Posts Tagged ‘Arthritis New Fairfield CT’
Welcome to Chiropractic Life and Wellness Center's Arthritis New Fairfield CT Archive. Here you can learn more about Chiropractic Life and Wellness Center, Chiropractic, and Dr. Brandon Chorney, today's choice for Chiropractors in New Fairfield, CT. Read Dr. Brandon Chorney's Chiropractic Arthritis New Fairfield CT for the health of it.
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by Dr. Brandon Chorney | Jun 21, 2016 | Health Articles
Oh, we love to search online. So much so, it is not uncommon for someone to say, "I will Google it.". With today's hectic lifestyles our stress and pain overload is up and our time and patience are down. For solutions, many of us head to the extension of our hand - our smartphone or...
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by Dr. Brandon Chorney | Apr 5, 2016 | Health Articles
Many of us have been misled into thinking pain is a problem. Headache? Numb it. Gall bladder malfunctioning? Remove it. Sore throat? Soothe it. But pain is the effect, not the cause. Nowadays you are unable to turn on the television without a commercial appearing, for some new pharmaceutical that will cure whatever may ail...
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by Dr. Brandon Chorney | Feb 26, 2015 | Health Articles
As we look in the mirror or stand on a scale, we are measuring our health on a simple measurement of visual information. All the graphs and medical journals outline our health on simple measurements and determine where we should optimally range to be considered healthy. When it comes to our health internally we no...
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by Dr. Brandon Chorney | Dec 18, 2014 | Health Articles
One of the key tenets of chiropractic is that health is our natural state. If someone is not healthy which is often signaled by pain or disease, we look for what could be interfering with this natural state by looking for the underlying cause.
With that in mind chiropractic care is primarily designed to improve the flexibility of spinal joints. A loss of the spinal vertebral motion can lead to spinal muscle tightness and pain, which can manifest in various other physical problems such as headaches, lack of restful sleep, and increased irritability. By increasing the mobility in your neck, mid back, and lower back, chiropractic care helps your body function more efficiently. By removing the sources of the musculoskeletal irritation, chiropractic care can also reduce internal physiologic stress. Some benefits may include improved peace of mind, and a better response to your home and work environment.
Joint Stiffness with Age
Some people experience increasing musculoskeletal joint stiffness as they get older. They may notice that their shoulders, knees, and ankles are not as flexible as they used to be. Joints such as the shoulder, knee, and ankle are lubricated by synovial fluid. Synovial fluid keeps the joints moist, provides oxygen and nutrition, and washes away toxic end-products of the normal metabolic processes. The joints in your spine are also lubricated and maintained in this way. However, aging reduces the amount of available synovial fluid. Normal aging processes increase the viscosity of the remaining synovial fluid. Simply, you have less lubricant available and the lubricant that you do have is thicker. The result is stiffer joints, throughout your whole body.
As the joints begin to stiffen you may find it more difficult to bend over and pick up a dropped object and/or it is uncomfortable to turn your head around to see the car in the next lane. If you are experiencing these symptoms, the bad news is that, left untreated, the joints will get stiffer as you get older. Ignored, the joints will lose a large amount of mobility.
The good news, however, is that you can restore and revitalize much of your youthful flexibility.
Use It Or Lose It
One way to combat such physiologic aging is to keep active. This is a pretty big task for the people of today, in a world in which most of our time is spent at a desk or sat down. Human bodies were designed for hard, physical work. But as we have evolved from an agrarian to a more industrial society, and in recent times from an industrial to a service-based society, the type of work our bodies do has changed dramatically. When we’re not typing on a computer, we are at home watching TV or playing games on our electronic devices. None of these activities involves any actual active motion.
One key to joint health in today’s society is to counter act our static lifestyle. This includes creating time for exercise. Almost any type of exercise helps synovial fluid to become more available. The pumping of synovial fluid into joint spaces increases the lubrication into the joints. Exercise also raises the core temperature of the body, which subsequently decreases the thickness of the synovial fluid. The end result is our desired result of increased joint flexibility. This benefit is, more often than not, experienced immediately. The benefit will be long-lasting, but only if you continue to exercise regularly.
Plan Your Workouts For Maximum Benefit
Thirty minutes of exercise per day, 5 times a week, will help us maintain as much joint flexibility as possible. Switching between a cardiovascular exercise day and a strength training day is the optimal exercise program. Yoga can give a total body workout which uses cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and flexibility. The types of exercise you do are not as significant as the long-term consistency of the exercise.
Most importantly, regular vigorous exercise will provide great benefit to not only improve your joint flexibility, but it will also help to improve your general health and wellness!
by Dr. Brandon Chorney | Mar 13, 2014 | Health Articles
For decades, arthritis has been considered a part of aging. But not anymore. Surprisingly recent research points out that people much younger can develop rheumatoid arthritis pain but the best news is that people no longer need to suffer needlessly from the pain. Years ago, doctors hardly ever encouraged Rheumatoid Arthritis patients to “go take a hike” or “go for a swim.” Arthritis was considered an inherent part of the aging process and a signal to a patient that it’s time to slow down. Great news! Recent research and clinical findings show that there is much more to life for arthritis patients than the traditional recommendation of bed rest and drug therapy.
Understanding Rheumatoid Arthritis
The word “arthritis” means “joint inflammation” and is often used in reference to rheumatic diseases. Rheumatic diseases include more than 100 conditions, including gout, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and many more. Rheumatoid arthritis is also a rheumatic disease, affecting about 1 percent of the U.S. population (about 2.1 million people.)1 Although rheumatoid arthritis often begins in middle age and is more frequent in the older generation, it can also start at a young age.
Rheumatoid arthritis causes pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of function in the joints. Several features distinguish it from other kinds of arthritis:
- Tender, warm, and swollen joints.
- Fatigue, sometimes fever, and a general sense of not feeling well.
- Pain and stiffness lasts for more than 30 minutes after a long rest.
- The condition is symmetrical. If one hand is affected, the other one is, too.
- The wrist and finger joints closest to the hand are most frequently affected. Neck, shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, ankle, and feet joints can also be affected.
- The disease can last for years and can affect other parts of the body, not only the joints.2
Rheumatoid arthritis is highly individual. Some people suffer from mild arthritis that lasts from a few months to a few years and then goes away. Mild or moderate arthritis have periods of worsening symptoms (flares) and periods of remissions, when the patient feels better. People with severe arthritis feel pain most of the time. The pain lasts for many years and can cause serious joint damage and disability.
May I Exercise?
Exercise is critical in successful arthritis management. It helps maintain healthy and strong muscles, joint mobility, flexibility, endurance, and helps control weight. Rest, on the other hand, helps to decrease active joint inflammation, pain, and fatigue. For best results, arthritis patients need a good balance between the two: more rest during the active phase of arthritis, and more exercise during remission.2 During acute systematic flares or local joint flares, patients should put joints gently through their full range of motion once a day, with periods of rest. To see how much rest is best during flares, patients should talk to their health care providers.3
The following exercises are most frequently recommended for patients with arthritis:*
| Type of Exercise |
Benefits |
Frequency of Exercise |
| Range-of-motion exercises, e.g. stretching and dance |
Help maintain normal joint movement and increase joint flexibility. |
Can be done daily and should be done at least every other day. |
| Strengthening exercises, e.g. weight lifting |
Help improve muscle strength, which is important to support and protect joints affected by arthritis. |
Should be done every other day, unless pain and swelling are severe. |
| Aerobic or endurance exercises, e.g. walking, bicycle riding, and swimming |
Help improve the cardiovascular system and muscle tone and control weight. Swimming is especially valuable because of its minimal risk of stress injuries and low impact on the body. |
Should be done for 20 to 30 minutes three times a week unless pain and swelling are severe. |
Range-of-motion exercises
For example, stretching and dance help maintain normal joint movement and increase joint flexibility. Exercise can be done daily and should be done at least every other day. Strengthening exercises, e.g. weight lifting help improve muscle strength, which is important to support and protect joints affected by arthritis and should be done every other day, unless pain and swelling are severe. Aerobic or endurance exercises, e.g. walking, bicycle riding, and swimming help improve the cardiovascular system and muscle tone and control weight. Swimming is especially valuable because of its minimal risk of stress injuries and low impact on the body. This exercise can be done for 20 to 30 minutes three times a week unless pain and swelling are severe.
Important Note:
If patients experience
- Unusual or persistent fatigue,
- Increased weakness,
- Decreased range of motion,
- Increased joint swelling, or
- Pain that lasts more than one hour after exercising,
they need to talk to their health care provider.3 Doctors of chiropractic will help arthritis patients develop or adjust their exercise programs to achieve maximum health benefits with minimal discomfort and will identify the activities that are off limits for this particular arthritis patient.
Nutrition for the Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient
Arthritis medications help suppress the immune system and slow the progression of the disease. But for those who prefer an alternative approach, nutrition may provide complementary support. Some evidence shows that nutrition can play a role in controlling the inflammation, and possibly also in slowing the progression of rheumatoid arthritis.
Some foods and nutritional supplements can be helpful in managing arthritis:
- Fatty-acid supplements: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and gamma linolenic acid (GLA). Several studies point to the effectiveness of these fatty acid supplements in reducing joint pain and swelling, and lessening reliance on corticosteroids. 4,5
- Deep-sea fish, such as salmon, tuna, herring, and halibut, are sources of EPA and DHA. GLA is found in very few food sources, such as black currants and borage seed.
- Turmeric, a spice that’s used to make curry dishes, may also be helpful. A 95 percent curcuminoid extract has been shown to significantly inhibit the inflammatory cascade and provide relief of joint inflammation and pain.
- Ginger extract has been shown to be beneficial in terms of inflammation.
- Nettle leaf extract may inhibit some inflammatory pathways.
- A vegetarian or low-allergen diet can help with the management of rheumatoid arthritis as well.
The benefits and risks of most of these agents are being researched. Before taking any dietary supplement, especially if you are using medication to control your condition, consult with your health care provider.
What Can Your Doctor of Chiropractic Do?
If you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, your doctor of chiropractic can help you plan an individualized exercise program that will:
- Help you restore the lost range of motion to your joints.
- Improve your flexibility and endurance.
- Increase your muscle tone and strength.
Doctors of chiropractic can also give you nutrition and supplementation advice that can be helpful in controlling and reducing joint inflammation.
References
- Questions and Answers about Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. February 2002. Available from http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/arthritis/artrheu.htm.
- Handout on Health: Rheumatoid Arthritis. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Jan. 1998, revised Nov. 1999. Available from http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/arthritis/rahandout.htm.
- Questions and Answers about Arthritis and Exercise. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. May 2001. Available from http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/arthritis/arthexfs.htm.
- Fortin Paul R., et al. Validation of a meta-analysis: the effects of fish oil in rheumatoid arthritis. J Clin Epidemiol, Vol. 48, 1995, pp. 1379-90.
- Navarro Elisabet, et al. Abnormal fatty acid pattern in rheumatoid arthritis – A rationale for treatment with marine and botanical lipids. J Rheum, Vol. 27, February 2000, pp. 298-303.
For decades, arthritis has been considered a part of aging. But not anymore. Surprisingly recent research points out that people much younger can develop rheumatoid arthritis pain but the best news is that people no longer need to suffer needlessly from the pain. Years ago, doctors hardly ever encouraged Rheumatoid Arthritis patients to “go take a hike” or “go for a swim.” Arthritis was considered an inherent part of the aging process and a signal to a patient that it’s time to slow down. Great news! Recent research and clinical findings show that there is much more to life for arthritis patients than the traditional recommendation of bed rest and drug therapy.