Amputation is a word that no one wants to think about. However, it is a fact of life for millions of people. Amputation of the foot usually results from the effects of a disease of the blood vessels in one's lower limb. Such blood vessel disorders can cause hardening of the arteries, poor circulation, or large clots in the arteries which cannot be removed. Other causes of foot amputation include injury, infection, cancer, or birth defects. Amputation will only be used by a surgeon as a last resort if it seems that circulation cannot be improved in any other way, or if the risk of the development of gangrene and/or severe pain cannot be avoided.
During amputation, either parts of the foot, such as the toes, or the entire foot may be removed. If one's entire foot must be surgically amputated, this usually occurs just above the knee or just below the knee, depending upon the extent of the damage to the foot and/or lower limb and the possibility of fitting an artificial prosthesis after the amputation. The most common preferred amputation is below the knee, in order to preserve the knee joint and make post-amputation prosthetic fitting and re-learning to walk much easier.
Complications of amputation include risk of blood clots and infection, and problems in wound healing. This can be exacerbated by poor circulation, which is why a diabetic's blood sugar will be closely monitored following amputation to assist in proper healing. If amputation was done below the knee but proper healing is not possible post-amputation, the amputation will have to be performed again, this time above the knee.
Following amputation, the patient can expect the wound to heal within two weeks.
Although some pain is involved, many amputees complain of a phenomenon described as phantom pain. In this situation, the amputee ?feels? pain in the part of the foot or leg that has been removed. Phantom pain is more common in situations in which severe pain was present in the foot or leg prior to amputation. Usually phantom pain will disappear after a certain amount of time following the surgery.
After the wound is totally healed, prosthetic fitting will begin. First, measurements will be taken to ensure proper fit of a new prosthesis, to make sure patients will be balanced and that muscles will not be strained when learning to walk again. Learning to walk again with a prosthesis can be quite difficult and may take a long time with much physical therapy and practice.
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Many people suffer from hypertension (also known high blood pressure). Blood pressure is essential to move blood from your heart through your veins and arteries. But when the pressure is too high it can become dangerous, making your heart work harder and increasing your risk for heart problems, such as heart attacks and strokes. Hypertension may also increases your potential risk for various problems such as kidney disease even blindness.
Hypertension has numerous causes and it is difficult to pinpoint any one cause. Sometimes it could also be a side effect of any medication that you may be taking. This is referred to as secondary hypertension. You can take precautions against hypertension by regular checkups with doctors to figure out whether you are hypertensive or not.
The good news is that hypertension is treatable. If you change your eating habits and make sure you get plenty of exercise you should be able to reduce your blood pressure. Your doctor may also prescribe certain medications that can help to lower your blood pressure but you should make these lifestyle changes as well. Reducing stress and learning how to deal with it is also beneficial.
Being overweight certainly contributes hypertension. Studies have shown that even losing is little as ten pounds may be beneficial in lowering blood pressure. If you begin exercising and eating healthy you should be able drop ten pounds quite easily. Just don't to lose the weight immediately. It takes time to gain weight and time to lose weight; you should focus on changing your habits of exercise and eating, not just on losing weight.
Weight loss will have to be planned and programmed to suit your needs. To do so you can hire a personal trainer and get enrolled in a gym. There are various machines in the gym with which once you are familiar you can work easily. All this will also make you more active.
If your eating habits are poor, you may want to consult with a nutritionist. They may ask to you write down for a week what you're eating; based on this information they will then come up with a plan that you can stick to. Nothing is more alarming than the prospect of trading a favorite food like chicken fingers for carrot sticks. Nutritionists can offer suggestions to make the transition to eating healthy smooth and simple.
If you smoke, you need to kick the habit. It's as simple as that. Smoking not only offers no health benefits but causes some serious problems as well. Smoking causes your blood pressure to increase and creates dangerous hypertension. Smoking is dangerous not only to your health, but also the health of those around you. Second hand smoke can be extremely dangerous to your loved ones. Be sure discuss different options for quitting with your doctor; you don't need to quit completely on your own.
Hypertension is a very serious condition but it is treatable. You need to start making changes in your lifestyle today to combat the potentially dangerous problems that go hand in hand with hypertension. Even if you don't have hypertension you should quit smoking, start exercising, and start eating healthy. Stopping health problems before they start is the best way to ensure you stay healthy and happy.
Both Danielle K. D & Susan Price-johnson are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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