Elderly over the age of 60 has an increased risk of getting osteoporotic fractures – fractures that occur after a trivial fall that does not normally fracture bones in young and healthy individuals. These fractures frequently affect (starting from the most common) the wrists, the hips and the spine. Fractures involving the spine and hips unfortunately are associated with increased mortality rate of about 10-20 percent, due to immobility after the injury.
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AS we embark on our respective careers, sports and games, more often than not, take a backseat.
Continue readingAs this condition involves inflammation with subsequent thickening and scarring of the shoulder capsule (the tissue which envelopes the joint), the main problem that most patients face is stiffness of the affected shoulder.
Continue readingWhile we covered some ground in our last interview with Carolyne Anthony, Dr. Harjeet Singh, consultant orthopaedic surgeon offers a different take on women and fitness, discussing the physiological differences between men and women and why some results will necessarily be different.
Continue readingMadam S is a 50-year-old government servant who came to see me about a year ago with a complaint of right shoulder pain for 3 months’ duration. The pain started as vague discomfort in her shoulder whenever she does overhead activities such as wiping her house windows, combing her hair or hanging clothes at home. She also has pain in the shoulder whenever she lies on the affected shoulder at night.
Continue readingWith the school holiday on, I thought this topic would be appropriate.
Continue readingInjuries can occur from inadequate preparation of muscles and tendons of our body for occasional strenuous activities – the so-called ‘weekend warriors’.
Continue readingColorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in Peninsular Malaysia, the first among male and second among female. Worldwide, the incidence of colorectal cancer is increasing and it is still one of the leading health problems.
The exact cause of colorectal cancer is unknown, although some are hereditary in origin(inherited). However, it is widely accepted that it originates from the progression of some non-cancerous growth called adenomatous polyp which later on become cancerous over a period of a few years. Therefore, early detection and removal of these polyps can potentially prevent the development of colorectal cancer.
Some of the common symptoms of colorectal cancer are changed in bowel habit, sensation of incomplete bowel motion, weight loss and passing blood in the stools. However, one should not have a misconception that passing blood in stools is only due to piles because piles, being so common, can coexist with other more serious conditions like cancers, inflammatory bowel disease and ischemic bowel which require further assessment and investigations.
The benefit of screening for colorectal cancer is very strong and clear as it fulfills many criteria of a good screening i.e. colorectal cancer is one of the commonest cancers, it potentially improves the outcome of the disease if colorectal cancers are detected earlier, it is highly sensitive and the screening modalities are generally acceptable.
There are several ways of screening for colorectal cancers. These include stool occult blood tests, radio-imaging (x-rays) and colonoscopy. However, colonoscopy remains to be the final common pathway for all positive screening tests, i.e. if the screening test by a method other than colonoscopy turns out to be positive, the patient would be advised for colonoscopy and biopsy for confirmation of diagnosis. Colonoscopy detects and also removes adenomatous polyps at the same time and potentially stops the progression of polyps into cancers.
Once a diagnosis of colorectal cancer is made, the disease is usually further investigated for staging of the cancer. The mainstay of treatment is surgery and it may be combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy depends on the stage and site of the colorectal cancer.
The good news about colorectal cancer is that it is potentially curable if detected early and potentially preventable if the adenomatous polyps are removed.
