Dr. Gary Gendron, D.C., C.C.S.P., C.C.N., D.A.C.B.N.
It was bound to happen. After all the softball games, stair climbing and walk-a-thons, your joints are simply wearing out. You’re far from alone. About 27 million others experience a form of “wear and tear” arthritis called osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis typically occurs through the natural course of living your life –performing your job, doing your daily chores, playing sports. It rarely affects those under 40 and almost everyone over 75 has it in one form or another.
With wear and tear arthritis, the cushion (think carpet padding) wears out and bone rubs against bone. This leads to pain, stiffness and swelling, usually in the larger weight-bearing joints like hips and knees, but it can occur in other joints as well. Extra weight can exacerbate the problem.
Stay Active. Stay Independent.
If you’re looking for natural solutions to keeping your joints comfortable, here’s what I tell my patients.
• Lose weight. Even if you lose just a few pounds, it’ll improve the way your joints feel. In fact, if you are only 10 pounds overweight, it increases the force on the knee by 30-60 pounds…with every step!
• Exercise regularly. When joints hurt, people have a tendency to avoid moving around, so their muscles get weak. This, in turn, creates stiff muscles (called contractures), making it even more difficult to move. It becomes a cycle that’s hard to overcome. Walking, swimming, stretching, dancing and yoga are all great ways keep moving while not further straining your joints. Be sure to allow for small rest periods in between your exercises.
• Try physical therapy. A professional therapist can help you strengthen the muscles around the joints for increased mobility and comfort. They’ll teach you simple, at-home exercises to help you with your daily activities.
• Apply heat. Using heat from warm baths, a heating pad or hot towels may alleviate the pain and stiffness.
• Eat foods high in antioxidants. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts can improve the functioning of your liver and kidneys by helping to eliminate toxins and waste products. Since free radicals, the waste product created when food is converted into energy, can be detrimental to your joint health, be sure to include a full spectrum of antioxidants including a variety of berries, pomegranate, grapes, walnuts, peppers, sunflower seeds, and oranges.
• Try supplements. While prescription drugs might relieve your pain, supplements, when used regularly, can provide effective, long-term support. Chondroitin sulfate is one of the major components of cartilage so it’s good to make sure you have enough of this building block. MSM, a major source of sulphur, helps stabilize cartilage, tendons and ligaments. Hyaluronic acid, which is sometimes administered as an injection but is now available as an ingestible, acts as a lubricant and shock absorber for joints. Other important nutrients include: vitamin D, turmeric, magnesium, zinc, soy and flaxseed among others.
For more general information about arthritis, check out the following websites: www.arthritis.org, or www.cdc.gov/arthritis.
Despite what you may have heard, you can stay active and stay independent…for life. Get started with your joint health plan today!
