Muscle strength is typically reported in terms of "maximum." Experimental data illustrate the importance of defining the method of force exertion and of performance evaluation. Contracting the muscles in different ways or selecting different indexes from the same performance record can result in distinct "maximum" strength scores. To facilitate standardization of experimental procedures and comparison of strength data, a check list is proposed.
Pain in the bones and joints may come from treatment and medications, non-cancerous sources, or metastases from cancer spread. Sometimes the cause of bone and joint pain may be unknown.
Bone and joint diseases affect millions of people around the world. Conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, back pain or trauma can result in severe long-term pain and physical disability. The Bone and Joint Decade hopes to increase awareness of these problems.
Signs and symptoms of bones and joint pain
Pain in joint during or after use, or after a period of inactivity
Discomfort in a joint before or during a change in the weather
Swelling and stiffness in a joint, particularly after use
Bone enlargement on the middle or end joints of your fingers or the base of your thumb
Loss of joint flexibility
Treatment
Medications to treat joint pain and inflammation
Lifestyle changes to maintain joint and overall movement (mobility)
Physical therapy
Surgery
Preventing muscle strains
Muscle tightness. Tight muscles are vulnerable to strain, so athletes should follow a year-round program of daily stretching exercises.
Muscle imbalance. Because the quadriceps and hamstring muscles work together, if one is stronger than the other, the weaker muscle can become strained.
Poor conditioning. If your muscles are weak, they are less able to cope with the stress of exercise and more likely to be injured.
Muscle fatigue. Fatigue reduces the energy-absorbing capabilities of muscle, making them more susceptible to injury.
Self-Care at Home for muscle problems
Take no steroidal anti-inflammatory agents such as aspirin and ibuprofen to reduce the pain and to improve your ability to move around.
Protection, rest, ice, compression, and elevation (known as the PRICE formula) can help the affected muscle. Here"s how: First, remove all constrictive clothing, including jewelry, in the area of muscle strain.
Ice the muscle area (20 minutes every hour while awake). Ice is a very effective anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving agent. Small ice packs, such as packages of frozen vegetables or water frozen in foam coffee cups, applied to the area may help decrease inflammation.
Compression can be a gently applied with an Ace or other elastic bandage, which can provide both support and decrease swelling. Do not wrap tightly.
Elevate the injured area to decrease swelling. Prop up a strained leg muscle while sitting, for example.
The muscle relaxing properties of "muscle relaxants" arise not from direct activity at the muscular or neuromuscular junction level but rather from an inhibition of more central polysynaptic neuronal (nerve cells that end in synapses) events. These agents have also been shown in some studies to demonstrate superior analgesia to either acetaminophen or aspirin, and it remains uncertain if muscle spasm is a prerequisite to their effectiveness as analgesics.