Revolutionizing Arthritis Wellness: A Better Approach
It’s likely that you or someone you know is dealing with some form of arthritis. You know about how difficult arthritis can make it to stand up from a chair, make it through the grocery store, get out of the car, open a jar, reach into the kitchen cabinet, write, or participate in your favorite recreational activity. People begin avoiding activity because of pain and this leads to weakness and more stiffness creating a vicious cycle that leads to a reduced ability to perform life’s vital activities.
There is a common misconception that nothing can be done.
IT'S TIME to change the way we think about arthritis!
IT’S TIME to change the idea that nothing can be done. IT’S TIME to change the idea that it will continue to get worse and that people have to suffer with the pain and put their lives on hold until it’s time for surgery, a total joint replacement.
Too often conventional medicine is focused on treating the symptoms of a condition instead of preventing, resolving, or improving the underlying condition. With arthritis, patients are typically offered: drugs, injections, and surgery.
Pain medication – Covers up pain BUT does not change the underlying condition. And pain medication can be addictive. According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, “Physical dependence and addiction to opioids may occur in as little as a few days. As many as one in four people receiving prescription opioids long term in a primary care setting struggles with opioid addiction.”
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – Reduce pain and inflammation BUT have gastrointestinal (stomach and intestine), cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel), and renal (kidney) health risks.
Corticosteroid injections – WORSEN the health of joint cartilage. One medical article indicates these injections cause “toxic damage to articular cartilage.” Research has found they increase the risk of needing a total knee replacement for those with and those at risk of developing osteoarthritis compared to those that don’t receive these injections.
And finally, surgery/total joint replacement – Studies vary in reported patient satisfaction after surgery but about 20% have an unsatisfactory outcome. So, surgery doesn’t provide a 100% guarantee of a satisfactory outcome. And there are risks associated with total joint surgery. Some risks include infection, loosening of the implant, failure of the implant, fracture, nerve injury, pneumonia, blood clots (deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism), persistent pain, stiffness/loss of motion, and allergic reaction to the metal implant.
At times these interventions may be needed and may be appropriate depending on the situation. Unfortunately, other healthy options that actually help arthritis are not typically offered to patients. These healthy, noninvasive options that have less risks and side effects could help prevent a patient from progressing to the need for or actually reduce the need for drugs, injections, or surgery. IT’S TIME to consider these healthy, noninvasive options!
A Better Way to Tackle Arthritis
These healthy options reduce pain and inflammation! More importantly, they actually improve the health of your joint and the strength of your cartilage, trigger your body’s healing process, and slow the progression of arthritis. I often hear, “But I don’t have any cartilage…it’s bone on bone…nothing can be done.” Well, if cartilage is totally gone, no, we can’t replace the cartilage but guess what’s there? Bone…bone that’s painful and inflamed because the cartilage isn’t there to protect it anymore. But guess what. There are things we can do to improve the health of that bone and reduce the pain from not having cartilage there. AND LET’S THINK ABOUT THIS: What if the cartilage is still there…it’s just irritated…maybe there’s some degeneration but the cartilage is still there. There are things you can do to improve the health and the strength of that cartilage and change the progression of arthritis. IT’S TIME to consider you may not be doomed to drugs, injections, and joint replacement in the future if you do the right things now. At the first diagnosis of arthritis, these healthy options should be presented to patients but unfortunately, they are not.
IT'S TIME to take a look at just a few examples of the many other healthy options that can actually help improve your condition and improve your life by getting you back to the activities you love.
Walking
A study by Lo, et.al. (1) found, “The likelihood of new frequent knee pain was reduced in participants with knee OA who walked for exercise as compared to those who were non-walkers and progression of medial joint space narrowing was less common in walkers compared to non-walkers.
This is evidence that walking reduces the likelihood of pain but more importantly changes the progression of the condition with less joint space narrowing. Yes, there is evidence that we can change the progression of the condition.
ESWT (Extracorporal Shockwave Therapy)
Shockwaves are a specific type of sound wave that help reduce pain and inflammation and stimulate healing. Shockwave therapy is a part of the growing field of regenerative medicine.
shockwave therapy
A study by Kang et. al. (2) found “ESWT is an effective, reliable, and noninvasive treatment in patients with painful bone marrow edema in osteoarthritis of the knee followed by a rapid normalization of the MRI appearance. It has the potential to shorten the natural course of this disease.”
Simplicio et. al. (3) report on the “chondroprotective effects” (cartilage-protective effects) of ESWT in their study. They report, “Shockwaves can generate interstitial and extracellular responses, producing many beneficial effects such as: pain relief, vascularization, protein biosynthesis, cell proliferation, neuro and chondroprotection, and destruction of calcium deposits in musculoskeletal structures. The combination of these effects can lead to tissue regeneration and significant alleviation of pain, improving functional outcomes in injured tissue.”
Manual Therapy
There are specific types of manual therapy that have been researched that can be employed to reduce pain and stiffness, improve joint motion, and improve the ability to perform daily activities. (4)
Healthy Dietary Patterns
Xu et. al. (5) found that dietary patterns can change the progression of arthritis and the symptoms associated with it.
And there is much more information and evidence out there about healthy options that help arthritis that you don’t hear about from providers in the traditional medical system.
For example, one study found that 75% of those eligible for a total knee
replacement DECLINED the operation after this intervention…can you guess what it is?
IT'S TIME!
Yes, there is a better way to address arthritis! Campbell Physical Therapy and Wellness is dedicated to improving arthritis care through it’s Arthritis Wellness Program.
– Craig Campbell, PT, DPT, OCS, CSMT, Cert. DN
• Doctor of Physical Therapy
• Board Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist
• Certified Spinal Manual Therapist
• Certified in Dry Needling
Want to learn more? Want to start living your life again? At Campbell Physical Therapy and Wellness, we are launching our Arthritis Wellness Program. This is a comprehensive program to address all of the healthy options that can help improve your life with arthritis and get you back to the activities that are important to you.
Arthritis Wellness Program:
A comprehensive program individualized to meet your needs consisting of interventions, treatments (including shockwave therapy), and education to improve your condition and your ability to perform the activities that are important to you.
Learn how to reduce the progression of arthritis, improve the health of your joints, and improve your arthritic condition without the use of medications, injections, and surgery.
Learn how to reduce your chances of needing a total joint replacement.
Treatments that reduce pain, reduce inflammation, and actually improve the health and strength of bone and cartilage.
Direct access to your doctor of physical therapy by phone, email, and text.
Wouldn’t it be nice not to have to worry about how you’re going to get the basic things in life done each day like getting dressed, standing up from a chair, walking to the mailbox, or cleaning the house. Wouldn’t it be even better if you could get back to the activities you enjoy like golfing, going out with your friends, having family over for a meal, or traveling.
