Posts Tagged ‘Tourism’

Sports Injuries, Treatments and Medical Tourism

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

Sports Injuries, Treatments and Medical Tourism

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Sports injuries are inevitable when indulging in physically demanding or contact sports. So much so that there is an altogether separate branch of medicine dedicated to the treatment of sports injuries and is called sports medicine. While minor wounds can heal in a few days or weeks, major ones may require surgical attention. However, just like any other surgery, surgical treatment of sports injuries may be expensive in the United States and other Western countries. But thanks to medical tourism, now these treatments can be obtained for cheap.

Injuries are an inevitable part of playing any sport, be it tennis, squash, football, baseball, hockey, cycling, golf or any other. Just like defeats don’t stop an athlete from moving on, physical injuries should not prevent you from playing sports because there almost always is a way to treat the injury and even major injuries can now be treated affordably through medical tourism.

TYPES OF INJURIES

Sports injuries may range from bruises and muscle strains, to fractures and head injuries. The most common sports injuries are:

Ligament sprains and muscle strains

Swollen muscles

Knee injuries (torn meniscus, runner’s knee or patellofemoral pain syndrome, jumper’s knee, articular surface problems, problems with the kneecap)

Knee ligament injuries (torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), torn posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), torn medial collateral ligament (MCL))

Shoulder injuries (rotator cuff tears, glenoid labrum tear)

Tendon injuries (Achilles tendon injuries, DeQuervain’s syndrome or washerwoman’s sprain or mother’s wrist)

Pain along the shin bone (shin splints)

Bone fractures (scaphoid fracture, hip fracture)

Dislocations (shoulders, fingers, knees, wrists, elbows)

Spine injuries (herniated disk, sciatica, lumbar spinal stenosis)

TREATMENT OPTIONS

To accelerate the overall healing process it’s important that the initial phase (inflammatory phase) of the injury be minimized with the initial treatments. Treatment often begins with the RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) regime to relieve pain, reduce swelling and speed healing. Other possible treatments include pain relievers, keeping the injured area from moving, rehabilitation and sometimes surgery.

SURGICAL TREATMENT OF INJURIES

Surgery is recommended when the more conservative methods of healing and physical therapy have failed to relieve pain and restore normal function. Based on the site and extent of injury and evaluation by your doctor, the surgical approach used could be traditional or laparoscopic (keyhole).

The most common surgeries to treat sports-related injuries are:

Knee replacement (total or partial)

ACL repair or reconstruction

Meniscectomy

Arthroscopic surgery (knee arthroscopy, shoulder arthroscopy, spinal arthroscopy, wrist arthroscopy, ankle arthroscopy, hip arthroscopy)

Tendon repair surgery

Laminectomy or laminotomy

Discectomy or microdiscectomy

Bone fracture repair surgery

Hip replacement

Hip hemiarthroplasty

Birmingham hip resurfacing

Spinal decompression surgery

MEDICAL TOURISM AND SURGERY

If you are insured, your insurance may cover the cost of surgery. But if you have to pay for the surgery out of pocket it may cost you a fortune to have the surgery in the US. Therefore, Americans are increasingly shopping for surgical care in other countries – medical tourism – where the cost of surgery is much less while at the same time the quality offered is superior to what is available in the US.

When William Nilsson, an uninsured American, sustained knee injuries while playing football and tore his knee ligaments while playing golf, he resorted to an Indian hospital to get a total knee replacement surgery so he could return to his sports hobbies. Assisted by Healthbase, a medical tourism facilitator based in Boston, he managed to have his surgery for ,500. The same surgery in the US would have cost him between ,000 and ,000.

Similarly, Daniel Biggs broke a tendon in his hand when playing golf. He had his tendon repair surgery coordinated by Healthbase in Panama for which he paid ,500 – a price that was a mere 20% of what he was quoted in the United States.

These are just two examples of the hundreds and thousands of people traveling overseas to seek affordable health care for sports-related injuries as well as non-sports related conditions. Countries such as Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and India are popular medical tourism destinations for such treatments.

Price differential is the leading factor for the popularity of medical tourism. Other benefits of using medical tourism are access to high quality and immediate care. You may find more information about affordable medical tourism on the Healthbase website.

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Health Tourism in India

Saturday, July 31st, 2010

Health Tourism in India

Medical Tourism India, more popularly known as Health Tourism is an interesting concept of combining medical treatment with tourism in one of the colorful and culturally diverse country, India. People from all over the world are converging to India for holistic treatment of a range of diseases and medical conditions. The reason for India being a favorable destination for Medical Tourism is because of its infrastructure, technology, and some of the best treatment centers and hospitals in the world with the best facilities. Along with the warmth and natural caring that comes with India’s millennia heritage, medical tourists get all that they want to be healthy at a fraction of world costs with comparable success rates and service levels.

Quality doctors, skilled super specialists, professional management, and empathetic & English speaking nurses and paramedical staff take Medical Tourism in India at an international competition level. With India having one of the largest pharmaceutical industries in the world, it is self-sufficient in drug production that places India far apart from other South Asian countries. Patients from several developing and developed countries flock to India for general and specialty medical treatment that include

1. Vascular Surgery
2. Bone Marrow Transplant
3. Cosmetic Surgery
4. Cardiac Care and surgery
4. Dialysis and Kidney Transplant
5. Joint Replacement Surgery
6. Gynecology & Obstetrics
7. Neuro-surgery & Trauma treatment
9. Refractive Surgery package

Some of the Major Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities available in India includes

A.I.I.M.S. (All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi) – Renowned throughout out the world for its medical education and research, AIIMS is one of the India’s best healthcare facilities in terms of infrastructure and human resources.

Apollo Hospitals – It is a Chain of the leading super specialty hospitals throughout the India and provides world class services in the areas of Oncology, Neurology, and Orthopedics & Joint Replacement Surgery.

The Escorts Hospital (EHRCL, Faridabad) – It is a 150-plus-bed facility that provides care services in internal medicine, pediatrics, ophthalmology, general surgery, and obstetrics & orthopedics.

Vimhans (Vidyasagar Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences) – It is another well known multi-specialty hospital that is widely known for it superb services in the areas of mental health, neurosciences, orthopedic rehabilitation medicine and child development.

There are even more hospital and medical care centers available throughout the country that will make your life even happier after the visit. You may stay in Hospital, Hotel or rent a condo vacation rental.

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Best Places for Medical Tourism

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Best Places for Medical Tourism

Medical tourists from different countries travel for health care purposes to those countries having quality healthcare services at reasonable prices. So they spend extra money on travel, health care and accommodations on the places of treatment. Medical tourism is an old concept because thousands of years ago people traveled for medical purposes or for spiritual treatments to different countries. Many factors are considered while choosing a destination place for medical tourism such as high healthcare services and costs, waiting for certain procedures, availability and affordability of international travel, quality and latest technology used in the treatment.

Some of the most popular places include Europe, Japan, Middle East, UK, United States, Canada and Costa Rica. These places are popular due to the quality of their health care services, technology and competency of physicians. The hospitals of Bolivia, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Mexico, Cuba and Turkey are popular for Cosmetic surgery treatments. Surgeons of South American countries like Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Argentine lead in plastic surgery due to their experience and knowledge. Plastic surgery is very common in Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Colombia and US. Slovakia, Belgium and Poland are entering in the business of health care and medical tourism.

A large number of Americans are going abroad for health care although the facilites of health in US are also availabe. There are many intermediary companies which provide help in medical tourism. These companies offer global health care at reasonable costs. There are different commissions and societies which care for the quality and standards of the hospitals available for medical tourism. Counteries such as Malaysia, Thailand, India and Costa Rica have many infectious diseases as compare to Norht America and Europe . So medical tourists need to stay for some time in the country which they choose for health care because travel soon after surgery can create many complexities. Tourists having breath and heart related problems avoid long flights and combine their vacation tours with medical tours.

th American Places

The quality of healthcare in Canada is not less than that of America but medical tourists can save 30 to 60 percent of their costs as compare to America. Medical tourists can save up to 80 on healthcare services in Costa Rica as compare to US. Costa Rica is popular for cosmetic procedure, dental, weight-loss and orthopedic surgeries. Knee replacement surgery is very cheap so patients travel to Costa Rica for medical tourism. Patients from all over the world travel to cuba for the best quality of healthcare services and fine reputation of their doctors. Medical tourists of Europe and Latin America travle to this destination because of its situation and save up to 60 to 80 percent as compare to the charges in US. The hospitals of cuba are best known for cancer treatment, cosmetic surgery, joint replacement, eye surgery and addictions rehabilitations. the government of cuba has taken many steps to increase income from medical tourism and patients of US, Canada and UK visit cuba for medical treatments. Dominincan Republic is very popular destination for hip replacement, bariatric surgeries, plastic surgeries, knee replacement, eye surgeries and all other medical treatments. Medical tourists can save from 50 to 75 percent as compare to the costs in US. The plastice surgery and dentistry healthcare services of Mexico are appreciated by all the world. The costs of these treatments are one-fourth to one-fifth of American costs. The quality of health care services in Mexico is very high and medical tourists are satisfied.

Quality health services, location and dollar as the official currency are the reasons that Panama is famous for its medical services. The medical professionals of Panama are trained by US and use the latest technology to provide quality healthcare services. Medical tourists can save more than 50 percent of healthcare costs as compare to Europe and US. Dental implants, assisted reproduction, cosmetic dentistry, plastic surgery, cardiology, orthopedics and pulmonology are the popular procedures in medical treatments. Surgeons of Brazil have gained world wide fame in cosmetic surgery.

South American Places

Orthopedic surgeries , Cosmetic surgery, transplant surgery, eye surgery and cardiovascular are popular procedures in Colombia. Healthcare services in Colombia are cheap and foreigners can get human organs from Colombia. The doctors of colombia are experienced and have worked in many counteries of Europe and US.

Asian Places

China has gained popularity in stem cell treatments. The medical professionals of India are popular for hip resurfacing, heart surgery and areas of advanced medicine. The treatment costs in India are very low which is nearly one-tenth to the treatment costs of US. The healthcare service in Malaysia are also very popular and the doctors of Malaysia are trained in the hospitals of US and UK. New Zealand is a popular medical tourism destination for fertitlity treatments and non-acture surgical procedures. The doctors are trained in the hospitals of UK and US. The costs of healthcare services are very low as comparet to US. Thailand is popular in organ transplant and cardiac surgery at lower prices.

Europe

Moreover British and Canadian medical tourists don’t wait long and travel to Germany for medical treatments. Novel cancer and spine surgery are well treated in Germany at lower prices. Dentistry services in ukraine are provided at lower costs. High class material and equipment is used in dental clinics and hospitals. There are many suitable places for medical tourism but a medical tourist chooses according to his own choice and afforability.

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The Different Treatments You Get In Medical Tourism

Monday, July 26th, 2010

The Different Treatments You Get In Medical Tourism

Medical tourism is fast becoming a preferred choice among individuals living in big countries like Canada, United Kingdom and the United States because of lower cost and added convenience and luxury. There are now various treatments available and people can expect to get the highest quality care available anywhere in the world. Some countries, however, are known to be experts in some types of treatment. Here are the different procedures.

About ACLS

ACLS stands for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Surgery or Repair. The procedure aims to reconnect a torn ACL ligament. There are 4 total ligaments that stabilize the knee, and ACL is one of these. Among the four, the ACL is the most commonly damaged. Some individuals choose to have ACLS abroad if they suddenly feel unstableness in their knee while playing sports, after a rehabilitation program or if the problem has long been existent.

The procedure generally takes around 1 to 2 hours. ACLS does not require patients to stay in the hospital. As a medical tourist, you can choose to get back to your hotel right after the procedure and continue to recuperate there. After a few days, you may take tours that do not require a lot of walking or heavy lifting. Patients can go back to their home country 1 to 2 days after the procedure.

About Hip Replacement

Total hip replacement or THR is one of the most common surgeries that patients look for abroad. The procedure involves rebuilding a damaged or deteriorated hip joint for it to return to optimal and functional condition. During the process, an artificial prosthesis can substitute for the damaged joint. A hip replacement is sought after by medical tourists who experience stiffness in their hips, thereby limiting leg movement, have problems with bending and are taking medications that lead to side effects or are not that effective. Patients can expect the surgery to last 1 to 3 hours.

When traveling abroad, you will be advised to take about 1 to 2 weeks off, since you will be staying inside the hospital for 4 to 10 days. Doctors will recommend patients to recuperate for 4 to 7 days before going back to their home country.

About Spinal Infusion

Some medical tourists go to destinations like Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia to undergo spinal infusion. The procedure involves linking two vertebrae to get rid of the friction and extra motion in between. The lumbar spinal fusion can treat various conditions, such as scoliosis, slipped disk, degenerated disk, herniated disk and other injuries. The procedure is done when other types of treatment are not working.

Patients may also undergo the surgery abroad, aside from having other types of spinal surgery. Other techniques may be incorporated based on the condition of the patient and the extent of the damage. Patients can expect the surgery to last 3 to 4 hours. When traveling abroad, you should book for a minimum of 1 week, since you will be hospitalized for 3 to 4 days after the operation. Patients can return to their home country after 5 to 7 days.

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San Antonio: A Wonderful City for Tourism

Saturday, July 24th, 2010

San Antonio: A Wonderful City for Tourism

<a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=http://www.san-antonio-hotels.us/> San Antonio,  Texas </a>offers an atmosphere that may make visitors feel comfortable. Whether you’ve come here to see the blinding brook walk, the Alamo or the significant missions, you are guaranteed with so many great memories you can bring back home. Though a bit pricey, if you have money to spare, it is great to try the posh hostels one or more times in your life. And if you do try, consider the posh hostels of San Antonio. There are numerous good choices in San Antonio and a number of them are advised below. First is the Hilton Palacio del Rio, a pretty 5 star hotel in San Antonio only 2 blocks away from the Alamo.

 

The hotel has roomy rooms, offering brilliant perspectives and personal balconies. Each room even features a kingsized bed or 2 full beds with cable telly. You may also have in-room movies and high-speed web access. There’s also the Hyatt Regency San Antonio, an excellent tall hotel. It is celebrated due to its inbuilt garden atrium. Comforts include washing services, concierge services, a hair snipper, a babysitting facility and a business center. Its guest rooms have coffeemakers, wire TVs and broadband web access alongside a wet bar and a microwave cooker. It has also got an outside pool and an exercise facility with a Jacuzzi.

The Marriot Piazza <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=http://www.san-antonio-hotels.us/> San Antonio Hotel </a>has uniquely decorated rooms and houses set on 6 acres of pretty landscape. It made the hotel favored to visitors. Hotel guests can get the same benefits compared against a business center. The rooms are all roomy with a relaxing atmosphere. The interiors are very hot and comfy. There also are ATM machines, kid care, a concierge and a present shop. The hotel’s guest rooms have fast web access ; cable TV and air-conditioning, with free reports paper every morning and a coffeemaker.

Selecting a luxury hotel though doesn’t only rely on the facilities and comforts offered. It also is dependent upon what you intend to do and what places you plan to visit in San Antonio. Book yourself in a hotel suitable to your plans. Get a room at one of the best hostels in northwest San Antonio, particularly if Fiesta Texas and Sea World Theme Park are both only mins away. Enjoy the posh accommodations right along the central Stream Walk where shops and eateries abound. Actually you’ll find a diversity of bars along the Stream Walk, promoting breezy Texas nights. If you adore shopping, consider booking accommodations close to the important Market Square along downtown San Antonio to see numerous local festivities. The Market Square has roughly a hundred shops like a big farmers’ market area. Get more from your cash when you book a room at one of the fine hostels near the San Antonio Global airfield, just ten mins away from downtown. You may also try the famous King William Historical District south of downtown also. Here’s where the old Victorian houses have been rehabilitated into first-class B and B facilities.

The guests here love the unique Victorian atmosphere. If you are looking to visit San Antonio, you’ll be thrilled to know the town offers some of the finest accommodations down south. It is home to lots of hostels both in the town center and in the fringes. The best hostels in San Antonio are found in the financial area close to the famous Stream Walk and the classic Alamo.

The Westin River Walk, a Conde Nast Traveler’s Gold Lister, is merely a stone’s ditch from attractions eg the Alamo, Market Square, La Villita and others.You can also select to remain at the Holiday Hotel RiverWalk, or the Marriott San Antonio Rivercenter. As a town drenched in history, San Antonio boasts stylish and historic hostels that supply a glance of the city’s storied past.

Hostels like La Mansion and The Menger Hotel offer five-star luxury mixed with history. Take a look at the Sheraton Gunter and the Wyndham St Anthony. All of these hostels are expediently found extremely near San Antonio’s premier traveller destinations.

To find out lots more about San Antonio’s hostels, you may check out online hotel guides. These will help you select which hotel to make a booking in. Whatever hotel you select, you’ll have a great time in this unique, enthralling city.

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