Tag: National Institute of Arthritis

Experiencing Ache Knees and Back? You may have Osteoarthritis

Experiencing Ache Knees and Back? You may have Osteoarthritis
Kamau Austin

Are you noticing as you mature you are experiencing stiffness or
pain in your knees, ankles, back, and elbows? If you are 35 and
above symptoms like these may be the early signs of
Osteoarthritis.

What is Osteoarthritis?

According to the US government’s National Institute of Arthritis
and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases “Osteoarthritis is the
most common type of arthritis, especially among older people.
Sometimes it is called degenerative joint disease or
osteoarthrosis.”

Moreover Osteoarthritis is a joint disease that mostly affects
the cartilage. Cartilage is the slippery tissue that covers the
ends of bones in a joint.

Unlike other forms of arthritis which may affect internal organs
Osteoarthritis primarily causes problems between the cartilage
and joints.

Healthy cartilage allows bones to glide over one another. It
also absorbs energy from the shock of physical movement. In
osteoarthritis, the surface layer of cartilage breaks down and
wears away.

In other words as we mature you can start to experience
Osteoarthritis because the cartilage between you knees, back,
and other joints may begin to erode or wear away.

This allows bones under the cartilage to rub together, causing
pain, swelling, and loss of motion of the joint. Over time, the
joint may lose its normal shape. Also bone spurs, small growths
called entophytes, may grow on the edges of the joint. Bits of
bone or cartilage can break off and float inside the joint
space. This causes more pain and damage.

According to government studies Osteoarthritis affects about 20
million Americans. Over 50 % of Americans over 65 have
osteoarthritis in a least one joint. It is more common for men
than women to have osteoarthritis before 45. However after 45 it
is more common for women to experience the symptoms of this
condition. By 2030 70 million Americans will be over the age of
65 and may be at risk for osteoarthritis.

While younger people may get osteoarthritis from sports related
knee and joint injuries osteoarthritis is primarily a condition
more mature people experience. If you experience symptoms like
the ones described above talk to you doctor to see if you have
osteoarthritis or some other condition.

The symptoms of osteoarthritis seem to appear in the knee, lower
back, ends of the fingers, back of the neck, thumbs and hips.

Some of the treatments the doctor may prescribe are:

1. – Exercise is inexpensive and may help with a number of
health problems including certain forms of osteoarthritis. As
you may know exercise can help improve your attitude,
disposition, mood and overall outlook, decrease pain, increase
flexibility, improve the heart and blood flow, maintain weight,
and promote general physical fitness.

Reports have shown if done correctly, it has few negative side
effects. The amount and form of exercise will depend on which
joints are involved, how stable the joints are, and whether a
joint replacement has already been done.

The proper exercise may help you recapture some range of
movement in stiff joints.

2. – Weight control: Osteoarthritis patients who are overweight
or obese need to lose weight. Weight loss can reduce stress on
weight-bearing joints and limit further injury. A dietitian can
help patients develop healthy eating habits. A healthy diet and
regular exercise help reduce weight.

3. Medicines: Doctors prescribe medicines to eliminate or reduce
pain and to improve functioning. Doctors consider a number of
factors when choosing medicines for their patients with
osteoarthritis. Two important factors are the intensity of the
pain and the potential side effects of the medicine. Patients
must use medicines carefully and tell their doctors about any
changes that occur.

4 – Surgery : As a last resort a surgery to replace a joint may
be in order from your doctor.

For many people, surgery helps relieve the pain and disability
of osteoarthritis. Surgery may be performed to remove loose
pieces of bone and cartilage from the joint if they are causing
mechanical symptoms of buckling or locking Resurface (smooth
out) bones Reposition bones Replace joints. Surgeons may replace
affected joints with artificial joints called prostheses. These
joints can be made from metal alloys, high-density plastic, and
ceramic material.

Before undertaking expensive surgery or investing in pricey
medicines perhaps you should consider taking a health supplement
called Phosoplex. Phosoplex a product of Optimal Therapeutics,
boasts some of the best ingredients available to help alleviate
pain associated with Osteoarthritis.

I have used Phosoplex when training in fitness activity to help
rid myself of knee and back pain. I would strongly recommend you
investigating this quality product if you seek relief from
Osteoarthritis.

About the author:
Kamau Austin is a health and fitness enthusiast and advocate. He
is also the publisher of … www.healthandfitnessvitality.com .
He writes on a regular basis on timeless health and fitness tips
at the Fit After Forty Blog. See more useful health and fitness
news and tips at…
http://www.healthandfitnessvitality.com/blogs/fitnessblog.htm

MASSAGE FOR YOUNG CHILREN

Countless studies and pediatric research have shown that massage therapy is supremely beneficial for a wide variety of conditions in young children. As a matter of fact, these studies revealed that massage therapy for young children is a crucially important supplemental treatment to conventional medicine. However, these studies further showed that, in many cases, massage therapy on its own works better in relieving symptoms of many disturbing conditions than do medications and other standard procedures associated with Western medicine.

According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMA), more than twenty percent of all children, from newborns to toddlers and early school year children, are afflicted with eczema at some point in their young lives and roughly the same percentage is true for infants and young children suffering from traumatic burns. For that reason, the pain and suffering of trauma burns and eczema are counted among the most common pediatric skin conditions in the United States. Most studies bring to light the following findings:

* Young burn trauma patients who were treated with a massage therapy sessions for approximately thirty minutes before any kind of medical or nursing procedures, were more relax physically as well as mentally through the process and they, therefore, experienced less discomfort or pain.

It is important to stress here that the massage treatment was applied only to areas which were not affected by burns.

* Young children suffering from eczema (also known as atopic dermatitis) who were given massage treatments before and while being treated with skin medications such as emollients and ointments exhibited less apprehension and they were more willing to cooperate. In addition, the physical conditions of their skins dramatically improved as redness subsided, as did lichenification, scaling, excoriation and pruritus.

The therapy in these conditions ideally consists of two phases. First phase to ensure smooth strokes during the massage treatment, the childs body is moisturized with a dermatitis medication. Second phase being very careful to avoid particularly sensitive areas of the body, a series of varied massage techniques is used on the childs face, chest, stomach, legs and arms.

The Childrens Mercy Hospital of Kansas City, Missouri has been using massage therapy to alleviate chronic pain from headaches and migraines in young children and, in the process, also relieving their levels of anxiety and distress, lowering their heart rates, improving their gastrointestinal systems, promoting the release of endorphins and bringing their entire bodies to a state of calmness. And all these positive effects seem to be immediate or nearly immediate.

Applying massage therapies to infants and young children is not at all a newly discovered concept as it has been a daily practice in the Eastern and African cultures for many generations. They understood that the first sense to develop in humans is the sense of touch and that it is essential to health and wellness. Massage treatments for the young members among ancient cultures served to heal, to energize, to calm and to reinforce close bonding and the sense of trust and security.

Having been working zealously on the subject of massage for young children for the past ten or so years, Dr. Tiffany Field and her associates at the Touch Research Institute (TRI) in Miami, Florida insist that, Every child, no matter the age, should be massaged at bedtime on a regular basis.

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