Some Great Tips for Osteoarthritis Sufferers

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Osteoarthritis is a joint disease where the cartilage and soft tissues become inflamed and degenerate. It is most often secondary to trauma that may have occurred years prior to pain and disability. In the spine it is often also due to misaligned vertebrae and poor posture. Here’s a link to a video that can explain spinal degeneration quickly and simply.

Unless tissues are beyond repair its much better to find a mechanical, or at least a natural, solution. Taking harmful chemicals such as anti-inflammatory drugs to treat mechanical problems such as osteoarthritis and subluxation (misaligned vertebrae and muscle spasm interfering with nerves) has never made sense to us and we feel it should always be a last resort.

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Here are some helpful tips you can begin to follow right now to alleviate pain by restoring best possible function and joint health:

*Move every joint through a full range of motion until it gets tired, once a day.

*Get adjusted regularly for optimal spinal motion and nerve supply. Click here for a Free Consultation appointment.

*Take classes in yoga, Tai Chi or aqua-aerobics and practise daily.

* Take relieving supplements such as omega 3 oils (cod liver or flaxseed).

* Take glucosamine and chondoitin powder or capsules to help cartilage repair.

*Take anti-oxidants and multiminerals to make sure your body has a good supply of essential building blocks.

* Eat a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables or take your Juice Plus capsules (for the same reasons as above). Attend Ann Stewarts Kick-start Your Kitchen workshop this August.

* Get a good quality bed – the best you can afford – that is flat, comfortable and keeps your spine correctly aligned.

*Warm up for 10 minutes before work or exercise to reduce the chance of injury or postural stress. Attend Dr John’s Ultimate Exercise workshop in July.

*After any injury get back to moving the injured region or joint as soon as your chiropractor advises.

*Walnuts, fruit and vegetables high in vitamins (especially C), and tea (especially green) may also be helpful.

*Lose weight through a combination of proper nutritional habits, regular appropriate exercise and lashings of self-discipline.

*Stop stressing. Meditation, silent reflection, good time management and thoughtful prioritising help promote healthy ‘happy chemicals’ in the brain and blood stream (serotonin, noradrenalin and dopamine) and reduce unhealthy ‘unhappy’ ones (adrenalin and cortisol) that increase inflammation. Attend our Meditation workshop in June.

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And Some Parting Advice:

A sedentary lifestyle. If you work at a desk or computer then be sure to keep your joints (and your whole body) moving as much and as regularly as you can and for as long as possible. Download the Download the Straighten Up app from the App Store or get it on Google Play to receive reminders and helpful tips on how to improve your posture.

Traumatic injury. Pain can begin years after the causative incident so it is imperative to rehabilitate the injured joint and surrounding muscles as fully as is practical. See your chiropractor immediately following an injury to your spine or any other joints.

Prolonged poor posture such as slouching. Stand tall, sit tall, walk tall and even lie down tall. Imagine your head getting closer to the ceiling. Lift up your chest taking a deep breath in and keep your chest up while breathing correctly into your belly using your diaphragm.