Some of the most common presentations in general practice are problems of pain in joints and muscles. Sometimes these problems are acute, as in sports injuries, sometimes they are chronic, as in osteoarthritis, and sometimes they are intermittent, as in back pain. Whatever the problem, they provide the GP (General practitioner) with a challenge for management.The GP must take a careful history, examine the affected part, and make a diagnosis, possibly with the help of blood tests and x-rays. Having confirmed the diagnosis, the treatment option must then be decided, which may be the prescription of an anti-inflammatory drug, such as ibuprofen, a local steroid injection, a referral for physiotherapy or a referral to a rheumatologist. But these medicines may lead to side-effects and some of which can be very serious.So how we can get rid from this side effects ? , the option is Homeopathy..!!!Homeopathy can offer help in many situations which otherwise might cause prolonged incapacity. For instance, the use of Arnica in acute injury is well known, but often forgotten in the heat of the moment. The sooner it can be given, the more effective it is, but it is not too late to start it even several days after an injury. Back problemsHomeopathy is one of the most important and effective therapy for back pain . Homeopathy produces excellent results in backache treatment without producing any side effect and is extensively used in all over the world. Please read our article about back pain for more detailsLeg Muscle Pain Leg muscle pain is aching and cramping in the muscles of the legs. It is a common complaint which can involve one or more than one muscle at the same time. Muscle pain can also involve surrounding tissues. Musculoskeletal disorder is the major problem now days whose impact upon the individual’s quality of life is well known. Several well-proved Homeopathic medicines are available for leg muscle pain treatment that can be selected on the basis of cause, location, sensation, modalities and extension of the pain. For individualized remedy selection and treatment, the patient should consult a qualified homeopathic doctor in person. There are following medicines which cover leg muscle pain:Rhus Tox, Bryonia, Arnica, Causticum, Calcaria carb, Cuprum Met, Mag phos, Plumbum Met, Calcaria Phos and various other medicines.Knee problemsKnee joint is the most complicated weight bearing joint of the body which provides movements to us like walking, sitting, standing, running and possesses structures like bones, ligaments, muscles, tendons nerves that supplies the sensation Homeopathic medication can give significant relief from knee pain and swelling which is not short-lived like conventional pain killers but have a lasting effect. There is another distinct advantage; it stops further damage and controlling the advancement of the disease. Moreover, homeopathic treatment (under professional guidance) does not have any side-effects even if the medicines are used for a long period. Some of the remedies are given belowBryonia Alba, Ledum pal, Rhus Tox, Colchicum , Kalmia lot,Guaiacum, Calcaria Carb, Benzoic acid , Hypericum, Lachesis, Silicea. Severe rheumatoid arthritisArthritis and rheumatism are among the commonest forms of chronic disease and, with an aging population, are set to become commoner still. Strictly speaking, arthritis means disease of the joints, while rheumatism is disease of the soft connective tissues which support and move the joints. In fact, the distinction is often artificial, since many of these conditions affect both the joints and connective tissues. Osteoarthritis, the commonest of these conditions, is basically “wear and tear” of the joints. The root of the problem is wearing out of the cartilage, the tough, slippery “gristle”, which allows the ends of the bone to slide smoothly over each other and absorbs shocks. The joint becomes stiff and painful, and may creak as it is moved . Arthritis is one area in which there are several studies which have shown that homeopathic medicines are efficacious. Because homeopathic medicines need to be individually prescribed to the unique pattern of symptoms that sick people experience, controlled studies must be sensitive to this therapeutic requirement in order to adequately and accurate test this medical system.One study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (1980, 9, pp. 453-459) showed that 82% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis experienced some degree of relief after being prescribed an individually chosen homeopathic medicine. Only 21% of patients given a placebo received a similar degree of relief. Please read our article about Arthritis for more detailsTennis and golfer’s elbowTennis elbow is an incapacitating condition. It is pain on the outer side of the elbow, caused not only by tennis, but also any other repetitive action that involves flexion of the forearm muscles, like cleaning windows. Golfer’s elbow is identical, but on the inner side of the elbow. It often responds extremely well to Ruta graveolens, which is a remedy that affects the insertion of tendons into the periosteum of the bones. Ruta has exactly the same modalities as Rhus tox, ie better for heat, stiffness after rest, better on gradual movement, but has different tissue affinities – tendons and periosteum rather than muscle.GoutConditions such as gout can also be managed successfully using homeopathic remedies. Colchicum, the autumn crocus, has in its materia medica an exact description of the symptoms of gout “Inflammation of the great toe, cannot bear to have it touched or moved” (Boericke). Ledum (marsh tea) has the clinical picture of swollen, hot, pale joints, with the ball of the great toe swollen. Formica rufa (crushed live ants) is excellent for chronic gout and stiffness in the joints. The skin on the gouty joint is red, itching and burning.Please read our article about Gout for more detailsConditions of musclesConditions of the muscles such as fibrositis, fibromyalgia and polymyalgia rheumatica are difficult to treat conventionally. Diagnosis is often delayed and can be very difficult.Fibrositis is thought to be caused by small adhesions between individual muscle fibres, causing stiffness and pain in isolated spots, “trigger points”, mainly in the back, shoulders and buttocks. The remedy Kali bichromicum fits this description well, having “pain in small spots”.Fibromyalgia is very similar but involves more diffuse tenderness and pains in the muscles. Remedies such as Rhus tox, if the modalities fit, can be very useful.Polymyalgia rheumatica is a specific inflammation of the proximal muscles of the upper arms and thighs, which are very tender and weak. Climbing stairs is particularly difficult, as is raising the arms above the head to open cupboards, etc. This condition responds very well to steroids, but as the disease usually takes a couple of years to run its natural course, the steroids may have to be maintained for this length of time. To avoid the side-effects of steroids, homeopathic treatment can be tried.Homeopathy on a constitutional basis is the most successful way of treating all these conditions, but local prescribing can be very useful.Frozen shoulderFrozen shoulder is another condition that runs a very prolonged course. It often seems to be provoked by minimal trauma, or by painful conditions of the chest wall causing lack of use of the shoulder, which then seizes up. The natural course is severe pain in the shoulder for a year, and then complete “freezing” of the joint for another year. After that the whole thing resolves spontaneously. Of course most people do not want to wait for natural resolution, and various homeopathic shoulder remedies can be useful. Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel) is indicated for right-sided shoulder pain and Ferrum metallicum for left-sided shoulder pain.Repetitive strain injuryRepetitive strain injury should be treated by immobilisation of the painful part for two weeks, accompanied by an appropriate remedy, such as Ruta grav. Obviously it is important to modify the behaviour that caused the problem in the first place, by paying attention to posture and hand positioning at a keyboard, for example.This article by no means comprehensively covers the whole field of joint and muscle problems but hopefully gives a flavour of what homeopathy can do in this area. I do not want to give the impression that homeopathy is a miracle cure in all such cases, and indeed some patients fail to respond to apparently well-indicated remedies. A lot of improvement can be achieved by homeopathic self-help, but more complicated problems will need to be managed by a homeopathic practitioner.REF: From the Article of Janet Gray in British Homeopathic AssociationBy wishing you a speedy recovery
Dr. Ruksana Shamnaz Clinic for Advanced Homeopathy Atlantis – Kochi, India
