Hello! Have you
ever wondered what
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we would be like if we
didn't have a skeleton.
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So we can say it is one
of the most important things
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in the body, it holds us
so that we can do what we
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have to do.
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But there are things that
can go wrong with the skeleton
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both the muscular as
well as the bony skeleton,
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and we would like to talk
about those in this program
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so we hope you will join us.
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Welcome to Help
Yourself to Health
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with Dr. Agatha Thrash
of Uchee Pines Institute,
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and now here is
your host, Dr. Thrash.
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Skeletal problems
represent the commonest cause of
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absenteeism from work,
now if you consider all the
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things that can go
wrong with a person.
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To have that as the principle
thing that causes people to be
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off from work, it
shows it's importance to us.
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Think about the fact that you
know a lot of people who have
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been not only days but
weeks or months out of work
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because of a certain
problem that has to do with the
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skeleton, either a knee,
an ankle, a back, a shoulder,
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an elbow, or a broken bone,
these things are big things,
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in our work today.
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Now I would like to invite
you to join me as we talk with
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a guest that I have
today, and that is Rhonda Clark.
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Rhonda Clark is one of
my colleagues at Uchee Pines
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and she is going to be
with us on the program today
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and as I look at your equipment
here, I wish I were the subject
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for your demonstration, what
are you going to show us today?
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- I am going to be showing today
a special massage technique,
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and this is for those people
who get those knots someplace
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that just are killing them,
and I hope that this will be
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very helpful and beneficial.
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- A knot right here, or a
knot right here, and you can
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show them how to
release those knots.
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- I can this is a massage
technique that's known as a
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trigger point release massage,
and there are different ways of
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doing the same type of
massage, I'm just going to be
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showing one today that I'm
familiar with, and that I have
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been the recipient
of, with great relief.
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- Very good, very good.
- So I'm glad to share it.
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- Tell us about it.
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- All this uses is simple
pressure, the use of pressure
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very light pressure and
increasing as this point
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begins to release, and I
have asked an assistant to come
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and be my pretend patient.
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This is a young woman who
is one of our students in the
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elementary school at Uchee
Pines Institute, her name is
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Arianna Hartsfield,
we're so glad to have her here
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with us today.
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As I demonstrate
here on Arianna's back,
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we can have area's that become
very tense and uncomfortable
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in all parts of our neck and
shoulders, really in any part
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of our body, and so if you can
have the person who is feeling
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these pains, sit in
a comfortable position,
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and then look for those
spots that they say are the
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very sorest, so as you
begin feeling and massaging
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very gently.
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You don't want to increase
the spasm of the muscle,
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find that spot where
they say oh, that's the spot.
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That is the spot that is the
sorest, and hold light pressure,
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the point is not to really
dig into these sore places,
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but to hold some light pressure
that doesn't cause pain,
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you want to help the
muscle relax and not spasm up
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more tightly, after a minute
or so you will then increase the
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pressure a bit on this spot,
the same spot increasing the
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pressure, holding
again for another minute,
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making sure that the
patient doesn't feel pain,
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and then again increasing
the pressure even more deeply,
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this will slowly
begin releasing this point.
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- Can you feel
yourself the point releasing?
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- Occasionally you can feel that
point releasing, other times
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you just go by what
the person is telling you,
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like ok, yeah that is releasing,
and you will soon find they have
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another sore spot very
near by, so the next step goes
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to the next sore spot.
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Maybe it's down a little,
and begin by holding light
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pressure for thirty seconds to
a minute, as they can tolerate
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it without pain, increase the
pressure, as they can tolerate
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that without pain,
increase again, and it's amazing
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oh, that's not hurting so much.
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And then to the next sore
place, light pressure it first,
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then increasing the pressure
as they can tolerate it,
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finally putting a great
deal of pressure towards the end
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to release that spot.
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- You are looking for satellite
sore spots as well as that
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primary one.
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- Absolutely! And in my own
experience you can have twenty
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sore places in a muscle that
spasms, you can have several,
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this isn't something
that you can do very quickly,
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it will take a period of time
to get all of those sore places
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released and as they release
you may find you come back
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to an area that you
had previously been to,
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doing this again, eventually
this will help loosen up
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that spasmed muscle, those
knots are in there so tight
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just through
this gentle technique.
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Towards the end then having
just a regular type of massage
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may feel very good, at first
however it's important just to
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release those sore
spots, and you know Dr. Thrash,
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this is something that you
can do not only on a patient
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as Ms. Hartsfield has helped
me with, but this is something
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that you can do on
yourself thanks to some
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innovative equipment.
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- Good show up about that.
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- I brought a couple
of examples here with me
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Now this is what's
known as a shepherds hook,
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this is a home made
sample, just some pipe
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that's been connected, and
you will notice the important
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piece of equipment is this,
little plastic knob at the end.
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This hook is used to
reach over your own shoulder
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and find your own sore places.
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So for example Dr.
Thrash if I had a sore spot
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much of place that Arianna
did, I could just find that
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sorest place, put some
pressure by pulling on the hook
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and increase the pressure,
and these Shepherd's hook's come
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in all different shapes and
sizes, sometimes they are called
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acupressure tools, they
come in different shapes,
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little different kinds of knobs
but all can be used in this
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massage technique
with great results.
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I have certainly
enjoyed it myself.
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- It looks as if this one might
be if you have a place where
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you have an itch you
can scratch that as well.
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And I have found that
people who have a back ache,
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if you simply scratch the back
just all over, that that will
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often help a back ache
and help a person to relax,
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who is in trouble
because they cannot relax.
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- Yes! - Yes,
well thank you so much,
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I really appreciate this,
I am thankful that we can get
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this very simple
technique mastered.
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I have some pictures of skeletal
problems that I would like to
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show you, some of these
are simple, and some are quite
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serious, some require
the work of a surgeon,
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and some require only
things that you can do.
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This first one is
called dupuytren's contracture
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you will see the finger
next to the small finger,
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is pulled toward the palm,
and if you look in the palm
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you will see a thickened
cord, that represents the
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thickening of the tendon sheath
in dupuytren's contracture.
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If you will notice in the right
hand, the right hand also has
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that, if often starts with
a little dimple at the base of
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the finger and that may be the
very first sign that you have
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dupuytren's contracture.
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There are things that you may
do yourself, that if you start
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early enough, you
may be able to relax that
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dupuytren's contracture.
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Hot soaks can be very helpful,
massage, a salt glow to the hand
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really massaging diligently can
be helpful, and if you prefer,
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an ice massage or an ice
soak of the hand for 20 minutes,
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that can also be helpful.
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As soon as the hot or cold
treatment which ever you decide
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is finished, then you
must massage that tendon sheath
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and try to stretch it out some,
it can be a bit painful as you
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really work on it diligently
to try to get it to relax.
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I have had several
patients who have had told me
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that they have been able to
relax a dupuyen's contracture
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by the application of heat,
and perhaps a compress made of
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something like an onion
compress, or a golden seal
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compress, or a comfrey compress,
comfrey is an herb having
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very good healing properties
and some astringent properties
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and that laid in the hand
and a bandage put over it,
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some wet comfrey leaves
laid in the hand and a bandage
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put over it, that
can be very helpful for
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dupuytren's contracture.
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Ok, I have another
picture I would like to show you
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this is the trigger finger, now
notice that there is a sheath
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which is a number of lines
and you see that toward the
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end of the finger but
also toward the palm end
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of the finger, and then you
will see the tendon which goes
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in that sheath.
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Now with dupuytren's contracture
the sheath is what contracts
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but in the trigger finger, the
thing that causes the problem
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is that the tendon
itself gets a little bump on it,
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and then the tendon cannot slide
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into or out of that sheath.
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The fact that this knob gets
caught in the sheath makes it
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so that the finger simply hangs
there, so the finger is like
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this and then when it finally
releases from that tunnel
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where it has been caught then
it snaps outward in this way
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that's called a trigger finger.
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What can you do for
that, well it's the same thing
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that you did for the dupuytrens,
either hot or cold, a comfrey
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compress is very good, and
after every treatment it is
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massage of that area, in
case of a trigger finger,
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it is the swollen part
that you can actually feel
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on the tendon as you move
the finger just a little bit.
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Once in awhile the problem
is father back in the hand,
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sometimes it's in the finger
itself, but to put pressure
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on that spot for a long enough
period of time, extending the
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treatment for enough
weeks or months to eventually
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make it so that
the tendon has...
00:11:57.58\00:12:00.01
you have massaged that little
knob until it has resorbed
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enough or flattened out enough
that it will slide properly
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through the tendon sheath.
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I had such a trigger finger
one time, and it was so that
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every time I clenched my
fist my finger would hang there,
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by using this little technique
I have finally gotten it so that
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my finger no
longer has that problem.
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I've had several patients who
have also through diligent...
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if they have managed to
avoid having an operation there
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or continuing with
the trigger finger.
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Now the next picture that I
will show you is also another
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skeletal problem, and you will
see that one knee is normal.
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The left knee is normal,
but the knee on the right
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is quite swollen, there is fluid
on the knee, and that fluid
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will resorb by itself if
you simply leave it alone.
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This person has been kneeling
as a carpet layer, on one knee,
00:13:12.69\00:13:18.04
doing carpet laying, and got
a large swelling of the knee.
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Do you have to have that
fluid removed with a needle?
00:13:24.21\00:13:28.05
The answer is not usually,
usually you can simply put
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compresses, hot compresses,
or cold compresses, and
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compresses made of herbs,
such as the comfrey that we
00:13:36.44\00:13:41.01
mentioned earlier has very
good healing and astringent
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qualities and can be very
helpful, and it takes sometimes
00:13:45.08\00:13:49.22
a week or two or maybe three
for all of the fluid to resorb
00:13:49.25\00:13:54.91
but unless there is a continuing
problem, continuing trauma,
00:13:54.94\00:14:00.13
the person will eventually
resorb that fluid and the knee
00:14:00.16\00:14:07.35
will be normal again.
00:14:07.38\00:14:08.71
Now the next picture that
I have to show you is another
00:14:08.74\00:14:14.02
skeletal problem, and I would
like you to see this one of the
00:14:14.05\00:14:18.68
vertebral bodies.
00:14:18.71\00:14:20.28
Notice the anatomy here of
the vertebra, you see the bone
00:14:20.31\00:14:25.41
from above and the bone
below, and then on the sides
00:14:25.44\00:14:29.79
two cup shaped
structures that are called the
00:14:29.82\00:14:35.81
spinal ligaments and
they hold the disk in place.
00:14:35.84\00:14:41.29
Now the disk goes by several
names, it may be called the disk
00:14:41.32\00:14:47.36
but it may also be
called the nucleus pulposus,
00:14:47.39\00:14:51.41
and the central portion
here is called the annulus.
00:14:51.44\00:14:56.43
The annulus is
semi-liquid and the other part,
00:14:56.46\00:15:01.98
the rest of the disk
is a fibro-cartilage,
00:15:02.01\00:15:06.05
one of the few places
where we have fibro-cartilage
00:15:06.08\00:15:08.97
that is cartilage and fibrous
tissue in the same tissue.
00:15:09.00\00:15:14.55
Now that portion of the disk
is not so likely to herniate
00:15:14.58\00:15:21.18
outward, but the part in
the center is likely if the
00:15:21.21\00:15:28.13
structures on the sides
become damaged or inflamed,
00:15:28.16\00:15:34.11
then the annulus can
work it's way through the disk
00:15:34.14\00:15:42.97
and actually come out
from around the spinal ligament
00:15:43.00\00:15:48.08
and that can cause
a great deal of pain.
00:15:48.11\00:15:51.57
The pain is from the pressure
of that semi-liquid part
00:15:51.60\00:15:57.09
sort of, as we might say
squirting out through a weakened
00:15:57.12\00:16:01.99
part in the disk, and
getting into a place where it
00:16:02.02\00:16:06.88
compresses a nerve.
00:16:06.91\00:16:08.00
Now we may look at that
and say oh, all of a sudden he
00:16:08.03\00:16:12.13
bent over, picked up something
heavy and he slipped a disk.
00:16:12.16\00:16:17.17
Well actually, we are not likely
to have that kind of thing
00:16:17.20\00:16:21.74
happen suddenly without some
prior warning, because the disk
00:16:21.77\00:16:26.45
itself must become diseased
or inflamed in order for the
00:16:26.48\00:16:32.60
process to come to
it's terminus in this way,
00:16:32.63\00:16:35.83
so what we can recommend then
is if a person begins to have
00:16:35.86\00:16:42.05
back pain, that they
take care of it at that point,
00:16:42.08\00:16:45.68
and not wait a long time.
00:16:45.71\00:16:47.39
So I have asked Dr. Don Miller
if he will show us something
00:16:47.42\00:16:52.33
about the proper use of the
back, this little exercise that
00:16:52.36\00:16:57.97
he will show you, will
be very helpful to you.
00:16:58.00\00:17:00.71
Dr. Miller welcome to the
program today, and I'm glad
00:17:00.74\00:17:04.58
that you are going to show
this on proper back posture.
00:17:04.61\00:17:07.06
- Yes! Well I'm not going to
say a whole lot about it, but,
00:17:07.09\00:17:10.22
at the beginning of the program
you said what would we do
00:17:10.25\00:17:13.33
without a skeleton, and a
skeleton is very important
00:17:13.36\00:17:16.70
and I look at it, a normal chair
an average chair that we have
00:17:16.73\00:17:19.51
in this country, basically
the chairs that we have are not
00:17:19.54\00:17:23.98
made for human beings, they
are made more for earth worms.
00:17:24.01\00:17:26.85
Because our backs do not do
this, our backs have a curve
00:17:26.88\00:17:30.53
and so the first thing I
would recommend for a person
00:17:30.56\00:17:32.73
if they are trying to
have good back health,
00:17:32.76\00:17:34.92
is to either sit up
straight and never lean back,
00:17:34.95\00:17:38.55
or have something
like a lumbar support,
00:17:38.58\00:17:40.82
and so when they are
sitting, let me move this back
00:17:40.85\00:17:43.48
a little bit, when you
are sitting in a chair,
00:17:43.51\00:17:45.82
they put this thing right behind
the lower back and then they
00:17:45.85\00:17:50.17
lean back on it and it
feels so much better this way.
00:17:50.20\00:17:53.62
I mean I feel very comfortable,
for those at home...
00:17:53.65\00:17:56.57
- It makes it so that you
can sit up straight better too.
00:17:56.60\00:17:59.25
- Oh, absolutely! And
you can stay awake longer,
00:17:59.28\00:18:02.03
you are more alert.
00:18:02.06\00:18:03.03
If a person doesn't
have that extreme situation,
00:18:03.04\00:18:06.39
all they have to do is take
their arm, put their arm behind
00:18:06.42\00:18:09.21
their back and lean against
their arm, sometimes that's
00:18:09.24\00:18:11.94
enough to push out that lumbar.
00:18:11.97\00:18:14.30
Now you mention about people
say ok, I lifted something
00:18:14.33\00:18:19.50
and it blew my back out, and
that's true, but probably the
00:18:19.53\00:18:23.31
major cause of bad backs is our
consistent lifting of between
00:18:23.34\00:18:29.82
75 to 150 Lbs, we do
it a number of times a day
00:18:29.85\00:18:34.51
from our lower back, and that
is in the act of standing up.
00:18:34.54\00:18:37.71
First of all we are
sitting there the wrong way,
00:18:37.74\00:18:41.34
that means our
vertebrae are opening up,
00:18:41.37\00:18:43.56
our disks are
in a bad situation.
00:18:43.59\00:18:47.09
- They are migrating towards the
back portion of the vertebrae.
00:18:47.12\00:18:50.81
- That's right, they are in
the back portion, then when we
00:18:50.84\00:18:52.83
stand up, we lean forward
and right here at this point
00:18:52.86\00:18:57.73
all of the weight of my
trunk is on my lower back,
00:18:57.76\00:19:00.96
and I stand up, so I am lifting
however much I weigh from
00:19:00.99\00:19:04.49
my waist up, that's how much
I lift, and I might stand up
00:19:04.52\00:19:07.36
20, 30, 100 times a day,
so I am lifting up all...
00:19:07.39\00:19:10.99
and I sit down the same way.
00:19:11.02\00:19:12.74
You go over there and sit down
and lean forward, and then you
00:19:12.77\00:19:16.17
go in for your landing, and
you have put the stress on the
00:19:16.20\00:19:19.65
lower back, so here is the key,
00:19:19.68\00:19:22.29
first of all
you sit up straight.
00:19:22.32\00:19:23.90
But when you are going to stand
up, I recommend you slide a foot
00:19:23.93\00:19:26.82
underneath your chair if you
can, and then keeping your back
00:19:26.85\00:19:31.49
straight you stand straight up.
00:19:31.52\00:19:34.04
It's even helpful if when
you stand up, you use your hands
00:19:34.07\00:19:39.20
as a launching pad.
00:19:39.23\00:19:40.26
I injured my back in the
Marine Corp, I've got a bad back
00:19:40.29\00:19:44.28
and if I don't take care of
it it will come back to haunt me
00:19:44.31\00:19:47.83
so I've got to make sure I
do these things religiously
00:19:47.86\00:19:50.95
so when I stand up I
try to keep my back straight
00:19:50.98\00:19:53.77
and stand up, and then I try
to maintain the proper posture
00:19:53.80\00:19:58.14
because if I don't, if
I start stooping forward,
00:19:58.17\00:20:00.26
again my back's not
going to react well.
00:20:00.29\00:20:03.45
That little disk between
the vertebrae will like you say
00:20:03.48\00:20:09.33
migrate towards the
back or towards the side,
00:20:09.36\00:20:11.87
if I'm sitting there carrying my
heavy suitcases from airport to
00:20:11.90\00:20:14.45
airport, that's going to
leave me open to the problem.
00:20:14.48\00:20:17.69
And so the key is
sitting properly and standing up
00:20:17.72\00:20:21.41
properly, if we do that
constantly and then without
00:20:21.44\00:20:25.94
a doubt keeping the
back muscles strong.
00:20:25.97\00:20:28.32
- Oh yes!
00:20:28.35\00:20:29.44
- Do a good exercise program,
build up the back muscles
00:20:29.47\00:20:32.31
and you won't have a bad back.
00:20:32.34\00:20:34.44
- What do you do to keep
your back muscles strong?
00:20:34.47\00:20:38.38
Well there's a number of
exercises, one just laying
00:20:38.41\00:20:40.59
on your back and lifting up
your legs, just the leg lifts
00:20:40.62\00:20:45.16
and lifting up a leg
and then bring it back,
00:20:45.19\00:20:47.33
and bringing the knee towards
the chest, and then bringing
00:20:47.36\00:20:49.95
the leg up and pushing against
the knee as you are trying to
00:20:49.98\00:20:53.60
draw the knee towards
you, laying on a flat surface,
00:20:53.63\00:20:56.55
and trying to push out the curve
of your back with your abdominal
00:20:56.58\00:20:59.96
muscles, pushing that thing out,
very simple laying on your back
00:20:59.99\00:21:04.35
taking your one foot and
touching it to the other side
00:21:04.38\00:21:06.88
of the other leg, and
then coming back, both sides,
00:21:06.91\00:21:09.87
and then taking that foot as
far over to the side as you can.
00:21:09.91\00:21:12.43
- Do you ever lift weights
or do any kind of machine work?
00:21:12.47\00:21:17.50
- I do have a machine,
and it's called a bow-flex,
00:21:17.53\00:21:19.67
and when I have an opportunity
to be in this country
00:21:19.70\00:21:22.26
long enough I do use my
bow- flex, but even with that,
00:21:22.29\00:21:25.73
I've got to make sure I use
it properly, and the nice thing
00:21:25.76\00:21:29.06
about..., and I don't
try to advertise a bow-flex
00:21:29.09\00:21:32.36
but when you are lifting
iron, I've done that too.
00:21:32.39\00:21:34.48
You put a lot of stress on your
body, a bow-flex or something
00:21:34.51\00:21:38.94
that uses some type of
graduated thing like pistons,
00:21:38.97\00:21:41.89
you weren't using that much
but you were forcing yourself
00:21:41.92\00:21:45.09
against something
that isn't going to...
00:21:45.12\00:21:48.31
I remember I was doing
bench presses when I was in the
00:21:48.34\00:21:51.45
Marine Corp and I took
to much and it came down,
00:21:51.48\00:21:54.23
and I couldn't get it back up.
00:21:54.26\00:21:56.71
And it settled on my chest,
and here I'm laying with about
00:21:56.74\00:22:01.01
200 Lbs on my chest and a bar
bell, I slowly started rolling
00:22:01.04\00:22:04.55
it down which
isn't a good idea either,
00:22:04.58\00:22:06.97
- Pretty soon it's
going to get to a soft spot.
00:22:07.00\00:22:09.45
- That's right, and a couple
of Marines saw me and came over
00:22:09.48\00:22:11.84
and rescued me, so it's best
if you go to lift weights make
00:22:11.87\00:22:16.60
sure you are not going
to do it till you hurt...
00:22:16.63\00:22:17.86
I like universal gym's,
which you put your pin in there.
00:22:17.89\00:22:22.05
But we have to start slowly and
be consistent and do exercises
00:22:22.08\00:22:27.41
the way the charts say, follow
the charts, you can't do it on
00:22:27.44\00:22:30.51
your own, the people
who made the charts know
00:22:30.54\00:22:32.73
what they are talking about.
00:22:32.76\00:22:33.81
- Yes! I keep my back strong
with good gardening exercises
00:22:33.84\00:22:38.16
I like that, it is purposeful
labor and seems better to me.
00:22:38.19\00:22:42.39
As to why I love chopping
wood, I've got a monster maul
00:22:42.42\00:22:45.76
I've split my wood
with, a 17 Lb monster maul,
00:22:45.79\00:22:48.24
you get that thing going,
you get good exercise, you sweat
00:22:48.27\00:22:51.26
which helps throw off
some toxins from your body,
00:22:51.29\00:22:53.80
and it warms you twice.
00:22:53.83\00:22:56.70
- That's good, it
warms you when you burn it,
00:22:56.73\00:22:58.00
and it warms
you when you cut it.
00:22:58.03\00:22:59.35
- That's right.
00:22:59.39\00:23:00.36
- Thank you so much,
00:23:00.37\00:23:01.53
I appreciate your
coming on the show today.
00:23:01.56\00:23:03.67
And I would like to
show you proper knee posture,
00:23:03.70\00:23:07.95
Dr. Miller showed you proper
back posture, and I would like
00:23:07.98\00:23:12.68
to show you proper knee posture.
00:23:12.71\00:23:14.48
It actually begins with
the head, so we want the head
00:23:14.51\00:23:17.89
so that the cheek bones are
directly over the collar bones.
00:23:17.92\00:23:21.26
I have asks Arianna Hartsfield
if she would help me with this.
00:23:21.29\00:23:26.18
So Arianna would you
have a seat right here,
00:23:26.21\00:23:29.51
let's start with it this way
and if you will sit with your
00:23:29.54\00:23:33.01
back here I want to show
something about the cheek bones
00:23:33.04\00:23:36.99
now when a person has
good posture, the cheeks,
00:23:37.02\00:23:42.10
good head posture is that the
cheek bones are directly over
00:23:42.13\00:23:46.28
the collar bones, so right here
and right here, now to get that
00:23:46.31\00:23:52.79
the best, that's just it right
there, in this place the cheek
00:23:52.82\00:23:58.06
bone is directly over the collar
bone, now stand for one moment,
00:23:58.09\00:24:02.25
now the head should be in what
is called the neutral position.
00:24:02.28\00:24:06.70
That is not forward as would
be this, and not backward in
00:24:06.73\00:24:13.71
the exaggerated
military position.
00:24:13.74\00:24:15.92
Neither one of those is correct,
and then the back itself,
00:24:15.95\00:24:21.32
Dr. Miller has shown you a
little bit about back posture.
00:24:21.35\00:24:25.58
But when you are just standing
you should have a little curve
00:24:25.61\00:24:29.10
in the back, not an exaggerated
extension of the hips,
00:24:29.13\00:24:34.72
but just a little curve like
this, and then comes the knees,
00:24:34.75\00:24:39.42
that's next.
00:24:39.45\00:24:40.45
That begins with the
feet straight in front of one,
00:24:40.48\00:24:43.76
and Arianna if you will
now sit in a proper way,
00:24:43.79\00:24:48.94
with proper foot posture,
because you have to have both
00:24:48.97\00:24:53.62
toes the toes of both feet
put pointed straight ahead,
00:24:53.65\00:24:57.60
so let's see you demonstrate
that, ok, both toes are straight
00:24:57.63\00:25:01.86
in front of you, you are
ready to sit, there she goes,
00:25:01.89\00:25:06.04
she kept her back straight
as Dr. Miller had said, and she
00:25:06.07\00:25:09.80
also kept her toes
pointed straight which means
00:25:09.83\00:25:12.96
that the knees will also
be pointed straight in front.
00:25:12.99\00:25:16.77
If the toes splay outward in
this way, then the knees will
00:25:16.80\00:25:23.01
get an enormous strain on the
internal structures, which can
00:25:23.04\00:25:27.43
cause almost
immediate knee pain.
00:25:27.46\00:25:30.62
Alright Arianna let me now
see you arise from the position,
00:25:30.65\00:25:35.53
there we go, one foot
slightly behind the other,
00:25:35.56\00:25:38.32
as you could see, and she
arose with a forward movement
00:25:38.35\00:25:43.75
with the major part of
the weight on her back leg
00:25:43.78\00:25:48.45
and not on the lower back, thank
you Arianna, I appreciate that.
00:25:48.48\00:25:53.78
Now as we think about
things that can go wrong,
00:25:53.81\00:25:58.28
another thing that can go wrong
with the skeleton is that of
00:25:58.31\00:26:02.26
loss of bone tissue, and I have
two pictures that I would like
00:26:02.29\00:26:07.04
to show you which can
illustrate the thing that we are
00:26:07.07\00:26:12.81
talking about that
the bones can get thin.
00:26:12.84\00:26:17.23
Thin bones are then subject to
pain and they are also subject
00:26:17.26\00:26:22.46
to fracturing, here is a back
that shows almost transparent
00:26:22.49\00:26:30.63
vertebrae, that's not just
that the x-ray was over exposed
00:26:30.66\00:26:36.43
it is that the bones
themselves were very very thin,
00:26:36.46\00:26:40.81
these can crush together.
00:26:40.84\00:26:43.66
If you will notice you will
see that two of those vertebrae
00:26:43.69\00:26:47.57
or maybe three
have crushed together.
00:26:47.60\00:26:51.26
Now the next picture
is a picture of the hip,
00:26:51.29\00:26:56.10
and you will see a line,
a faint line between that
00:26:56.13\00:27:00.05
ball that fits in the
socket and then the knobby part
00:27:00.08\00:27:04.15
of the hip bone, that is
called the surgical neck.
00:27:04.18\00:27:08.72
With thinning of the bones
that surgical neck can very
00:27:08.75\00:27:13.70
easily crack, and if a person
falls or steps in a wrong way
00:27:13.73\00:27:19.33
the surgical neck can break
and then the ball and socket
00:27:19.36\00:27:25.20
affair that we have with
the hip joint will be then
00:27:25.23\00:27:30.86
not functional, so the
surgeons take out the ball,
00:27:30.89\00:27:34.73
and replace that with
a new ball, a steel ball,
00:27:34.76\00:27:39.27
and give the
person a hip replacement.
00:27:39.30\00:27:42.30
We have not covered
everything in skeletal problems
00:27:42.33\00:27:47.26
but I hope we have covered
enough that you can see that
00:27:47.29\00:27:50.17
many things can be done at home
to prevent serious problems.
00:27:50.20\00:27:54.74