of being underweight include a compromised immune system. Ever wonder why you tend to get sick more than most people? Being underweight means more than likely your body isn’t getting the nutrients it needs to fight off infection.

Hair loss is another side effect of being underweight. Your hair is a growing part of your body that needs nourishment such as folic acid to grow healthy and strong. When you deny your body these nutrients, your hair will literally fall out and die.

Being underweight is also a problem if you are trying to conceive. It can lead to infertility or frequent miscarriages. Being underweight can actually cause your body to stop ovulating. Some women will have an infrequent or nonexistent menstrual cycle. And if you do manage to get pregnant, being underweight can adversely affect the baby as well.

There are many reasons for why you can’t seem to gain weight. If you think you might have a problem, don’t delay. See your doctor immediately.

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