A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF GULPHA MARMA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ABHIGHATHA PARINAMA

Abstract

Ayurveda has classified the vital points in the body into 107 and named them Marma. Gulpha Marma is one among them, which is located at joint of ankle and foot with a measurement of 2 Angula. It is classified under the group of Marma which results pain when injured. The other symptoms are stiffness and limping. Anatomical correlation of Gulpha Marma is given to the ankle joint, the most frequently injured sites as it is located between the stable leg and mobile foot. Abnormal and excessive force will bring injuries to the joint, such as sprain, ligament injury, fracture etc. so the study was conducted in two phases- the location, structures and Abhighatha Parinama of Gulpha Marma were analyzed with the help of data collected from authentic textbooks, published journals etc. the observational study on 30 samples with Gulpha Marma Abhighatha was done to know structural and functional changes in ankle joint. The ankle joint injuries showed Gulpha Marma Abhighatha lakshana of Ruja, Sthabdatha and Khanjatha. Structural changes were evaluated with radiological study. The study turned out to be positive. The Gulpha Marma Abhigata leads to Ruja and Stambha, further if it is not treated that may leads to the disability of the joint i.e. Vaikalyakara.