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Information on Osteoarthritis including symptoms, causes and treatments. The article covers a number of natural pain relief treatments available from Tower Health as well as lots of tips on lifestyle changes that can help reduce joint pain caused by osteoarthritis as well as increasing mobility.
Information on Osteoarthritis including symptoms, causes and treatments. The article covers a number of natural pain relief treatments available from Tower Health as well as lots of tips on lifestyle changes that can help reduce joint pain caused by osteoarthritis as well as increasing mobility.
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Information on Osteoarthritis including symptoms, causes and treatments. The article covers a number of natural pain relief treatments available from Tower Health as well as lots of tips on lifestyle changes that can help reduce joint pain caused by osteoarthritis as well as increasing mobility.
Hak Cipta:
Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Format Tersedia
Unduh sebagai PDF, TXT atau baca online dari Scribd
What is Osteoarthritis? Who develops the disease? Did you know? Osteoarthritis (also known as degen- Osteoarthritis usually develops in "Osteoarthritis" is derived from erative arthritis) is a chronic disease people who are over 50 years of age, the Greek words "osteo", meaning involving the degradation of the and it is more common in women "of the bone", "arthro", meaning joints and surrounding cartilage. than in men. It is commonly thought "joint", and "itis", meaning that osteoarthritis is an inevitable inflammation. There are three main characteristics: part of getting older, but this is not • it causes damage to cartilage - true. Living with Osteoarthritis the strong, smooth surface that Whilst there is no cure for Os- lines the bones and allows Younger people can also be affected teoarthritis, there are many ways in joints to move easily and by osteoarthritis, often as a result of which the pain and other symptoms without friction, an injury or another joint condition. can be relieved. • it results in bony growths de- Did you know? veloping around the edge of Osteoarthritis is the most common Lifestyle changes the joints, and type of arthritis in the UK, with an • it causes mild inflammation of Weight control - Maintaining a estimated 8.5 million people the tissues around the joints. healthy weight can limit the strain affected by the condition. on the joints.
Assistive devices - Walking aids
Contributing factors such as a stick or cane can help also It is thought that there are probably reduce the pressure on painful joints several factors that contribute to the as well as providing support for development of osteoarthritis: balance. Joint injury or disease Shock absorbing footwear - Shoes Osteoarthritis can develop in a joint and insoles to absorb the impact of A healthy knee An arthritic knee that has been damaged by an injury, walking on the joints are often rec- or operation. Overusing your joint ommended. At Tower Health we when it is has not had enough time stock our own cut-to-fit shock ab- What are the symptoms? to heal, can also contribute to os- The onset is gradual and most often teoarthritis in later life. sorbing insoles. High heels should also be avoided as they cause unnec- affects weight bearing joints such as essary joint strain. the hips and knees although it can Genes plague almost any joints. In some cases, osteoarthritis may be Exercise - Regular low impact ac- passed on from one member of a tivities such as swimming and walk- family to another. It is estimated that ing help reduce stiffness and relieve Pain is the main symptom, which 40-60% of cases of hand, knee, and pain. Exercise is also good for re- usually worsens with exercise and is hip osteoarthritis may have a genetic relieved by rest. Morning stiffness is link, although the genes that carry lieving stress, losing weight, and improving your posture, all of which also common but diminishes with the condition are not yet known. will ease symptoms of osteoarthritis. movement. As the disease pro- gresses, joint mobility can be lost, Obesity and tenderness as well as grating Being obese puts excess strain on sensations may develop. Os- joints, particularly those that bear the most weight, such as the knees teoarthritis of the spine may lead to and hips. As a result, osteoarthritis shooting pains down the arms or can often be worse in those who are legs. significantly overweight. Pace yourself - Whilst keeping NSAID creams (Non-Steroidal Thermotherapy active is very important, be sure to Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) are often Thermotherapy is a form of treat- take time to relax and try to space prescribed and can be effective in ment that can be used for os- out physically hard jobs throughout relieving pain but over time cause teoarthritis. It uses warm and cold the day as opposed to doing every- stomach problems. thing all at once. temperatures to help ease the pain Gluco Aktiv is a natural and stiffness in your joints. A hot gel containing glucosa- water bottle filled with either hot or Supplements mine as well as eucalyp- cold water and applied to the af- A number of supplements are avail- tus, wintergreen, camphor fected area can be very effective in able for treating osteoarthritis. Two and rosemary to help helping to reduce pain. Special hot of the most common for osteoarthri- eliminate joint stiffness tis are chondroitin and glucosamine. and cold packs that can either be and prolong pain relief. cooled in the freezer, or heated in a microwave oven, are also available, Boswellia has anti-inflammatory and work in a similar way. properties found to be as effective as the frequently prescribed anti- inflammatory drug valdecoxib (Bextra). In addition, while the im- provements occurred more slowly in the boswellia group than in the valdecoxib group, they persisted for a longer period of time after The reason behind their use is that treatment ended. Tower Health's pain and mobility joint cartilage normally contains glucosamine and chondroitin com- Unlike NSAIDs, range offers a microwaveable heat pounds and taking supplements of however, long-term pack and warming joint supports. these natural ingredients may help use of boswellia improve the health of damaged os- does not lead to irri- teoarthritic cartilage. tation or ulceration The future of the stomach. We do not yet completely under- Studies on both have suggested that stand the causes of osteoarthritis nor the supplements can reduce symp- do we have the cure. However, re- toms and slow down the degreda- cent research is uncovering the tion of the joints. TENS Transcutaneous electrical nerve mechanisms which lead to joint Tower Health’s stimulation (TENS) is a treatment damage as well as the factors which Nutriplex joint method that typically involves small control the healing response. supplement also electrical pads (electrodes) being contains MSM to applied to the skin over the affected Doctors and researchers have reduce pain and changed their attitude a great deal in joint, which deliver small pulses of collagen improve recent years. They now see real joint flexibility and electricity from the TENS machine to naturally relieve pain. possibilities of understanding and strength. controlling osteoarthritis in the future. Osteoarthritis is no longer Topical creams seen as an inevitable part of ageing There are a number of creams avail- Tower Health’s PainGone device or a 'wear and tear' disease, but able to apply to painful joints with works on the principles of TENS more as a major challenge and an various effects. offer effective drug-free pain relief. important problem they can solve.
Tower Health Unit 1 Holly Court Business Park, Landmere Lane, Nottingham NG12 4DG Tel: 08450 066 077 Web: www.tower-health.co.uk