Cauda Equina syndrome: Causes, symptoms, cure for back pain, weak leg muscles

Have you been experiencing severe back pain, difficulty in walking, or weakness in your lower leg muscles? These could be symptoms of the Cauda Equina syndrome. Never heard of the term before? “Cauda Equina syndrome is a rare disorder that affects the bundle of nerve roots (called cauda equina) at the lower (lumbar) end of the spinal cord. In this condition, the nerve roots in the lumbar spine become compressed, due to which sensation and movement are cut off. Nerve roots controlling bladder and bowel functions are particularly vulnerable,” explains Dr Ramananda…

Read More

Education loan defaults soar 47% on weak job market

HIGHLIGHTS A weak job market and wilful default by even those in well-paying jobs have hit the education loan portfolio of state-run banks. Non-performing assets soared by almost 47% between March 2015 and last March, data shared in Parliament showed. The problem is so acute for at least five lenders that the stock of bad loans has more than doubled. NEW DELHI: A weak job market and wilful default by even those in well-paying jobs have hit the education loan portfolio of state-run banks with non-performing assets soaring by almost…

Read More

Tired and Weak? Don’t Assume it’s Just Your Age

When Christopher Callahan examines older patients, he often hears a similar refrain. “I’m tired, doctor. It’s hard to get up and about. I’ve been feeling kind of down, but I know I’m getting old and I just have to live with it.” This fatalistic stance relies on widely held but mistaken assumptions about what constitutes normal aging. In fact, fatigue, weakness and depression aren’t to-be-expected consequences of growing older, said Callahan, director of the Center for Aging Research at Indiana University’s School of Medicine. Instead, they’re a signal that something…

Read More