AFVOA Newsletters of Year 2012

Common Treatment Procedure. Timely attention is vital in the care of knee pain. A visit to an orthopaedician combined with radiological modalities like X-ray and MRI will aid in prompt diagnosis. Most knee pains are treated conservatively and respond well to temporary restrained activities, medication, physical therapy and strengthening exercises. However, there are situations in which surgery may be required. In most such occasions the treatment is accomplished arthroscopically (key hole surgery) which can be performed as a day-care procedure. How to prevent knee pain in veterans. 1. Keep your weight under control. Reducing weight reduces the stress on your knees. 2. Avoid running on hard or uneven surfaces. 3. Warm-up before and graduate on to strenuous activities. 4. Use proper foot wear. 5. Quadriceps and hamstrings muscle strengthening keeps the muscles flexible and strengthens it, thereby reducing the stress on the knee and prevents overuse and injury. 6. Practise yoga regularly. 7. Avoid squatting or sitting on the floor on a regular basis especially if you are at risk of developing osteoarthritis. Under such circumstances yoga can be practiced on the bed or a platform. Most causes of knee pain are treatable and result in quick recovery if diagnosed and treated early. Do not neglect pain for more than three weeks. Practise wellness at work and home. Guavas are the 'ultimate super food' A new study led by an Indian origin researcher has found that guavas are the 'ultimate super food' with the highest concentration of antioxidants that protect against cell damage that ages skin and can cause cancer. A series of tests conducted on Indian fruits, including Himalayan apples and pomegranates, bananas from the south and grapes from Maharashtra, found that the guava, the poor man's fruit in India, has the highest concentration of antioxidants as compared to all the other fruits. According to scientists from India's Nutritional Institute in Hyderabad, the Indian plum, the custard apple and India's beloved mangoes, come after guavas in antioxidant richness. The study found that while there is a presence of antioxidant concentrations of just under 500 milligrams per 100 grams in guavas, 330mg in plums and 135mg in pomegranates, apples have a quarter of the antioxidants in guavas and bananas merely have a tiny fraction with 30 mg per 100 grams. Watermelons and pineapples were found to offer the least protection for the body's fight against free radicals, which can cause cell damage, whereas mangoes, despite a high fructose content, have 170 mg of antioxidants, which is more than three times that of papaya, and grapes were found to be three times more beneficial to the body than oranges. Page 14 of 80