 Physical Supports and Devices can help with the following: | |  | | | Autoimmune |  Sarcoidosis | Weak areas due to arthritis may require physical therapy and/or appliances to aid mobility and ability to function. |
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Circulation |
Hypotension| | If needed, use elastic support (compression) stockings that cover the calf and thigh. These may help restrict blood flow to the legs, thus keeping more blood in the upper body. |
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Inflammation |
Heel Pain| | When the cause is flat feet, an orthotic support with rear-foot posting and longitudinal arch is effective in reducing the over-pronation and allows the condition to heal. See your podiatrist to have an arch support fitted.
If you have usually high arches, which can also lead to plantar fasciitis, cushion the heel and use shock-absorbing footwear. |
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Musculo-Skeletal |
Ochronosis / Alkaptonuria
Osgood-Schlatter Disease| | If symptoms are severe, treatment may include taking a break from sports or wearing a plaster cast or brace. |
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Respiratory |
 Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)| | Although every patient is treated individually, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the most common treatment. It is simple, safe, effective, and non-invasive. CPAP treats Obstructive Sleep Apnea by providing a gentle flow of positive-pressure air through a mask to help keep the airway open during sleep. It stops the snoring, restores restful sleep, improves the quality of life, and reduces risk of heart complications. |
Problems Associated With Snoring| | Many splints, braces, and other devices are available which reposition the nose, jaw, and/or mouth in order to clear the airways. Other devices are designed to wake an individual when snoring occurs.
A MAD (Mandibular Advancement Device) is a device worn in the mouth at night to hold it closed and the lower jaw forward. The device increases the space behind the tongue, which lessens snoring and may help obstructive sleep apnea. They can be obtained from those dentists familiar with them.
Nasal strips that attach like an adhesive bandage to the bridge of the nose are available at most drugstores. These can help stop snoring in some individuals by opening the nasal passages.
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) helps some chronic snorers find relief by sleeping with a nasal mask which provides air pressure to the throat.
For some people, raising the head of the bed solves their snoring problem. A slight incline can prevent the tongue from retracting into the back of the throat. Bricks, wooden blocks, or specially designed wedges can be used to elevate the head of the bed approximately 4-16 inches (10-40cm). |
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Uro-Genital |
Erectile Dysfunction (ED, Impotence)| | The major cause of impotence is leakage through the veins. This happens when the veins carrying blood out of the penis are not shut completely, allowing blood to be drained out of the penis at the same rate as it enters. This results in prevention or loss of erection.
There are a variety of bands and rings on the market which help by shutting off the veins externally with a tourniquet effect, hence trapping sufficient blood in your penis to give you a natural, longer and harder erection for successful sexual intercourse within a minute of wearing it. This type of device will not work if there is restricted blood flow to your penis or if you suffer from serious health problems, such as diabetes, stroke or penile nerve damage. |
 Vulvodynia / Vestibulitis| | To relieve pressure on the vulvar area when sitting you may use a pressure relief cushion. |
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KEY | | May do some good | | | Likely to help | | | Highly recommended |
GLOSSARY
Apnea
Cessation of breathing.
Arthritis (Arthritic)
Inflammation of a joint, usually accompanied by pain, swelling, and stiffness, and resulting from infection, trauma, degenerative changes, metabolic disturbances, or other causes. It occurs in various forms, such as bacterial arthritis, osteoarthritis, or rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis, the most common form, is characterized by a gradual loss of cartilage and often an overgrowth of bone at the joints.
Centimeter (Centimeters, cm)
A metric unit of length equaling one hundredth of a meter, or ten millimeters. There are 2.54 millimeters in one inch.
Chronic (Chronicity)
Usually referring to chronic illness: Illness extending over a long period of time.
Diabetes Mellitus (Diabetes, Diabetic, Diabetics)
A disease with increased blood glucose levels due to lack or ineffectiveness of insulin. Diabetes is found in two forms; insulin-dependent diabetes (juvenile-onset) and non-insulin-dependent (adult-onset). Symptoms include increased thirst; increased urination; weight loss in spite of increased appetite; fatigue; nausea; vomiting; frequent infections including bladder, vaginal, and skin; blurred vision; impotence in men; bad breath; cessation of menses; diminished skin fullness. Other symptoms include bleeding gums; ear noise/buzzing; diarrhea; depression; confusion.
Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar Fasciitis is an inflammation caused by excessive stretching of the plantar fascia, which can also lead to heel pain, arch pain and heel spurs.
Stroke (Stroke-Type Event)
A sudden loss of brain function caused by a blockage or rupture of a blood vessel that supplies the brain, characterized by loss of muscular control, complete or partial loss of sensation or consciousness, dizziness, slurred speech, or other symptoms that vary with the extent and severity of the damage to the brain. The most common manifestation is some degree of paralysis, but small strokes may occur without symptoms. Usually caused by arteriosclerosis, it often results in brain damage.
Last updated: Apr 13, 2008
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