Therapy and Treatment
Today most doctors believe in the biochemical origin of diseases and therefore try to treat them with drugs. Billions of people take medicines every day, yet the number of registered patients does not decrease — it steadily increases. I suspect that the concept of a pill for everything is flawed. After all, life is not made up solely of chemically arranged molecules!
Paralysis is a condition that completely ruins quality of life. If an arm, a leg, or even both do not move, it hinders not only work but also everyday activities and even the ability to care for yourself. In countries with advanced healthcare systems, the rehabilitation of paralyzed patients is based on modern technology and every effort is made to reduce the degree of paralysis. Based on information from those who turn to me, it seems Hungarian patients either do not receive meaningful information or they do not understand the professionals. Yet their whole future actually depends on whether they get the appropriate rehabilitation. Are they informed about what they must do themselves for improvement and how long rehabilitation may take?
Frozen shoulder syndrome, medically called periarthritis humeroscapularis, is a severe form of chronic inflammatory disease of the shoulder and surrounding soft tissues. The inflamed connective tissues thicken, growing from the normal 3–4 mm to even 1–2 cm. They become stiff and restricted, which impairs joint movement. Because you cannot move your arm properly, the joint becomes progressively stiffer and, over time, the soft tissues begin to scar and the shoulder “freezes.” This is a vicious circle that can only be broken with anti-inflammatory treatment.
Balázs Bicskei (an Ironman finisher) runs a business with his brothers. They build artificial turf sports fields, rubber-surfaced sports and running tracks, and playgrounds. The company has been growing nicely, the workload increased, and over the past years he gradually had less and less time for exercise. As the company leader he mostly did office work: sitting in the office, in the car, at business meetings. He quietly gained a few kilos. Then one day his lower back started to hurt. Off to investigations: CT, MRI… "Herniated disc!" they said. "No surgery yet! Take pain relief if needed!" Months went by and his complaints got worse. Slowly even tying his shoes became difficult because the muscles around his lower back had stiffened and hurt so much that they prevented him from bending forward… it was then he found my article about herniated discs…
The facial nerve (nervus facialis) is the seventh cranial nerve (VII) and performs several functions. It acts as a motor nerve for the facial mimic muscles and thus determines your facial expression. Its branch to the tongue is responsible for taste (the anterior one third of the tongue). It also contributes to tear and saliva production. Facial nerve palsy heals slowly and can take up to a year. Although the first 5–10 treatments are usually given in a clinic, that is not enough! You must continue electrotherapy at home until full recovery.
Your spine is built from separate "bricks", the vertebrae. The gap between them is filled by a flexible material, the intervertebral disc. This prevents the vertebrae from contacting each other directly. The spine's stability is provided by ligaments and numerous muscles. If your spinal-supporting muscles are strong, they hold the vertebrae and only a load that does not damage the disc reaches it. If you carry too much load or your muscles are weak, excessive stress falls on the disc. If it deforms, it causes complaints of varying severity. Many people are affected by herniated discs, but surgery is not necessary for everyone. Those affected often don't really know what they should or can do to avert the threat of pain, paralysis and surgery. This article is for them.
An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is one of the most common injuries among athletes. For them, proper rehabilitation is particularly important so they can return to competition as soon as possible (without an increased risk of re-injury). For non-athletes, rehabilitation is important to preserve muscle strength and to rebuild muscles so the knee can be fully functional as quickly as possible.
This piece was inspired by a reaction to one of my Facebook posts. I suggested a device to eliminate incontinence, and a lady angrily replied: “It costs 35,000! Good thing you can buy them!”. But is she right? Is that really expensive? Let’s take a look.
Stroke is a common and serious condition. Although immediate mortality is high, thanks to modern life-saving interventions there are now more survivors. However, survivors often face residual symptoms such as paralysis, speech problems, and difficulties with self-care. Very few are lucky enough to escape without any loss of function. Effective rehabilitation after stroke is essential. You must understand that recovery is a slow process — it can take years to "reclaim" a lost function. In our country the rehabilitation system is far from ideal, so you will mostly depend on yourself and your family. The biggest problems are lack of information and losing your motivation early and giving up continuous practice.
You may hear the term selective stimulation current from doctors and physiotherapists. It is a form of muscle stimulation (EMS) treatment used for muscles whose motor nerve has been damaged (denervated), making voluntary movement impossible or only partially possible (peripheral paralysis). Selective stimulation current targets only the affected muscle and causes it to contract (hence the term “selective”). Here are the basic facts.
The EMS, or electrical muscle stimulation method has been used for decades in athlete preparation… well… NOT in our country. Why is that? In my firm opinion the reason is simple: lack of language skills. Because most Hungarians do not know any foreign language, they do not read international literature, cannot keep up with world trends, and remain stuck in the familiar. The majority still firmly believe that training equals: “train a lot and eat lots of grilled chicken with rice.” They have no clue about most of the modern, drug-free possibilities offered by technology — as evidenced by the reactions to my articles. Knowledge is, to put it mildly, patchy about what a muscle stimulator is for, how it works, and how to use it. Let’s look at the basic info…
