Posts Tagged ‘joint pain’
Weight and Back Pain
The kids were obnoxious as they often are, but they were right.
I was at Costco the other day looking at pants when I found myself standing near a few guys in their late teens / early twenties who were also looking at pants. I remember when I was in my twenties thinking that guys my age (45) were old as dirt and I occasionally enjoyed saying things for shock value in order to stir up the “older” folks. That is exactly what the one younger guy did when he said “none of these sizes will fit me – it is a short fat world isn’t it?” with enough volume for me to easily hear this comment. Quietly, I agreed with him.
As I stood there looking at pant sizes, I realized that they did not have any in my size either. Had my waist measurement exceeded my length, Costco would have had plenty of pants to choose from. I find it difficult to find pants at most stores that I shop at because waist sizes run so large compared to lengths – it is really sad that as a society we have reached this point.
Being a San Diego chiropractor, I am always concerned with the health of my patients. In addition to neck pain, back pain, headaches and other pain related issues, my patient’s weight and fitness are equally important. Every extra pound that we carry increases the stress on our joints. As joint stress increases, the chances of irritation, inflammation, joint pain and eventually arthritis increase as well.
Not to imply that weight control is only important for our joints but it is one more reason to either lose the extra weight or at least keep it in check.
I attended a seminar recently and learned that large deposits of fat can actually work like an endocrine organ that predominantly produces estrogen. This is true in men as well. Excess estrogen in men is associated with increased risks of heart attack, stroke, and prostate disease.
I always bring up the topic of weight loss with my patients that would benefit from losing a few pounds – but I never ride them. Losing excess weight is necessary in order to live a healthy lifestyle, but you have to want that in order to obtain it.
Have a great day!
Dr. Jones
(619) 280-0554
Glucosamine for Aching Joints
Do your joints hurt? Have you stopped or restricted certain activities because of joint pain?
As a practicing chiropractor in San Diego, I treat people for joint pain everyday – sometimes even on Sunday. A growing part of my treatment recommendations is nutritional support.
Most cases of neck pain and back pain can be greatly improved just with chiropractic adjustments. However, some cases of ongoing, lingering pain – especially in weight bearing joints – such as ankles, knees, hips and spinal joints also require nutritional support and specific exercises in order to provide relief.
As with most things in life, personal experience with your own advice always gives you better perspective. Those of you who have been reading my blog posts over the last few years are aware that I had stopped running a few years ago because of ongoing ankle pain. My pain would make bearing the weight of my body nearly impossible after just a short run – less than a mile and would necessitate hours of icing in order to get me walking again.
Recently, I started taking my own advice on nutritional support for joints. On the advice of my representative from Standard Process, I began taking a supplement called Glucosamine Synergy. I also started drinking Joint Juice that I get from the local Costco.
What a difference! I am not going to make running my sole aerobic exercise but I have been able to run a few times weekly for two or three miles with no ankle pain at all.
The bottom line is that we often underestimate the value of nutritional support.
Your’s In Good Health
Dr. Jones
(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com
Running, Recovery Time and the Cortisol Effect
Up until a few years ago, I had been an avid runner. I had run consistently since high school. During some periods of my life I ran for time, at other times I would run for distance. As I grew older (I am 45 now) I started noticing a few things about myself and other runners that I would see on my routes.
First of all, I noticed that my conditioning didn’t really change as my runs changed. For example, I would go through periods where I would run 3 miles in a session and I would go through times where I would run 5 or 6 miles in a session. I never really noticed any change in my body fat during periods in which the frequency and distance of my runs would increase.
Secondly, I am a creature of habit. I would run the same routes at the same times and see the same people also running for their health and fitness. People who were running farther than me and faster than me often appeared to be in worse shape than I was in – at least in the way they looked.
I have stated this in blog posts before that I am not particularly vain about the way I look, however, if I am going to put the effort in I like to see the benefits of my labor. As it turns out, when we run too much, with too little recovery time, we can experience a variety of joint pains such as back pain, knee pain, ankle pain, etc and what has been termed the “Cortisol Effect”.
The Cortisol Effect is negative hormonal response to stress. In addition to causing achy joints, it can also cause body fat to be deposited around your midsection. These effects of cortisol are completely antagonistic to the reasons why we run. I have never met a runner who runs with the intention of creating joint pain and a propensity for depositing fat around their midsections.
In order to get more out of running as an exercise, you should rotate running with other exercise routines such as yoga, bike riding swimming, etc. Rotating different types of exercise will keep your body from adapting and help prevent injuries from repetition.
Finally, change the intensity levels of your runs – wind sprints give incredible conditioning, burn lots of calories and will give you explosive power that you won’t get from running a 10K.
Your’s In Good Health
Dr. Jones
(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com
Chiropractic and Your Diet – Foods that ease Joint Pain
What would you like to drink with your breakfast this morning, coffee or orange juice?
As a chiropractor I am always trying to arm the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic Clinic with information and strategies that will help them not only manage joint pain but prevent future occurrences.
Just recently I read an study that concluded that a compound called beta-cryptoxanthin found in orange juice can reduce the risk of autoimmune arthritic conditions known as polyarthritis.
Researchers involved in the study speculated that adding one glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice per day can provide enough beta-cryptoxanthin to protect against the arthritic condition.
Oranges and orange juice are also excellent sources of Vitamin C, another important nutrient that supports joint health. Although the researchers suspect that beta-cryptoxanthin may do the best job of protecting our joints there are other carotenoids that may also help protect against joint pain.
Your Joint-Friendly Shopping List
Use this joint-friendly grocery list to make shopping a breeze. The list is based on research that shows potential joint benefits from eating certain foods or nutrients. These foods or nutrients could potentially reduce joint-damaging inflammation or promote cartilage health.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Anthocyanins
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Vitamin C
Isoflavones
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Vitamin K
Polyphenols
Enzymes
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Can Chiropractic Cure Arthritis?
I had a patient ask me the other day if I could cure arthritis. My answer was “Yes and No”.
Arthritis, regardless of the type, typically results in permanent damage to the joint. There are many types of arthritis, some are the autoimmune type like rheumatoid or psoriatic.
With these types of arthritis, your immune system actually attacks the joints causing erosion of the joint surfaces as well as inflammation, pain and in severe cases disfigurement of the joint.
Other types of arthritis are the more typical wear and tear types. Usually these types of arthritis fall under the category of osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative joint disease, DJD, OA and spondylosis. Other factors affecting the onset of osteoarthritis include genetics, metabolic and developmental issues – all of which can cause a loss of the joints cartilage which provides the cushioning for the joint.
Symptoms of arthritis, regardless of the types include joint pain, tenderness, creaking noises, stiffness, locking of the joint and swelling as a result of inflammation.
So now I am back at the original question. Can I cure arthritis with chiropractic care?
The “no” part of the answer is that chiropractic care cannot reverse joint damage or “cure” a patient from autoimmune types of arthritis or reverse the effects of osteoarthritis.
The yes part of that answer follows the logic of chiropractic care. Chiropractic adjustments break down scar tissue and adhesions that restrict joint motion and are a source of pain. Scar tissue and adhesions are common with arthritis and do restrict motion and cause pain. Chiropractic care helps reduce the pain of arthritis and restore a portion of the lost range of motion that accompanies arthritis by controlling the formation of scar tissue.
In general, chiropractic care can help control the pain of arthritis and help restore joint motion.
Your’s In Good Health
Dr. Jones
(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com