Sep132009

How to get Joint Pain Relief


What Causes Joint Pain?

seniors21 How to get Joint Pain ReliefJoint pain can be caused by a number of factors, such as; natural aging of the joints, prolonged consumption of the wrong food, lack of exercise and lack of vitamins in your body.

While joint pain is a major symptom in case of arthritis, non-arthritic joint pain is also a possibility. If you are experiencing symptoms such as joint stiffness, joint pain or physical joints changes then you may need to consult your physician.

Joint pain can affect any part of your body, from your ankles to your shoulders. Knee pain is the most common source of pain, followed by hip and shoulder pain.

See images here of the damage joint conditions can cause.

Joint Pain Relief Methods

Joint pain sufferers have a number of different pain treatment options to help relieve the tenderness and stiffness of your joint pain. Relieving pain from joints can be achieved by using either natural or drug-based solutions.

Relieving Common Joint Pain

A number of natural joint pain relief methods are available today. For example; the use of heat and cold treatments has long been a well-known natural treatment for arthritis pain.

If you have mild pain without significant swelling, an over-the-counter or prescription anti-inflammatory drug such as aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen can work well. Be careful when taking acetaminophen, because high doses may cause liver damage, if combined with alcohol.

Capsaicin is a substance found in chili peppers and has been found to relieve joint pain from arthritis and other conditions. Capsaicin blocks “Substance P,” which helps your nervous system transmit pain signals. Capsaicin also triggers the release of chemicals in the body called endorphins, which block pain. Side effects of capsaicin cream include a mild to moderate sting in the area where applied.

Other topical options are creams containing the ingredient, methyl salicylate (Ben Gay cream for example).

Joint Pain Relief using Stronger Drugs

Drugs are often prescribed simply to cope with joint pain but do not offer a cure. Surgery is an option for extremely severe joint pain. Drug companies have created several powerful synthetic chemicals that block key enzymes in the inflammatory cycle.

If your pain is severe, your doctor may prescribe a stronger opioid medication. Because opioid drugs can cause drowsiness, you should only use them with care.

Drugs that may help relieve pain include:

  • antidepressants and antiepileptic drugs (these work by interfering with your pain signals)
  • Muscle relaxants (may be used together with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug to increase the effect)

Your doctor can also inject a steroid medication (which may be combined with a local anesthetic) directly into the joint every three months or so, which can help relieve inflammation.

Other injection options for pain relief, are:

  • Removing fluid from a joint (relieves pain temporarily – fluid does build up again)
  • Injections of hyaluronan, a synthetic version of the natural joint fluid

Alternative Joint Pain Relief Treatments

Research indicates certain glucosamine and chondroitin supplements help with joint pain. They also improve joint function.  These substances are components of normal cartilage, which help cushion bones and protect your joints. Glucosamine and chondroitin supplements are commonly available in many forms.

Although these supplements don’t work for every single person, they can be worth trying, because they don’t have significant side effects and are inexpensive.

Joint Pain Relief and Diet

Arthritis cannot be cured by diet, but some conditions may be helped by dietary changes. Fish oils may help osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Bananas are considered healthy for the joints as they provide strength and lubrication for joints.

Non-Arthritic Joint Pain

Joint pain is also referred to as Arthralgia. Joint pain is commonly found in those 45 years of age and older. Most commonly rest, exercise, massage, stretching and warm baths can effectively treat non-arthritic joint pain.
Joints and other organs may be affected by non-arthritic joint pain.

Arthritic Joint Pain

Arthritis is technically any type of joint inflammation, but is usually used to refer to chronic inflammation of the joints. Arthritis is classified as one of the rheumatic diseases. These are conditions that are different individual illnesses, with differing features, treatments, complications, and prognosis.

Arthritis can leave people in severe pain, leading to disability and chronic suffering for years.

Arthritis literally means “joint inflammation” and can affect joints in any part of the body. A joint is where two or more bones come together such as the knee, shoulder or wrist. Arthritis, which is defined as joint pain, seems to just get worse as time goes on.

There are several different types of arthritis, the most common of which is osteoarthritis. The Arthritis Foundation estimates that almost every person over the age of 60 years probably has Osteoarthritis (degenerative Arthritis) to some degree, but fewer than half have it severe enough to notice any symptoms.

Arthritis is not only the leading cause of joint pain today, but also the leading cause of disability in persons over the age of 55. The disease also affects many of today’s younger generation as well.

There are many types of arthritis (over 100 and growing). Arthritis can be brought on by any number of things including overuse of the joint, sports, injury, and degeneration of the joints through time.

Joint pain is Prevalent in all forms of arthritis. Every type of arthritis can vary by degree of seriousness, pain, degree and duration of joint pain. Arthritis symptoms include joint pain, inflammation and limited movement of joints. When a joint is inflamed it may be swollen, tender, warm to the touch or red. Arthritis diagnosis, treatment, and disease characteristics are different in children and adults. Some children recover completely; others remain affected throughout their lives.

Consulting Your Doctor

Arthritis symptoms may not be obvious to you as a patient, so answers you provide to your doctor can lead to a proper diagnosis.

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Mar162010

Reliable Ways to Relieve Joint Pain


Now that you know common causes of back pain you may have a better understanding of how to prevent and treat it in the first place. Losing a few pounds may appear to be a difficult option but of it can be well worth the effort when you get some relief from that pain. A big part of relief for your back is using correct posture and lifting with your legs.

But you may need to do more than all of this.  You take all the precautions possible and still you have back pain – after all, you can’t very well live your life in a recliner or refuse to pick up your children just to keep yourself safe from potential injury!  So when you have soreness and pain, what can you do?

RELIEVING THE PRESSURE

Sometimes the pain you feel is simply muscles cramping up to protect themselves so that they can heal and repair minor injuries.  If you relieve the pressure on your back this can go a long way toward helping it heal on its own.

Obviously it’s virtually impossible to make a movement that doesn’t affect the back.  Even when sitting, the back muscles are tensing up to keep your upper body straight and supported.

Keeping this in mind, you realize how important it is to be in a reclined position that tilts your body back and relieves that pressure on your midsection. Healing is assisted when your feet are higher than your pelvic area as there is less pressure on your back.  Many have found that stretching out on the floor with pillows under the knees can help tremendously, however, do not put the pillows under your feet. This puts added pressure on the area of the hips which results in the back muscles tensing up even more.

If you’re laying flat on your stomach your back is still working as the front of your body collapses and your back keeps you straight. Cushions or pillows under your stomach and upper body area will provide support so that the back is not working as hard.

HEAT

Why does heat relieve so much pain in the body?  Simply put, heat draws blood to that area of the body where heat is applied and blood delivers important nutrients and healing elements.  When you apply heat to your muscles they relax because the increased blood flow forces them to “unclench” themselves, and especially in areas of the back can this be important.

When your back is in pain you don’t want to overdo it with the heat and of course there are injuries and other conditions that won’t respond readily to heat – if you have a herniated disk that’s not going to be healed with a heating pad! – but often muscles that have been overworked and strained can relax with a simple application of heat.  If you’re at work all day see if you can somehow arrange a heating pad behind you for the duration of the day. If you notice that your back is starting to tense up then lean back and stay that way for a few minutes so that the heat has a chance to work.

Care needs to be taken with hot heating pads on bare skin.  Never sleep on top of one or turn it up too high. It pays to keep some protective material between the heating pad and your skin so if the pad is not covered be sure to wrap it in cloth or similar.

Moist heat can also help the body to relax as the moisture loosens the muscles and skin as well.  You can get a thin towel or washcloth wet and put it between the heating pad and your back.

The heat of a hot shower or bath can also go a long way toward relieving that pressure.  A shower massage especially can work those muscles like a massage and force them to loosen up and soothe back pain.

STRETCHING

When those back muscles want to clamp up sometimes you need to force them to relax so as to cut down on the pain. Stretching both your back and sides is a good method to reduce your pain.

This however is a place where caution is also needed.  If you overextend yourself then you’re going to do more damage.  It’s also important to make sure that you’re stretching properly so that you don’t put added stress on your back. Without the proper support many bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts actually do a lot of damage to their back when stretching and working out.

Just sit on the floor with your hands behind you and stretch your back slightly.  This will give it support as you pull those muscles loose.  Moving forward carefully and slowly until your body is extended out in front of you can also loosen those muscles.

Flexion and extension

When it comes to stretching, flexion means bending forward and extension means moving backwards.The release of pressure on the vertebrae when you stretch forward helps to alleviate pain caused by grinding between them.  Sometimes just standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and bending straight forward to touch your toes can help to alleviate back pressure and pain.  You need to watch your posture even as you do this so that you’re not curling yourself up and putting more pressure on your spine, but a simple stretch like this can help to loosen those tight and sore muscles.

When bending backwards you also need to watch your posture and make sure you don’t overextend.  Some have a tendency to think of a particular area they want to touch or span they want to reach, but you need to be mindful of your body’s own flexibility.

EXERCISE

Is exercise a goal for the average person? Sure, there are obviously some who do but not everyone is like this.  Most people see exercise as a chore to be dreaded and would rather spend their free time stretched out in a favorite chair in front of the television or movie screen.

There are innumerable benefits to regular physical activity for humans, no matter what your physical situation. The increase in blood circulation due to exercise is what brings the required oxygen and nutrients to every cell in the body.  The digestive system, skin, bones, and major organs all benefit in this way from increased blood circulation.  Because the heart and lungs work harder when exercised they become stronger and a person is less likely to suffer from asthma, shortness of breath, heart disease, and conditions such as this.  Regular exercise also helps to keep one’s weight under control and there are many benefits to being at a healthy weight.

But exercise also helps with back problems and can keep a person from having painful back problems. How is this possible?

The first connection has to do with one’s weight; as we’ve mentioned excess body weight means more stress and strain on the back as it needs to work harder to move that weight around and to keep the body steady and upright.  Many who are overweight also find that their posture suffers quite a bit as this excessive weight pulls them forward, and this too keeps the back muscles tense and painful.

There is more to the connection between exercise and back problems than just weight.  That increased blood circulation means that your back muscles are also getting those important nutrients and healing agents that are delivered by the blood. Oxygen is one of the most important ingredients the body needs and uses when healing a wound or injury, and oxygen is delivered by the blood. It’s when your back muscles are overused, injured or tense, that oxygen is really important for your body to heal itself.

Exercise helps those back muscles stay loose and relaxed.  When you walk or cycle or do anything else along those lines, the back muscles are worked and forced to loosen up.  This means that they’re relaxed and less likely to be pulled or cramped when in use.

They also become that much stronger when exercised, just as other muscles in the body do as well.  When the back muscles are stronger they’re more resistant to pulls, tears, and overuse.  Regular exercise is good for the back muscles in this way and can help to alleviate pain from these types of injuries.

When a person exercises regularly their bones get stronger. This may be because the blood circulation also helps the bones to strengthen themselves, and if the bones in the back are strengthened then the back has better support.

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Mar162010

Can Exercise Lessen the Aches of Joint Pain?


In case you have arthritis, you should know that osteo-arthritis is not going to merely help the discomfort associated with arthritis, however it may help to enhance your ailment – producing the actual conditions involving osteo-arthritis problems and also swelling fewer and far in between. However, with an arthritis affliction, you will find some things that you might want to be conscious of.

Earliest, you do not desire to do any work outs that may worsen your rheumatoid arthritis affliction. Excessive impact aerobics might be avoided, as this puts also much strain for the joints, which is in which your osteoarthritis is. Any type of joint disease that’s most likely to put on away cartilage faster must also be prevented, and as a final point, you must by no means start an training software without your medical professional knowing about it and agreeing with it – or on the really least producing you conscious in the dangers from the physical exercise that you just have selected.

With that stated, exercise allows to strengthen the joints, also it also improves the muscle on the muscles that surround the joints. The workout routines which are essential to any person who suffers from joint disease include variety of movement workouts, muscle workout routines, and endurance workouts.

Variety of movement exercises include Tai Chi, Yoga, and water connected work outs. You can also find out a vast array of variety of motion workouts through actual therapy. Soft selection of movement work outs ought to be carried out any single day. It is critical to note that Yoga can also assist to ease the ache of osteoarthritis when it flares up.

Strength workouts incorporate isotonic and isometric physical exercises. Isotonic physical exercises will strengthen the muscle tissue by relocating the joints, and isometric workouts strengthen muscles with out switching the joints. Power physical exercises are generally done with hand weights or dyno-bands. Because a single sort calls for transferring the joints, and the other doesn’t, this can make it probable to continue strengthening muscle tissue even when you are having a flare up. Energy work outs ought to be accomplished about three situations each and every week.

Last but not least, endurance workouts are those workouts that get your heart rate up, and hold it up for fifteen to thirty minutes. Low effect aerobics, bicycling, jogging speedy, or jogging are all appropriate endurance workouts, and these must be executed at least 3 occasions each week.

It’s crucial, when you put up with osteoarthritis, that you simply select ideal training plans, and that you just job these programs consistently. In the event you cease workouts, the pain and pain of rheumatoid arthritis will return incredibly swiftly, and the problem could speedily develop into worse.

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Mar162010

Foods to Relieve Joint Inflammation & Foods to Avoid


Joint inflammation is a very painful, with multiple sets of conditions (100), progressively leading to joint damage, deformity and loss of mobility. Swelling of extremity joints is the hallmark of the syndrome. Chronic pain, disability and death are unfortunate results.

Joint inflammation problems include:

  • pain
  • stiffness
  • damage to joint cartilage (the tough, smooth tissue that covers the ends of the bones, enabling them to glide against one another) and surrounding structures.

Below we discuss how Chinese medicine for pain and food therapy are employed to bring these conditions back to balance.

UNDERSTANDING JOINT INFLAMMATION

Joint Imbalance doesn’t happen overnight and once understood, can resolve quicker than you realize. According to Chinese medicine, the primary problem underlying arthritis is obstruction with painful results. In varying amount, there is a weakness of both the Liver and Kidneys and deficiency of the body energy (qi). The blood develops obstruction due to cold weather or internal damp-heat or drying imbalanced characteristics. The condition includes:

  • cold or hot and painful joints
  • difficulty in flexing and extending the joints
  • aversion to cold or hot with attraction to the opposite condition
  • In some cases the limbs and joints will be aching, numb, painful
  • overall physical body feels heavy
  • tongue is a light pink or dark red

There are graduating arthritic conditions where the site of pain and deformity is more intense, with heat or cold predominating, however, the primary appraoch is to get the obstruction to move. This is arrived at by altering the inner environment by opposing the wind-cold/hot-damp/dry and varying any external surroundings aiding the blockage. Additional attention needs to be given to the general emotional state that may indirectly support the blockage.

HOW DO WE GET BETTER?

“We are what we eat.” Most of us would agree that most conditions of imbalance are determined by what we put in our mouth. We unintentionally produce imbalances by not being conscious of how important this concern is, particularly in the mid to elderly years.If we select foods and supplements which break down our homeostasis then it would benefit us to become very attentive to our constitution and foods which improve equilibrium. Below, you can begin to choose foods that deliver balance for this obstructive condition:

Foods That Benefit & Foods To Avoid

Foods to Counter Joint Pain: Asparagus, Cabbage (poultice & ingestion), Celery, Cod, Cherry, Chives, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic, Ginger, Goats milk, Grape, Kelp, Oranges, Papaya, Pineapple (Bromelain), Pumpkin Seeds, Royal Jelly, Scallions, Sesame oil, Spelt, Spirulina, Soy products, Strawberry, Sprouts (mung, red clover, radish, mustard, lentil, adzuki, garbanzo, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds), Tumeric, Water melon, Barley products, Wheat grass products, Alfalfa products (tablets, tea), Chlorophyll foods, Almonds (5-6 dy.),

Foods to Avoid: Excess meat (some fish is best), Excess protein, Intoxicants (alcohol, coffee, tobacco, marijuana, etc.), refined sugar and other sweets, Oxalic acid foods (rhubarb, cranberry, plum, chard, beet greens, spinach), Solanine foods (Nightshade family veggies: tomato, eggplant, bell pepper, potato, if sensitive), Dairy (cow’s milk & bi-products), Nuts, Nut butters, oil-rich seeds

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Mar122010

The Road to Recovery With Spinal Fusion


Spinal fusion has become a very common surgical procedure in the United States over the past 10 years.  There are many diagnoses that range from fractures of the spine to severe degenerative disc disease that prevent patients from being able to stand or walk are best treated with a surgical remedy. This article is intended to provide a basic review of the many spinal fusion options that are available.  It is best to talk to a fellowship-trained spine surgeon who will be able to give you a complete picture of all of the devices available that are recognized for quality and reliability or to help you rule out those that are not recommended.

As the number of spinal fusions has increased, the variety of procedures and hardware alternatives that are available has also increased.  It may be easier to understand why there are so many types of fusions if you consider how fractures need to be fixed with fusion.  With broken bones, there is usually little question about the wisdom of providing casts or plates and screws to stabilize bones that need to be realigned or stabilized.   Spinal fusion provides the same stability for the spine as is used for other fractured bones.  What is a spinal fusion?  Screws and rods in the spine are used to keep bones from moving as the bone graft that is placed allows the stabilized bones to form a connection across a previously mobile disc space.  The growth of bone between 2 previously mobile bones is called fusion. 

Standard fusion technique: At first, fusion of the vertebral bones was done by laying bone graft between the bones, to provide a scaffolding across which the native bone cells could grow.  As the patient’s bone cells move across the bone graft, they are able to incorporate the bone graft into the patient’s own bone structure, forming a complete connection called a fusion.  Bone graft is of primary importance in allowing the vertebral bones to fuse across a previously mobile segment.  Studies of patient’s with fusions done with bone graft alone have shown a relatively good rate of incorporation when patients are placed in back braces for 3 months or more.  Because of the inconvenience and discomfort of the bracing, pedicle screws and rods have been added to provide an internal support that obviates the need for external supports.  Internal screws and rods have increased successful fusion rates, as well as allowed patients to become mobile very quickly after the spinal fusion.

Interbody fusion cages: As the skill of the surgeon’s has grown when applying screws and rods to the spine, we have looked for better ways to gain improved results.  Now, we are able to put bone graft around the back of the spine, as well as into the disc spaces.  With these improved grafting methods, we are able to safely access the lumbar disc from the back of the spine.  Adding bone graft to the disc increases the surface area for healing and should improve the overall success rate of the spinal fusion.  Interbody grafting can be done from several different approaches, as access to the disc space can be achieved from multiple directions.

XLIF:  This acronym stands for extreme lateral interbody fusion.  XLIF is a newer device designed to provide a carrier for bone graft and support to the disc space. It is placed through an incision on the patient’s flank.  By making an incision on the patient’s side, the abdominal contents can be moved out of the way for a good view of the spine.  Unfortunately, there are some significant nerves in the front of the spine that are very sensitive to being moved.This type of access to the spine can lead to weakness in one leg because of the nerve sensitivity.At this time, there are no long-term studies that demonstrate that this procedure is a success.

AxiaLif:  This is another fusion device that has received some attention, due to its being touted as the “least invasive spine fusion”.  This device is placed across the lowest disc space by access from the front of the sacrum (a large, triangular bone at the base of the spine, inserted like a wedge between the two hip bones).  By placing instruments through a small incision near the rectum towards the spine, the disc is accessed through a series of cannulas (hollow surgical tubes) and drills.  This allows the disc material to be removed from the disc space.  After the disc material is removed, bone grafting can be placed into the hole that is created.This disc space is then supported by a tapered screw that is placed into the bones.  So far, this device has had minimal post-surgical study and is most likely best done in conjunction with standard screw and rod fusion techniques.  

Flexible Rods:   There has been some recent excitement around rod and screw systems that are so-called “non-fusion” fusion devices.  This confusing name infers that, although the intent of the screws and rods is for the bones to not move, these devices are designed to allow some movement.  As was discussed earlier in this article, fusion is the solid connection of bones that had previously moved.The idea of these flexible rods is to provide “enough” stability to allow the bones to fuse together, but not enough to change the spinal forces.  This is termed a “soft-fusion”.At this point, there is no concensus as to how much or how little support is needed to achieve this.  It is known that current screw and rod systems provide enough support to allow a fusion to occur while providing complete immobility of the vertebrae.  Other than this complete connection, the amount of support less than complete immobility has not been defined and at this point is still under investigation. 

Disc Replacement:  Disc replacement was developed as an alternative to fusion and is suggested for those discs that have ruptured, but in which the bone structure is still good.  If only the disc has gone bad, removal of the disc leaves a space that we normally fill with bone graft to promote fusion in the neck or lower back.  With the development of the disc replacement, the space that is left from disc removal can be filled with a device that allows motion, rather than fusion.  This is a complete reversal in the approach to disc removal; from complete immobility to complete mobility.  Disc replacement is intended to maintain the motion in the spine.  This reconstruction of the spine should maintain the forces across the discs in the spine to prevent the other discs from deteriorating any more rapidly than their normal degenerative process.  Disc replacement in the lumbar spine has met with some success in well-selected patients.  It has not been a panacea for all patients with low back pain or degenerative disc disease.Disc replacement in the cervical spine has had good success, as most neck fusions are done for bad discs with the bones still in good condition. 

Improved training, including advanced specialty training in fellowship programs, as well as improved implants, has decreased most surgical procedure times to 2 hours or less.Historically, older techniques have been known to take 4-6 hours for just the operation.  By decreasing operative times, surgeons have seen decreased complications from the anesthesia, as well as decreased risks of infection and blood loss.   Most surgeries under 2 hours will not require a blood transfusion.   

A well-informed patient, who understands the benefits and the risks of their surgery, can fully participate in the choices that need to be made about their surgery.  If you have been told that you need a spine fusion, ask questions and do your research.  It is appropriate to ask your surgeon about their experience performing spinal fusions, how many of the fusion procedures they perform, how long the operation will take and the likelihood of needing a blood transfusion.  Selecting a well-qualified surgeon can help ensure the best outcome for you and the success of your spinal fusion.

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Mar082010

Is Your Back Pain Sciatica?


Helping individuals who are suffering from pain of sciatica is one of the most rewarding things for chiropractor. Those who suffer from sciatica are unfortunately all too familiar with the associated deep pain. Pain that often radiates through the lower part of their body, persists during the day and inhibits almost all of their daily activities.

Are you worried that your low back pain could be generated by sciatica? You are probably experiencing sciatica if your pain radiates from your low back, through one or both sides of your buttocks, down the large sciatic nerve in the back of one or both legs, and possibly penetrates into one or both knees. In addition, not solely motion, but even sitting can be painful. Commonly lying down will reduce, or perhaps even temporarily eliminate the pain. But, you should be warned that sciatica will not go away without appropriate care.

Radiculopathy

One of the clinical diagnoses of sciatica is known as a “radiculopathy”, a medical term that means simply that a disc has protruded from its natural position in the spine and is pressing on the radicular nerve (nerve root) in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve. Such pressure is extremely painful.

Prolonged sitting, especially in an awkward position, can cause imbalances in the muscles enclosing the spine and additional pressure on the intervertebral discs. More often than not, a particular event or injury doesn’t cause sciatica, instead sciatica is likely to develop over time as a result of general wear and tear on the vertebrae of the lower spine. Over the course of time the lower spine can lose its ability to function normally during ordinary stresses.

When this happens, the intervertebral disc develops small fissures or cracks that then let the soft nucleus to protrude the disc outward. If the disc pushes on sensitive tissues, it produces the pain that is frequently called a ruptured, or slipped, disc. Sciatica is the result of the disc pressing on the spinal nerve. With chiropractic manipulation and management, which often includes postural exercises, the majority of disc problems, including sciatica, can be completely relieved.

Periformis Syndrome

Periformis syndrome is another cause of sciatic pain. Periformis syndrome occurs when the periformis muscle, which is superficial to the sciatic nerve, goes into spasm and irritates the nerve. In combination with chiropractic treatment, this type of sciatica can be significantly relieved by sciatica stretches that your chiropractor will suggest.

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