Musculoskeletal Diseases

The patient complained of severe throbbing biting pain in the left gluteal region with difficulty in walking since the last four months. The complaints got aggravated after a fall in the bath room.

The pain is aggravated by walking +2, Standing and the pain I s ameliorated by lying on the painful side and rest.

He MRI -LS spine shows grade 1 anterolisthesis of L4-L5 mild posterior bulge of desiccated L4-5 disc indenting the thecal sac and the left L5 nerve root. The patient comes from a lower economic background and they didn't have the necessary funds to carry out the surgery that had been advised by the orthopedic.

So the patient was referred to us if we can relieve the pain. So we took the case. The patient comes from a small village .She is very much lively in her talk she said she used to work in the farms since she was young and she enjoyed working in the village. She came to the city of Mumbai after her marriage and here the situation is very different.

They are staying in the slums in a very small room and people around them are not good. She is not happy. Her husband is very dominating and he keeps on commenting about the way she walks due to the pain and insults her often. She feels very bad about it and when insulted she weeps. We asked the husband why he does it he said he had to get married to her against his wish; as in their community what ever parents decide has to be followed.

He is not happy with their marriage so he seldom gets angry on her. He is very dominating and doesn't allow her to talk even when he was there him the consulting room we had to ask him to wait outside to interact with the patient.

The patient then told us there were lot of problems in their martial life and they didn't get along well.Inspite of the fact that she looks well after her in laws and brother in law. She is never appreciated for it. She feels very much neglected as there is nobody on her side. Her father passed away due to tuberculosis at a very young age since that time she is leading a very tough life.

She likes to listen to music very much and she feels relaxed after listening to it. She also sings and which helps her to relax. She is very sensitive by nature and if some says something wrong she cannot forget it broods over it for a long time. But she will express it when she is angry. She says she is not revengeful at all.

Personal history

• Diet: Non vegetarian
• Appetite: Good
• Cravings: Spicy food
• Aversion: Nothing specific

Thermals

• Sun: Doesn't aggravate
• Fan: Doesn't like much as she feels cold after sometime
• AC: -
• Coverings: Covers herself in winters
• Bath: Warm water
• Season: Nothing specific
• Thirst: drinks 7-8 glasses of water in a day
• Perspiration: doesn't perspire much
• Sleep and dreams: Disturbed due to the pain
• Dreams of traveling and dreams of her village
• Menses: Regular. Leucorrhea. Most of her complaints got aggravated after the tubectomy surgery

O/E

• Multiple moles on the body
• Pigmentation on the face
• Gums swollen
• R.S: NAD
• C.V.S: NAD
• There was tenderness in the back and there was restricted movement of the lower limb

The patient came with the complaints of severe pain in the right shoulder, which started 3-4 months back. After being diagnosed with frozen shoulder the patient was put on painkillers and was also taking physiotherapy. Even after taking the medicines and the physiotherapy there was no change in the pain and it was worsening day by day. The case came to me after they read about the other cases I had treated but there was lot of doubt in the patients mind .

The husband had asked many questions about Homeopathy and how it works and will I be able to provide any relief? As we know a correct case history is very important if we have to solve the case I told the same thing to the patient if they co-operate we can provide a solution?

The patient said the pain is unbearable it is pulling and throbbing in character.The pain radiates from the shoulder to the forearm. The following things aggravated the pain

The pain is better by

• In open air.
• Fomentation
• Tight blouse
• Continued motion
• Abduction
• Lying on painful side
• Cold weather
• Rains

The patient feels better by bending backwards and supporting the hand.

The patient also suffers from osteoarthritis of the knees. There is severe pain in both the knees . The right knee was first affected and then the left knee was also involved.

The following things aggravated the pain in the knees

• Morning
• Walking
• Squatting

The pain is better by

• Exercise
• Acupressure
• Continued motion

The patient also told that the swelling on the legs is there for a longtime. Along with this the patient also wanted us to treat her severe hair fall, and Swelling on the face. The patient is staying in Mumbai city India and is a house maker . She says since recent her illness is a causing lot of anxiety .

She is unable to sleep due to the pain. She feels how she is going to manage the housework and to add to this their maid has stopped coming for work.

The patient is very anxious by nature small things can also cause lot of anxiety for e.g. if her husband, or children do not come back home on time she will be very worried. She won't sleep till everyone has returned back even if it is late at night she will wait. There are lots of negative thoughts that come to her mind like they must have met with an accident or something must have gone wrong. There is lot of anticipatory anxiety. The patient also worries about her son who is 25 years plus and she feels he is too straight forward and how he will deal with the world. As a child she was very obstinate she wanted things her way otherwise she would be very angry. She is very attached to her family her brothers and sisters. She was very scared of her father but was very much attached to him emotionally. It came as a big shock to her when he passed away .She cannot forget this event and it depresses her sometimes.

The relationship with her husband is very good. There are no problems on this front. The patient also has the habit of preserving things even old things, which are of no use she will preserve for years together. Also she cannot spend her money easily. During the case taking the patient was so anxious that she asked me many times will she get alright? The intensity of the anxiety was very strong. On observation there was swelling under the eyes, pigmentation on the face was present. At the end of this she said I forgot to tell one thing that she is very scared of snakes and also gets dreams of snakes. Also there is lot of fear of diseases. So from the above history her remedy was very clear.

Personal history

• Cravings: Pickles, Spicy food
• Aversion: Sweets
• Thermals feels cold on the whole
• Urine: Normal
• Stools: Normal
• Perspiration: profuse after menopause
• Menses: menopause
• Thirst: normal

Investigation reports

• USG abdomen: Normal
• X-ray of the shoulder joint showed reduction of space in the right shoulder joint
• S.creatinine: 0.8mg/dl
• Blood urea nitrogen (BUN): 15
• S.triglycerides: 202 mg/dl
• S.Cholestrol: 184 mg/dl
• Blood sugar levels were normal

On examination

• Blood pressure: 140/90 mm of Hg
• Teeth carries few of them have been removed
• Hair loss severe
• Bilateral pedal edema (swelling on the legs)
• Cracking of the knee joints
• Pigmentation on the face
• Swelling below the eyes
• Severe restricted movement of the shoulder

Patient was put under observation after 1 month, as there were no complaints as such.Patient reported with overall improvement in the month of February 2007.
Also there is a marked improvement in the anxiety levels and she is able to relax and find the solution to a problem.The right Homeopathic medicines will help the person recover to healthy and harmonious state of health.

An old lady aged 64 years came to me with severe and persistent burning pain in the right gluteal area extending to the abdomen. She was suffering from this pain from the time she had herpes simplex. She also complained of numbness, burning in the soles and the right hand from exertion. Her complaints were better by cold application.

Along with this the patient suffered from severe pain in the coccyx. The pain is worse by standing, pressure, touch, over exertion, winter and lying on the painful side. She gets relief from the pain by resting. She has burning, pulling pain in the abdomen if she is fasting or eats stale food.

She is a teacher by profession and a workaholic. After retirement she goes to her farm and sees the agricultural work. Patient is very irritable by nature and if someone contradicts, opposes her or does something against her wish she becomes angry and irritable.

On further case taking she informed us that her younger son who was doing engineering passed away suddenly due to cancer. This was a major emotional trauma which she could not cope up with. Now after 10 years the thoughts and the sadness have reduced.

She has a tough childhood as she came from a poor family so she worked in farm and did odd jobs to fund her education. As a child she was afraid of snakes apart from this there are no other fears. All her complaints are aggravated when she works in water.

There is marked craving for sour food. Sleep is disturbed and she tosses and turns in the bed. She cannot bear tight clothes.

After careful analysis and evaluation the patient was prescribed Sepia 200c at an interval of 15 days. After a fortnight the patient reported with no change but said was feeling a little relaxed. She was advised to repeat the other dose and was asked to report after 15 days.

The patient reported with marked improvement after 15 days in all her complaints. Patient was given only on instruction medicine to be kept with her and was put under observation for a month. After a month the patient reported with no complaints and was very happy to be relieved of the burning pain which she suffered for years.

As the disease was of chronic nature she was kept under observation for another 2 months, there was no relapse so the patient was asked to report as and when required.

Finding the right Homeopathic remedy is very important to achieve the desired results. A complete case study is a must to treat the patient judiciously and relieve them of their complaints.The above case is for information purpose.Do not self medicate.

An interesting case of claudication and severe pain in the right gluteal region .The patient has turned to homeopathy because even after undergoing an endoscopic surgery on her spine the pain has not yet reduced.

The pain is so severe that she just cannot do anything and has to be in bed most of the time. She is taking pain killers and calcium sprays which are of little help.

There is severe pain in the right gluteal region with numbness .There is pain and uneasiness over the area of L1-L2.Burning sensation in the right leg.

Aggravated by

• Walking +2
• Cold weather +3
• Air Conditioner +2
• Winters +2
• Narble floor +2

Ameliorated by

• Lying down
• Pressure
• Cold fomentation
• Hot fomentation
• Standing

There is also dryness in the throat at night +3

The patient says that she has lost the confidence of lifting anything. She also has hyperacidity and lots of flatulence.

After the initial details the patient told that she was a premature baby.

As a child she suffered from febrile convulsions. And once she had fallen from a height of 10 feet and she had developed a hematoma.These didn't have any major effect on her.

She told us that she came from a poor family and it was a big family with 3 elder brothers and a younger sister. She was an unwanted child and her mother had refused to accept her she was even deprived of breast feeding .Now the question that arose in our mind was why the mother did refuse to accept her own child? She told us that in their tradition if after the birth of 3 male children if the 4th child is a female it is considered to be a great misfortune for the family.

Her mother didn't allow her to go to school till the age of 9 years. But she had a very strong desire to study. As she was her father's pet she managed to get into school. She was a very bright student she even completed her 8th and 9th grade in one year. She topped in her school throughout.

She has a younger sister who is very much pampered by her mother and she was not very good at her studies. So when she used to top the school her mother used to be very angry and she used to beat her and force her to leave her studies.

She used to work for the whole day after coming from the school and then study at nights in the temple. After her 10th grade she got into the science stream and after her Higher secondary studies she got admission in a medical college to which her mother totally opposed but her elder brother supported her.

She completed all her education on scholarships and she went on to do her masters in gynecology and obstetrics. After completion of her studies she worked very hard and as she was all alone she had to face lot of difficulties. She then opened a big hospital and then it was inaugurated by her mother. But her mother was interested only in the money part and she used to give her whatever she wanted without any hesitation. she served her mother for 20 years and after so many years the mother one day felt very bad and told her that whatever she has done to her is unforgivable.

Then I was curious about her family her marriage we asked her what about her marriage?

She said that when she was in her first year MBBS her father expired due to Cancer and their family was not well off and she took the responsibility of settling down her brothers. She has seen to it that now all of them are well settled. She also said that her mother was never interested in looking out for a boy for her to get married .She felt bad about it.

She got married at the age of 50 years with a man who is already married and he fell in love with her after looking at the way in which she handled the work on her own. After her marriage she has adopted a child against the wishes of everyone in the family.

If she takes up some work she will look to it that it is completed and will not leave any work incomplete. She is very ambitious and takes her decisions on her own and has been quite successful in her field.

She suffered from an emotional shock when she lost her sister in law in a road accident.

She is also emotional by nature and cannot see anybody suffering and gives charity and money to the needy.

The other point was she has fear of darkness and of ghosts .As a child she mixed easily with people. She weeps when she is alone when she feels bad about something but this is not very frequent.

When she is angry she expresses herself immediately but afterwards feels guilty about why she has scolded someone.

Personal history

• Diet: Vegetarian
• Appetite: good
• Cravings: Sweets +4 can have them everyday
• Aversion: -

Thermals

• Sun: leads to headache
• Fan: Likes
• AC: Likes but mild
• Coverings: 1 cover
• Bath: Warm water
• Season: Monsoon
• Stools: Constipation sometimes
• Thirst: +2
• Sleep and dreams: Disturbed in the morning 2am -3 am. Dreams of dead people

P/H

• Febrile convulsions
• Heamatoma
• Malaria 6 times relapsed
• Pneumonia
• Jaundice

F/H

• Father expired due to Cancer.

O/E

• Pigmentation on the face.
• Swelling of the fingers
• Movement difficult painful.

Arrival at the remedy

The selection of Lycopodium was based on the facts that the patient had a very difficult childhood.Inspite of the hardships she faced she didn't give up and studied well. After the fathers death she took all the responsibility to see that all her family members are settled this is one of the important aspects of Lycopodium personality we find this in repertory under the rubric "Responsibility strong".

This was reflected also in the fact that despite her mother hated her so much she didn't hold any grudge against her and she looked after her very well till the time she died.

Also the fact that she was very ambitious and intelligent and she did what ever work she took in her hand and completed it.

The other symptoms that were considered were the marked craving for sweets and the flatulence that were so marked in the case.

A case of 37 years old female patient who came to us with severe pain in the cervical region (neck) .The pain started on the left side and radiates to the arm and the forearm. Along with this the patient also experiences tingling and numbness in the arm. Now the complaints have started on the right arm too.

The complaints are aggravated by

• Raising the hand upwards
• Lifting heavy things
• In Sleep

The complaints are ameliorated by massage and pressure. Besides this there is stiffness of the fingers in the morning which becomes bearable after some movement.

The patient also had lot of hair fall and it falls in bunches. She said the texture of the hair has also changed in the past few years.

She said she has lot of tensions and is anxious about the future. She feels who will take care of them when they grow old .She has a daughter and she is very attached to her she becomes anxious if she goes out or doesn't come home on time. There are lot of negative thoughts about accident and marked fear of death.

Due to this anxiety she saves her money and if her husband spends money she becomes very angry. Due to this the relation with her in-laws are strained as her father in law spends lot of money which she doesn't like at all even though he earns his own money.

Relations with her husband are very good but since the last 3-4 years she feels neglected in the family. All these things she cannot express it to anybody so there is lot of internal anger. She feels since marriage she has become very sad.

She cannot trust anybody and is very suspicious by nature. Emotionally she is very sensitive if somebody says something wrong she cannot forget it easily. When she is angry she prefers to stay alone but she will always express her anger. If somebody tries to console her she doesn't like it .Revengeful feeling is there but she never takes revenge.

As a child she was the youngest in the family and was a pampered child she got whatever she wanted. She is scared of water, snakes, and dogs. She had a emotional shock when her sister passed away due to cancer. Even now he misses her.

What we observed was that the lady was wearing over sized clothes. When we asked why she was wearing so loose clothes she said she feels very uncomfortable if she wears tight clothes. She removes her earrings, bangles and chain while sleeping otherwise she feels suffocated this was the case history that we got.

Personal history

Diet: Vegetarian
Cravings: Sour things, Salty things, south Indian food.
Aversion: Milk
Thirst: Sips of water
Thermals
Sun: Cannot bear sun it lead to headache
Fan: likes
AC: Likes
Coverings: takes covers
Bath: Lukewarm water
Season: likes winters

Menses: Regular. Sometimes clots are there in the flow. Since the last 8 months there is lot of abdomen pain before the periods and she feels better as the flow starts.

Sleep and dreams: Sleeplessness
Dreams of daughter has lost

Sex: Relations are good

On examination
Wt: 55kgs
B.P: 100/60 mm of Hg
Pigmentation on the face
Graying of hair
Pain in the left ankle
Swelling in the cervical region

Past history:
Forceps delivery
Kidney ailment sin childhood
Malaria

Family history:
Father: 75 years Bronchial asthma
Mother: 67 years Diabetes mellitus
Eldest sister: Diabetes's, Hypothyroidism
2nd sister: Ca.esophagus expired
3rd Sister: Depression

Treatment given:

A lady aged 66 years old came to us for the treatment of carpel tunnel syndrome as she wanted to avoid the surgery. The complaints had started 6 months back in the right hand and there was difficulty in grip, fine motor skills and severe pain. The complaints have now started to develop in the left hand as well.

There is severe burning and formications in the right hand fingers and it is more severe in thumb, index finger and middle finger. The complaints are more during night while sleeping, while writing, cutting vegetables. She cannot lift anything with her right hand. She cries when she cannot bear the pain. On further inquiry the patient told that she suffered from numbness for many years and she has done all the treatment but there has been no improvement in it. And now the surgeon has advised her to go for surgery.

The patient is a known case of Diabetes for the past 22 years and she takes oral hypoglycemic drugs. She also suffers from hypertension for past 15 years. She is suffering from osteoarthritis of both the shoulder joints. She cannot sleep on her sides. Due to the osteoarthritis of the shoulder; the movement is very much restricted and she has severe pain when she tries to do any movement. Around 11 years back she had suffered from an episode of vertigo and pain in the cervical region.

Emotional nature of the patient:

The patient is very sensitive, cries very easily like when someone hurts her emotionally. She feels better when someone consoles her. She loves to work, but gets stressed over small things. Loves to listen to old hindi songs, soft slow music. She likes to watch movies with social background.

On further case taking we found that she is very mild and when she gets angry most of the time she keeps quite and tries to calm down. When she goes out in open air she feels much better. She feels claustrophobic in crowded and closed places.

Her childhood was good but due to the partition of India they had to relocate to India in which they lost everything. So during this period of time was very stressful financially and emotionally. Her father passed away with ischemic heart disease durning the same. This was a major emotional shock to her. After she got married her brother passed away which was also a shock to her. Her husband is very good by nature and they get along very well.

Personal history:

• Cravings: sweets
• Appetite: good
• Diet: vegetarian
• Perspiration: has increased recently
• Also feels breathlessness with exertion
• Thirst: thirstlessness since the beginning

Menopause at the age of 52 years Disturbed sleep has to get up to pass urine 2-3 times (nocturia)

Homeopathic treatment:

In homeopathy understanding the case is very important in order to find the right remedy. The selection of the remedy is based on the characteristic symptoms of the individuals rather than that of the disease. Disease symptoms are used for diagnosis and the unique symptoms of the patient form the basis of the prescription.

In this case the core symptoms of the patient were oversensitivity, mild nature, amelioration of the symptoms in open air, consolation, claustrophobia and thirstlessness. Based on the totality of these symptoms the remedy selected was Pulsatilla in 200 potency.

Conclusion:

In this case with the right homeopathic medicines we were not only able to prevent the surgery but also relieve the patient from the year old suffering of numbness, insomnia. The patient also had tremendous improvement in her emotional nature and now she doesn't get oversensitive in trivial matters and can handle it in a mature way.

Homeopathy heals and brings harmony at the emotional, physical and spiritual levels and helps to achieve good health in the true sense.