Do you sometimes see blood pooling in your limbs after you stand up or sit down, or do you feel tired, or shaky every not and then? Maybe sometimes you feel like fainting or have low blood pressure?
This lethargy occurs when your body is suffering from P.O.T.S (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) or orthostatic hypotension, as it is normally called. In P.O.T.S, your body’s blood circulation is affected because of dysfunction in your brain and spinal cord, but before you go deep into what P.O.T.S really is, you need to know how your blood circulation works.
Our body’s blood circulation system is controlled by the brain and the nervous system together. The brain keeps its own blood supply regulated and at the same time, ensures that all our body parts get the required amount of blood as per their functions. This blood is transported only in the ‘required amounts’ because there is not enough of it in our vessels to fill all the organs wholly and completely at the same time.
This process helps in providing sufficient blood and oxygen to the parts where there is heavy work and exercise but it is the nervous system’s responsibility to decide which part is in more need of blood at a particular time. Let’s say a person starts running. The blood flow to their legs will increase to keep up the strenuous work and at the same time, it will decrease in other body parts where there is less activity. This is how our circulation is maintained. In some cases, the nervous system loses this ability to maintain circulation properly, and this disorder results in P.O.T.S.
Disrupted circulation causes the brain to receive low amounts of oxygen and blood. When this happens, the heartbeat increases to keep the blood flow regulated. This increased heartbeat condition is known as tachycardia. Sometimes, it increases so much that the ventricles of our heart fall low behind the required level and fail to pump out ample blood supply. While low blood flow affects all the body organs as oxygen levels fall, the brain suffers the most which results in lethargy and tiredness in P.O.T.S patients.
Sometimes, the issue aggravates as the nervous system disorder worsens causing severe symptoms. Even without this, the disorder can show up in patients in different ways. For further information, let’s take a look at P.O.T.S in detail.
How much time does it take to diagnose P.O.T.S?
As grave as P.O.T.S sounds, the diagnosis is not done easily and timely. In fact, it takes a stretch of time and many difficulties are faced to achieve an accurate result. A survey from a few years back showed that the time needed to diagnose a P.O.T.S patient can be as much as 5 years, with only 25% of patients diagnosed within the early stages!
To make matters worse, sometimes the patients travel more than 150 miles to have POTS medical care and have to visit more than 10 doctors before they get to the right place.
- 60% of the patients are told that they are only imagining the symptoms and that there is nothing to worry about.
- 70% of patients are diagnosed to be suffering from anxiety and depression, but this diagnosis often turns out to be after further examinations.
If the right treatment is not given timely, P.O.T.S can grow to be a disorder leading to severe medical complications, and the above facts are a reason most patients tend to seek treatment from our clinic.
What is the ideal way to treat POTS?
The treatment of P.O.T.S is more than just adhering to the common symptoms (lassitude, shakiness, low blood pressure, increased heartbeat, and passing out). P.O.T.S is properly treated when the disorders in the brain and the spinal cord are addressed. The most common treatment of P.O.T.S includes medical inscriptions to the patients along with suggesting them to take more uptake of fluids and salts. Diagnosis and treatment at our clinic:
As mentioned above, P.O.T.S is properly treated when the disorders in the brain are addressed. For that, the neurologists at our clinic diagnose the brain in detail and study the dysfunction in different parts including the cerebellum, cerebral cortex, brain stem, and spinal cord. Our tests are very specific and they go through the disorder causing symptoms to ensure the right diagnosis.
For even better results, the patients undergo detailed examination which helps the doctors come up with a complete and accurate diagnosis. Once the diagnosis is done and all the areas of the brain that are not functioning properly are highlighted, the doctors at our rehabilitation clinic come up with an effective plan of treatment. The plan shows treatment with neuroplasticity under a team of qualified neurologists who work to reset the disorders of the brain.
This treatment includes undergoing many therapies and examinations. What should be noted is that treating P.O.T.S is different for most patients as the cure is planned on the needs of the patients. Fortunately, we are already aware of this and therefore, our therapies are safe and strategically planned for different patients.
Why us?
Our qualified and experienced team of neurologists has treated many patients and this helps them make a safe decision for you too because we aim to provide you with the best health care. Our diagnoses are carried out to prepare you for your rehabilitation therapy that targets the recovery of your brain and spinal cord.
If you or someone you know is suffering from P.O.T.S, then our place is for you. As mentioned earlier, our treatment plans are different with most patients so to make sure you are a suitable applicant, it is better to consult a doctor from our clinic before you come.
This consultation will help us assess you and will give us an insight into your case and record. Most patients are located with dysfunction in specific parts of their brain, which makes their treatment sensitive. Such patients are eligible for individual treatment at our special brain center. For us to come up with an accurate assessment, it is better that you undergo a consultation with our doctors.