In today’s fast paced world where no one has the time to look after their health, there are various conditions and disorders that people often suffer from but go unnoticed. Musculoskeletal Disability is one such condition that is related to the musculoskeletal system. This disability tends to affect a person’s bones, ligaments, tendons, joints and muscles. This condition can lead to severe pain caused due to a fracture or injury. Any kind of musculoskeletal pain either due to injury or arthritis can cause hindrance in your daily activities. Where this condition can be caused due to various conditions, it is important to look at its early signs and symptoms in order to get timely treatment and prevent any further complications. Read along to know more about musculoskeletal disability and treatment options to treat this condition from Dr R A Purnachandra Tejaswi, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon with Special Interest in Sports Medicine, Reconstructive Arthroscopy and Joint Preservation Surgery, Yashoda Hospitals Hyderabad.
What is Musculoskeletal Disability?
Popularly known as the MSDs, musculoskeletal disability is something that is being observed very common amongst people these days. These injuries tend to cause disabilities that affect a person’s musculoskeletal system which consists of joints, bones, ligaments, tendons, muscles and blood vessels. This in turn affects a person's daily life activities by affecting movement and mobility of the human body. This condition can range from being very light to becoming serious depending upon the cause of the issue and that it has been taken care of. Where there is not just one but several different types of musculoskeletal disabilities that can affect a person. Some of the most common musculoskeletal disabilities are- muscle sprain, carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator cuff tendonitis, ligament sprain, epicondylitis, tension neck syndrome, mechanical back syndrome, degenerative disc disease, etc. Where these issues can affect anyone, there are a few things that put a person at greater risk of getting affected by this disability such as arthritis, tunnel syndrome and fibromyalgia. Here is what Dr R A Purnachandra Tejaswi, has to say about it- “Musculoskeletal pain is a complication that affects a person's muscles, ligaments and tendons, and bones.
The causes of musculoskeletal pain are varied. Trauma to an area can also lead to the issue of musculoskeletal pain. A sudden change in posture or poor body mechanics is another reason that may bring about spinal alignment problems and muscle shortening, therefore causing other muscles to be misused and become painful.
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People with this disability sometimes complain about an unbearable body ache. Their muscles tend to feel as if they have been pulled or overworked. Sometimes, these muscles tend to twitch or burn and the symptoms vary from person to person, but the common symptoms are pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, swelling of certain areas, burning sensation, tingling, and numbness occasionally.”
Causes of Musculoskeletal Disability
Where the condition of musculoskeletal disability tends to be very painful and can cause a lot of discomfort. As this pain becomes so unbearable that it can cause hindrance in a person’ daily life activities. Let us take a quick look at the causes of musculoskeletal disability-
- Static posture
- Prolonged exertion
- Bad posture
- Frequent heavy lifting
- Bone fracture
- Injuries
- Sprains
Symptoms of musculoskeletal disability
Where it is important to look at the symptoms of a condition in order to get timely treatment avoid further complications. Here are some of the most common symptoms of musculoskeletal disability that is observed at an early stage-
- Fatigue
- Joint pain
- Muscle twitches
- Stiffness
- Increasing pain
- Burning sensation in muscles
How to diagnose musculoskeletal disability?
Where symptoms help in early detection of a problem, diagnosis is an important step that comes into play before providing treatment to a patient. Symptoms of various conditions can overlap each other and hence diagnosis helps in pointing out the exact issue so that accurate treatment could be provided. Where there are various ways of diagnosing musculoskeletal disability, here are a few methods that your physician might use in order to detect this situation.
- X-rays
- CT (Computed Tomography) scan
- Blood Tests
- MRI scan (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
Treatment for Musculoskeletal Disability
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In today's world where the field of medical science has seen so many advancements, there is a treatment for almost every condition. Musculoskeletal disability is one such issue that affects a person’s musculoskeletal system but can be treated well. Here are some of the treatment options available for treating this condition from which your physician might opt for the one most suitable according to your condition-
- Physical Therapy
- Acupuncture
- Steroids
- Physical therapy
- Therapeutic massage
- Splints
- Pain reliever
- Chiropractic adjustment
- Occupational therapy
Ways to prevent Musculoskeletal Disability
As a wise man or woman once said that “Prevention is better than cure” and hence we have brought some simple preventive measures that one can opt for in order to prevent the condition of Musculoskeletal disability-
- Regular stretching
- Practicing good posture
- Correcting lifting techniques
- Limiting repetitive movements
- Leading an active lifestyle
Where the condition of Musculoskeletal disability has become very common amongst people around the globe, it is important to take care of yourself and look after your health. Majority of the issues related to Musculoskeletal disability are caused due to bad lifestyle habits such as bad posture, sedentary lifestyle, prolonged exertion and heavy lifting. One must try and avoid these bad lifestyle choices in order to lead a healthy life and avoid the complications caused due to Musculoskeletal disability.
With inputs from Dr R A Purnachandra Tejaswi, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon with Special Interest in Sports Medicine, Reconstructive Arthroscopy and Joint Preservation Surgery, Yashoda Hospitals Hyderabad.
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