Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Best Knee Brace For Large Legs - Top 3 Benefits of Getting the Correct Support Revealed!


- Best Knee Braces For Large Legs - Do you believe your legs are bigger than most? - Are you looking for a knee brace to help either reduce your pain or add some stability?

Introduction: As we get older we usually get bigger in one of two ways. Let's be really about this... either you gain muscle or you gain (dare we say it) fat. In either case, your knees might still have pain or instability issues, and this free information will help you to save money and it will also help you to figure out which size you need!

1.) Large Muscular Legs - Needing A Knee Brace

If you have large legs due to muscle then you will be in a better position, to benefit from a knee brace. Sure, you can definitely suffer from knee problems and extra added support can really make a huge difference! Knee supports need to hold onto your leg well and in this way they will provide you with meaningful stability. If you want to figure out which size of brace to get, then what you need to do is take a circumference measurement 6" (15cm) above your knee center, in most cases. - Do not just assume that you need an "extra large" support. You could be a "large" or an "XXL", and usually this key measurement will help you find out which brace size you really do need!

2.) Large Legs That Are "NOT" Muscular - Knee Braces For Support

If you have large legs, due to fat, then you can still benefit from knee support. Usually, people with large legs that are not firm, have more knee problems. The excess weight can really increase the stress on the knee joints and you will really need to find a way to help support your knees to help reduce pain and add stability. - The measurement process is still the same. You will need to take a circumference measurement 6" (15cm) above the center of your knee cap. Record your answer and from here you can go to a knee brace website and plug in your information.

3.) Custom vs. Non-custom

Do not accept that you will only fit into a custom made knee support. Many non-custom knee supports can work very well for you. This information alone can save you a ton of money.

* This can be a helpful health article. Although the information is free and health oriented, we can not claim to be your physician. Please speak to your physician regarding medical advice for your particular situation.

Monday, April 1, 2013

The Chinese Martial Art of San Shou


The nation of China is one of the world's oldest civilizations and its history is as diverse as it is long. There are hundreds of dialects, traditions, and beliefs that a population in an excess of over a billion share. Needless to say China doesn't just have one martial art despite attempts by the Chinese government to nationalize martial art arts.

Because of China's rich martial arts heritage the government and China's military did not need to create a style of hand to hand combat from scratch, but rather formalize one of China's many native fighting methods. While many forms of Kung Fu have been turned into performance art San Shou or Sanshou still keeps the combat in combat martial arts, and can easily turn deadly.

In competition San Shou a variety of techniques can be used by fighters, but while early matches were barehanded with few safety precautions in today's matches athletes use a host of protective equipment though there are some exceptions. A fighter may punch or kick an opponent's legs, head, and body to score points, and sometimes knee strikes are allowed if the rule set referred to as "San Da" is in use. Throws and takedowns are another way to score points, and Judo and wrestling throws can be used in matches. Competitions can be held in either in boxing ring or on the traditional lei tai a raised platform where it is actually possible to knock your opponent off the platform with a strike or a throw to achieve a win.

One thing martial arts have done over time has been to promote cultural understanding, and provide friendly competition. The more you learn about someone else's culture the less chance there is for fear which can breed hate which in turn can lead to real violence. Though not as popular as other forms San Shou it isn't just practiced in China and some techniques have been adopted by Muay Thai and mixed martial artists for competition, because San Shou includes several different strikes and throws. Also from a practical standpoint the more you know about someone else's style the more prepared you will be for combat. While China's civilians are only taught the sport version of San Shou some practitioners who train in secret teach a more lethal form, but the military would learn the hard way just how important close combat training is on the battlefield.

After losing the Korean war to the United States and other allied nations the Chinese military took a hard look at what they were teaching their troops and among issues dealt with was hand to hand combat. Army chief Peng Dehuai consulted martial artists from every providence in China and had veterans and medical experts evaluate their style's effectiveness. The new system had to be simplistic, direct, and effective again larger stronger opponents. After thoroughly testing the system in training camps the first Sanshou manual would be published by the military in 1963, and the new training would be employed against Soviet troops using Sambo during border skirmishes.

Now if you have ever been in a real fight where you don't know your attacker's intentions you have to assume the worst, so you use the most brutal self defense techniques you know and the same goes for San Shou. Biting, join attacks, head butts, and strikes to areas like the groin, knees, and spine are all band in competition, but they're encouraged in self defense and military training. So if you find yourself dealing with hostile Chinese soldiers don't think for a moment that they don't know how to fight. Wushu might be more popular, San Shou is much more brutal.

Knee Pain - Symptoms, Causes and Remedies


Knee pain can be quite debilitating, as it is one of the most used and complex joints of the human body. The stability of the knee is due to four ligaments, muscles and the actual joint structure. During the course of a normal day, the knee goes through a whole range of motions, from sitting, walking, twisting etc.

The knee also supports out weight in conjunction to the feet. Because of the abuse we put our knees through there can be damage to the muscle, cartilage or the joint itself. Some of the pain can be alleviated with the use of anti-inflammatory ointments or tablets, more severe cases need medical attention for a more effective treatment while some patients have even had their knee or knees replaced.

Symptoms

These can vary from person to person and can range from nagging to acute pain.

* Discomfort while doing normal daily chores
* Inflammation of the joint
* Tenderness around the area
* Instability [knee gives way for no reason]
* Locking
* A feeling of grinding
* Popping
* Stiffness
* Injury to the knee
* Can manifest it-self with body aches and back pain

Causes

Traditionally caused by old age or injury, in this day and age there are more modern causes to this problem:

* Septic arthritis
* Osteoarthritis
* Arthritis
* Gout
* Rheumatoid arthritis
* Bursitis
* Tendonitis

Moreover, of course are all the injuries we can sustain due to sport e.g. dislocation, torn ligaments, cartilage injury etc. Painful knee injuries or conditions can interfere with a person's way of life; some may require surgery while others need extensive rehabilitation therapy.

Home remedies

1) Oil massage - using coconut or olive oil, warm it up and massage the knee in circular movements. This will encourage a better blood flow to the region and ease any inflammation that may be present, thus easing the pain in the area.

2) Herbs - cat claw, devil's claw and boswellia have known abilities and nutrients, which help assist in alleviating pain and inflammation.

3) R.I.C.E - using this method you can ease the pressure we all put on our knees. [R = rest, I = ice pack, C = compression and E = elevate]. This is a simple way to treat your knee if any trouble flares up.

4) Diet - obesity can cause endless knee problems and it is recommended that you go on a specialized diet and try get back to your ideal weight.

5) Exercise - avoid the exercises that put stress on the problematic knee, but remember to do some strength building exercises to help improve the strength of the knee.

Painful knee problems can also benefit from a well balanced diet plan, remember to drink your usual 2 liters of water every day and limit your intake of salt, fat, alcohol and processed sugars or foods etc.

How I Saved the Widow's Home


Job loss, Foreclosure, Depression... or just bad timing, let's face it, these are difficult times. This article is intended to share my 15 years of real estate experience and to help enlighten my readers on how to save your home, protect your credit and fend off the fraudulent foreclosure scam artists. If you are in foreclosure, or like 5 million other Americans headed in that direction, then we have a lot of work to do. A 'Default Notice' from your lender is not the end-it can also be a new beginning.

A woman in Pennsylvania recently contacted me after reading my book on foreclosure. Her husband had died and in that dreadful week their mortgage interest rate increased to 7.25% or by $300 per month. Mrs. Phillip was panic stricken realizing that she had not just lost a husband of 45 years, but also his retirement income of $1,880.00 per month ... the money that was making those mortgage payments.

Her husband had 3 kidney transplants in 30 years, heart bypass, hip replacement and a knee replacement. He was surely the authentic "bionic-man." The final surgery to stop internal bleeding took his life. The $75,000 home equity loan was being used to pay for medications above and beyond Medicare and any insurance the couple had. This additional loan posed another problem that I had to resolved.

Their charming Tutor-style home in Western Pennsylvania was worth about $220,000, but with the current mortgage of $300,000 and the equity line, this widow was terribly "up-side-down" at this point in time with little to no prospect of selling the property in this ugly real estate economy. My first question to this widow was: "Do you want to stay in the house?" She did, and she could not imagine walking away from all of those memories, or worse, facing foreclosure.

"Loan Modification" is a rather unknown term to many homeowners; it is a phrase that with this growing financial crisis will become used and abused in the immediate future. With a letter from this homeowner granting me access to her mortgage records I was permitted to step in to resolve the widow's crisis. I negotiated both of her loans with each of her lenders and was able to "modify" her first variable interest rate mortgage from 7.25% down to a fixed 4.78% thereby reducing her monthly payments to enable her to keep her home and live within her own retirement income.

But that left an unresolved equity loan with CitiBank for $75,000. Like too many lenders these days, CitiBank simply ignored my correspondence and telephone calls for nearly 60 days. I don't like being ignored, especially by a $10.00 per hour paper-pusher that was playing God with this widow's life, so, I went into action and wrote a letter utilizing a number of tricks under my hat including offering CitiBank $0.30 cents on the dollar and admonished the lender for ignoring the plight of a woman who just lost her husband through medical circumstances. A copy of that letter to the CEO of CitiBank and to several media outlets in the vicinity of the lender's corporate office. Within a week a Loan Mitigation officer was calling me three times a day wanting to settle.

This process took numerous letters, the widow's previous tax return which they seemed to have "misplaced," dozens of telephone calls and yes, stubborn tenacity on my part. After agreeing to the settlement I had negotiated, I prepared to wire the money from the widow's bank account into the CitiMortgage account which failed three times because the incompetent $10 per hour employee gave me the wrong bank transfer numbers, to a state where the lender did not have a branch. But that is another story.

The end of this story is that my widow gets to stay in her home and cherish happier memories of her husband and their life together. Nothing is impossible in today's mortgage crisis... just keep in mind these lenders cannot afford to take back these properties and it costs them $30,000 to $60,000 to foreclose. In order for them to accept federal funds they are compelled to sell one repossessed property for each 5 new loans they create. The name of the game therefore is to get to a loan mitigation officer who can make decisions. Stop talking to telephone receptionists or $10 per hour paper-pushers.

Knee Brace For Badminton - Avoid Further Damage to Your Knees With a Quality Support - Free Guide


Do you enjoy the sport of badminton, but you are having knee problems? Do you ever want to help protect your knees while you play so you can stay as active as possible?

Introduction: If you suffer from knee pain while you play badminton then you came to the right place. This free information will describe ways in which you can benefit from the correct knee support. We recommend reading this all the way through because you do not want to get the wrong kind of support for your knee.

1.) Badminton Knee Problems

If you enjoy the game of badminton and you are an active participant then you might have done something recently to hurt your knee. It happens to the best of us. Unfortunately knee pain does not care about you and it can happen to anyone. By twisting your knee, or finding yourself doing repetitive movements, you may find that you all of the sudden have this knee ache that just will not really go away. Would you agree?

2.) Knee Braces For Support & Protection

Knee braces can be great in three main ways. Basically, when you get the right kind of support you will find that it can help reduce your knee pain, due to the meaningful support that the brace can provide! You will find that you can feel much more stable, and your confidence can improve with this kind of support on.

The issue that you will have to figure out for yourself is, whether you have a mild, moderate, or severe knee injury. Your doctor is the person to talk to about medical advice, but a person can also do an initial subjective analysis themselves. You can subjectively rate your knee instability or pain on a scale 1-10. Ten being the worst. From here you will have an idea about whether your knee problem is minor or severe, or maybe somewhere in the middle.

3.) Knee Braces For Mild, Moderate, or Severe Knee Pain

Once you have figured this out for yourself, then you can look more clearly at what a knee brace should provide to you. Usually, for mild knee problems, you will only need an elastic kind of support. These come in the pull on or wrap around styles. If you have more moderate to severe knee problems you will want to look at knee braces that include hinges. Do not worry, these hinges do not get in the way, nor are they extremely heavy.

Warning - Keep Your Knees Safe! A Hurt Knee, a Basketball Playing Possibility


While all sports persons will not necessary suffer any knee injury, being active in any sport does put you at a higher risk of getting hurt. Basketball especially involves a lot of fast-paced, twisting, turning and jumping and is one of those sports where you are most likely to hurt your knees. All players know how excruciating it can be to play with a hurt knee. Basketball players should take the following tips on how to prevent such an injury while playing the game they love so much:

Limber Up to Keep your Knees Strong

In addition to wearing a well designed brace when playing, it is also important that you limber up in order to avoid a hurt knee. Basketball calls for a lot of strenuous game play and proper warming up is imperative. Warming up sessions are like oil for your joints and will help keep them flexible. Cool down exercises after you have finished playing a rough and tumble game of basketball are equally important to keep all your joints in good working order.

Keep your Knees Warm

Wearing knee warmers or knee braces when you are playing basketball will help keep your joints warm and will help prevent you from getting injured during the game. Keeping the joints warm is one way that you can stave off osteoarthritis of the knee or other conditions that may affect you as you get older.

Apply Ice & See a Doctor if you Suffer an Injury

If you get a hurt knee when playing basketball or any other game, it is important to treat it right away. Do not wait until it is swollen and you cannot move your leg. If your leg is swollen, apply ice on the affected area immediately.

If the pain and swelling persists, you need to go see a doctor. You will most likely be prescribed some pain medication and rest if the ligament is torn. Ignoring an injury is the worst thing you can do as it could result in the joint getting worse.

The Debate over Knee Surgery for Basketball Players

Should you go in for surgery if you have a hurt knee? Basketball players have a propensity for injuring their knees whilst playing. However, surgery may be something that you want to try to avoid at all costs. Not only is it extremely painful and expensive, but most importantly, it does not always work. In a worst case scenario, an unsuccessful surgery may mean you will have to give up your beloved sport altogether.

Wear Knee Braces

To help avoid a hurt knee, basketball players should wear a well designed brace when playing the game. A brace will keep your knee in proper alignment and help to keep your knee safe. This helps to keep you focused on the game when you are engaged in a fierce battle for the top spot. If you play basketball and want to avoid knee problems, one of the best things you can do to take care of your knees is to protect them by wearing a low profile, light weight brace.

Braces do not have to be big and bulky, nor do they have to stop you from playing your game... The support that they provide should never be overlooked.

How to Reduce Knee Swelling Pain


It has been observed by medical researchers that disorders of the knee joint, whatever the cause, start with pain which becomes worse with each movement that you make. The knee joint also becomes stiff and subject to increased friction when you move the joint. The increased friction results in the knee joint becoming hot and is one of the major causes of knee swelling pain.

The knee swelling pain can be reduced by administering pain relieving medicines to give relief to the sufferer. If there is an inflammation in the lining of the knee joint, it can do damage to the surrounding bones causing pain and swelling that continues for weeks. The painful inflammation occurs in the sac containing the lubricating fluid that is found around the knee joint.

This is also the site where there is a great deal of movement and friction. This inflammation also causes knee swelling pain. There is swelling of the knee and it becomes tender and sometimes hot to the touch.

Continuous strain on the knee joints may also be the cause of knee swelling pain. A set of exercises recommended by physiotherapists may help you to straighten the muscles and tendons as well. When there is a painful inflammation in the connective tissues (found around the knee joint) the knee becomes tender and you may feel this pain.

The symptoms of knee swelling pain can be alleviated by wearing knee support stockings (available over the counter) which help to reduce the swelling. To promote the drainage of fluid from the knees, it is advisable to keep the foot higher than the pelvis whenever possible.

Salts of calcium crystal form on the knee due to high levels of uric acid in the blood. These deposits can also be the cause of inflammation and knee swelling pain. Natural therapies like eating a diet rich in celery and other green leafy vegetables, drinking herbal tea, etc. are effective in reducing uric acid levels in the blood.

Appropriate drugs to protect the knee joint can also prescribed by medical practitioners to ease the swelling in the knee. It is safe to treat the swelling in the knee at home using a massage pack or a cold compress. You have to first make sure that you do not experience any pricking sensation in the knee before you start the home medication for treating knee swelling pain.