Archive for Osteoarthritis
Dr. Donald Bolt, your Oxnard Chiropractor, knows that trauma sustained from a fall, an auto accident, sports injury, or some other acute event can happen to both young and old, alike. However, commonly the knee challenges that most of us experience as we get older are diagnosed as “non-trauma knee problems.” In other words, our knee problems are the result of chronic dysfunction that, over time, has developed into substantial or even extreme knee pain. Chiropractors, like Dr. Bolt, treat nearly as many people with knee complaints as they do people with back pain. However, if more patients came in to see their chiropractor sooner for back care, it is less likely that they would incur knee problems in the first place. Why?
The answer is the compensatory, “chain-reaction” way in which the musculoskeletal system performs. The entire musculoskeletal system shifts and tilts in order to counterbalance an area of dysfunction. For example, pain in the patella (kneecap), also known as Patella Femoral Syndrome (Knee Cap Pain), is frequently the result of imbalances in the quadriceps muscles of the thigh that connect to and move the patella. These imbalances commonly begin in the lower back, especially in the sacroiliac joint. You may remember the old song, “…the knee bone’s connected to the thigh bone…” and so on. Chronic challenges are never isolated because we are whole, organic beings from our head to our toes, or to put it another way, we are one skeletal system from our skull to phalanges. That’s why restricted foot movements due to foot pain, will usually produce painful knee problems, and poor knee tracking will develop as the result of incorrect gait patterns such as pronation (walking like a duck with toes pointed out rather than straight ahead). And, finally, being overweight and the wearing of high heels on a regular basis will eventually create knee pain.
Chiropractic treatment can re-establish proper muscle balance, restore desired motion to the patella and other knee joints, and realign subluxations of the sacroiliac joints and bones of the foot. The tissues of the knee joint, expressly the cartilage, will continue to wear if knee problems are left untreated. If the bones start to rub on one another, bones spurs and other changes can take place.
Musculoskeletal problems, such as knee pain and degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis), generally increase with age. You may have heard the saying: “Today you are younger than you will ever be.” So, don’t waste time, see Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard, as soon as possible. In fact, call him today…for tomorrow’s sake!
Your Oxnard Chiropractor Discusses New Research On Tai Chi and Knee Osteoarthritis
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Knee X-ray
Dr. Donald Bolt, your Oxnard Chiropractor, has treated many patients suffering from knee pain and knee osteoarthritis (OA). Osteoarthritis is a prevalent form of arthritis that causes a wearing away of joint cartilage in a number of areas of the body, including the joints of the knee. Second only to spinal problems, knee pain and disability is one of the most commonplace afflictions of the musculoskeletal system. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there are an astounding 4.3 million people in this country over age 60 diagnosed with knee OA, and the CDC anticipates that half of the men and women in America may incur symptoms of OA in at least one knee by age 85. Knee osteoarthritis results in pain, mobility limitations, dysfunction and disability, and a reduced quality of life.
Why do so many adults develop OA? Undue stress over a period of time is a major determinant in the majority of musculoskeletal conditions that develop as we get older. That is why as people get older they are more at risk for developing OA in their knees, as well as other joints. Improper mechanics of the knee, improper gait, compensatory foot mechanics as an offset of foot pain, and overuse of the knee joint all produce excessive stress on the knees. Consequently arthritic changes in the knee joint occur. The majority of chiropractors advise their patients to try such natural, drug-free practices as Tai Chi, as an adjunct to their chiropractic management. Tai Chi (Chuan) is a traditional style of Chinese martial arts that features slow, rhythmic movements that create mental relaxation, as well as increased balance, an augmentation of strength, and more flexibility.
A new study conducted by Tufts University School of Medicine has determined that men and women 65 years and older who suffer from knee osteoarthritis (OA), and who practice Tai Chi, improved their physical capability and encountered less pain.Though in good health otherwise, the 40 men and women with confirmed OA that were picked for the Tufts study were on an average 65 years of age and overweight. Individuals were randomly chosen to participate in 60-minute “Yang style” Tai Chi sessions twice weekly for 12 weeks. Each session included a 10-minute self-massage and a review of Tai Chi principles, 30 minutes of Tai Chi movement, 10 minutes of breathing technique, and 10 minutes of relaxation.
Tai Chi incorporates many of the current exercise suggestions for OA, such as range of motion, flexibility, muscle conditioning, and aerobic workout. Furthermore, researchers noted that the “mental component” of Tai Chi stimulated a sense of well-being, life satisfaction, and perceptions of health that assisted the participants in dealing differently with chronic pain. Significantly, the group practicing Tai Chi experienced a substantial decrease in knee pain compared with those in the control group.
Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard, can help to get rid of your current knee pain. And, regular chiropractic management, coupled with a natural practice such as Tai Chi, can keep you out of pain in the years to come!
Full findings of the study are published in the November 2009 issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.
Your Chiropractor in Oxnard Can Help You to Stop Suffering From Hip Pain Now!
Posted by: | CommentsDr. Donald Bolt, your Oxnard Chiropractor, wants to help you stop suffering from hip pain as soon as possible. He’s well aware that your hip pain most likely wakes you up in the night and makes it impossible for you to get a good night’s sleep. He also knows that when you get up in the morning, or when you get out of your car, you’re probably stiff and find it initially difficult to move your legs, and that when you do finally move, you experience pain in one or both hips whenever you twist or rotate them or when you cross your legs. How does Dr. Bolt know all this? He’s relieved the hip pain of hundreds of patients with these complaints. If all of the symptoms just mentioned sound familiar to you, it is likely that you have imbalances and alignment problems in your lower extremities that, in addition to generating hip pain, can in the course of time produce degenerative joint disease in your hips if not treated.
Even though hip pain and related problems commonly point to age-related degenerative conditions, especially osteoarthritis of the hip joint, osteoarthritis (OA) isn’t always the perpetrator. In fact, rather than being the original source of the problem, osteoarthritis of the hip joint can be the end result of injury to your hips at a previous time.
Gait changes caused by biomechanical injury such as an ankle sprain or knee strain, can produce hip pain. Also, if you change jobs, alter the way you sit, take on a new sport or activity, or start driving for long periods of a regular basis, your gait may alter to compensate for these new changes.
In addition, gait asymmetries can occur from leg length dissimilarities, foot pronation problems, even carrying a baby or small child on your hip. The point is, anything that produces an asymmetry or imbalance when you are in motion can cause painful hip problems.
As part of the chiropractic management of your hip problem, along with adjustments, Dr. Bolt may prescribe orthotics and will offer suitable progressive rehabilitative exercises that include muscle stretching and strengthening.
Hip pain won’t go away on its own. Hip pain means that something needs remedying. Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard, can help you to get out of pain, get back in balance, and get your life back now!
