Paraplegia is a major medical condition characterized by partial or complete paralysis of the lower extremities. This type of paralysis occurs as a result of damage to certain areas of the spinal cord, which runs from your neck to your lower back....
The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your body. It runs from your hip and buttocks area down both of your legs. If you experience sharp pain in your lower back, buttocks, the back of the thighs or the back of the legs you may be experiencing...
According to statistics from the National Institutes of Health, approximately 25 percent of the U.S. population has suffered low-back pain in the past three months. If you are among those Americans with low-back pain, you know how debilitating it...
Primary progressive multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a type of multiple sclerosis where the symptoms progressively get worse and there are no periods of relapse according to the Cleveland Clinic. This disease tends to affect older adults; there are...
A number of maladies can impact the upper and lower extremities, consisting of the hands and arm, feet and leg. Tingling in the extremities may indicate something as benign as decreased circulation from pressure to the hand or feet, although...
Neuropathy is an umbrella term for diseases of the peripheral nerves, which are those that exist outside your brain and spinal cord. Symptoms including pain, weakness, abnormal skin sensations and even erectile dysfunction vary depending on the...
Potassium is the most abundant positively charged ion found in cell. Adequate levels of blood potassium are needed for maintaining proper functioning of the heart, muscles and nerves. The kidneys play a major role in the regulation of blood...
In a 2011 report on back pain statistics, The American Chiropractic Association reports that four out of five Americans will experience lower back pain at some point in their lives. Problems range from muscle strains to spinal disc herniations....
Many different causes can result in chronic fatigue and tiredness. Loss of energy affects the ability to function at work, at home and with the family. Sometimes the lack of energy creeps in so insidiously that a person may not even realize there...
The myelin sheath is a layer of insulation made up of fatty substances and protein that surrounds nerve cell fibers. The myelin sheath allows the nerve cells to transit impulses through the body quickly and efficiently. Demyelinating diseases are...
Bone spurs (osteophytes) are bony projections that form along the edge of bones on the spine, heels, knees, shoulders, neck, fingers and other joints. According to the Mayo Clinic, bone spurs often cause no symptoms and are only detected upon...
Bilateral weakness in the leg muscles can be as mild as a generalized feeling of fatigue in your legs or as extreme as complete paralysis. Bilateral weakness indicates a problem in your central nervous system -- in your brain, spinal cord or...
Typically, the first line of treatment for a bulging or herniated disc is noninvasive, meaning it does not involve breaking the skin. For mild to moderate back pain, rest is usually recommended to decrease inflammation of the spinal nerves....
Demyelinating processes, or diseases, are conditions characterized by damage to the myelin sheath, the protective sheath that covers nerves within the central nervous system, according to MayoClinic.com. As the myelin sheath becomes damaged,...
Tingling in the hands and feet, also known as paresthesias, can be caused by a variety of conditions, diseases and disorders. Although it may be due to something as simple as sitting in one position too long, it can also be a sign of a more...
Spinal anesthesia involves the infusion of local anesthetics and, sometimes, narcotics into the fluid that bathes the spinal cord. The spinal cord actually terminates a few inches before the vertebrae, or back bones, that protect it. To minimize...
Degenerative muscle diseases cause progressive damage and loss of muscle cells with associated weakness. There are many types of degenerative muscle diseases, and they act in different ways to cause loss of functional muscle mass. The muscular...
Many, many problems can cause pain down the legs. Often times the symptoms of these problems overlap. No matter the cause, signs that persist for more than a week should be seen by a doctor and if at any time there is a loss of bowel or bladder...
According to the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, all prescription drug products are required to include certain categories of information in their product inserts, also known as professional labeling information. The purpose of this is to...
According to John S. McDonald, MD, chairman of the department of anesthesiology and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UCLA Medical Center, spinal anesthesia has emerged as the technique of choice in Cesarean sections because of superior...
Marathon running can cause severe muscle imbalances without proper stretching. These imbalances occur when certain muscles are being used more than others, resulting in tightness, fatigue and knots in the individual fibers. The muscles surrounding...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the seasonal flu vaccine is the number one way to protect yourself from flu. Flu Mist is a live attenuated seasonal flu vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend vaccination as the first step to reduce the risk of infection with seasonal and pandemic flu. In very rare cases, influenza vaccines are associated with serious neurological side...
Coenzyme Q10, also known as CoQ10, is a substance found in the mitochondria cells of your body which are responsible for the production of energy. In addition, CoQ10 acts as an antioxidant, scavenging and neutralizing substances called free...
Stabilizing, or stabilization, exercises strengthen a specific joint, muscle or group of muscles so that your body becomes stronger, more stable and better able to maintain balance. Joint instability or muscle weakness can be caused by injury and...
Diabetes is a disease that affects multiple organ systems in the body, including the peripheral nervous systems. Diabetes can present serious complications, such as nerve damage or diabetic neuropathy, if it is not managed properly at the early...
A meniscus tear is a rip in the cartilage inside your knee, often caused by a sudden, acute trauma, such as twisting your knee during sports. A degenerative tear -- which can happen during such everyday activities as walking or climbing stairs --...
Flu Mist is a live intranasal seasonal influenza vaccine which is FDA-approved for healthy people between the ages of two and 49. The makers of Flu Mist, MedImmune LLC, also produced a live intranasal pandemic H1N1 influenza vaccine for the...
