The type of arthritis we are describing is most often touted as the “wear and tear” type osteoarthritis and has been strictly associated with age for far too long.  It is the most common type of arthritis and can be detected in 35% of the general population by 30 years of age and it’s my opinion that number is far to low.  By the time someone is 70 years old, this condition appears to be universal.

A study by J.S. Lawrence revealed that osteoarthritis can be noted on an X-ray in 10% of 15 year old children and I stand and scream “this is not OK!!”

Osteoarthritis has been characterized clinically by pain, deformity, reduced range of motion, stiffness and eventually partial or complete disability.  It’s unfortunate but is has been universally accepted as a simple and inescapable part of aging.  Any notion or thought even remotely associated with slowing or halting the process and even reversing it has been labeled, until recently, as impossible.

Repairing the Joints

Joints in your body are area where two bones come together for the purpose of motion.  The ends of these bones are lined with a soft tissue cartilage that is designed to reduce friction so that the motion of the joint is smooth and painless.  As a matter of fact, the surface of the cartilage that lines your joints is so perfect as to be almost entirely without friction.  Also, an interesting fact about cartilage is that it has the ability to heal itself and is characterized as self-regenerating.  Along with the cartilage is a special material called synovial fluid that constantly bathes the joint and acts as a lubricant.  The process of arthritis is your own body’s attempt to repair something that has been damaged or is under stress, such as from a vertebral subluxation (mis-alignment) of the spinal bones.

Spinal vertebra are separated by a disc that acts as a shock absorbing material that undergoes a number of changes as a result of excess or improper stress.  These discs tend to decrease in size and cracks form in the material.  These changes tend to lead to instability of the joints and as a result, the normal body’s repair phenomena is called into play in an attempt to stabilize an area that is unstable.  As a result, we see the formation of calcium deposits and bone spurs that cause the pain and limited range of motion and are evident on the X-rays.  Arthritis is no longer seen in terms of an actual disease, rather it is viewed as your own body attempting to repair an area of your spine which is unstable.

But fun fact…. arthritis is not caused by aging, rather it is caused by chronic stress on the joints and some of the spinal bones remaining out of alignment for long periods of time.  We see children with this condition because the process of pregnancy and birth cause a traumatic incident that creates the subluxation from the beginning.

What is the take-home message?

The good new is that odds are often in your favor to slow down, halt and even reverse this condition when you take the proper steps.  It is important to have your spine checked as soon as possible if you have not already do this.  Far too often people wait until they are in pain or have stiffness before they take action but by this time, the process has advanced further than anticipated.  It is also important to have your children checked to determine whether or not they have subluxations, not only from the perspective of ensuring normal health and function but also to make certain that there is no error in the function of the vertebra that will lead to the arthritic process.  There are also some things you can take that can help in the recovery process….

-Glucosamine sulphate with chondroitin which helps to repair the collagen matrix that comprises your cartilage, discs and other ligaments

-Devil’s claw root and tumeric are natural anti-inflammatory substances that slow the body’s abnormal repair process

-Magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin B and bioflavonoids can all be consumed by children

*Be sure to consult with a doctor before starting yourself or your children on any of these substances and speak with a naturopath or homeopath for additional nutritional recommendations specific to your situation.

Through a proper health history, examination and X-rays, a chiropractor can detect these changes early and put together a plan to aid in the recovery.  If you have any specific questions, please call 918-940-4630 to set up your complimentary consultation to speak with Dr. Travis Ring to discuss your situation.  Like it’s stated earlier, early intervention is the key to keeping the odds in your favor.

The post Do I have arthritis or spinal degeneration? first appeared on Chiropractor Broken Arrow.

The most common reason the pain or numbness or even tingling will be shooting down your leg from your back is that you are having a disc problem in your lower back that is irritating your lumbar nerves or sciatic nerve bundle. Disc problems such as, disc bulges, inflamed discs due to injury, disc herniations, disc extrusions are all very painful. The good news is that research shows that after twelve months, patient outcomes are basically statistically the same whether the patient has conservative care such as chiropractic manipulative therapy (chiropractic adjustments) or surgery. The bad news is that regardless of what option you pick for yourself, it can take a long time to heal. If you have a disc problem, it as usually a long time coming. Typically you would have weak muscles and inflexibility for a long time that went without stretching or strengthening and also poor movement patterns in your spine involving your vertebrae that placed extra stress on joints that weren’t designed to take it.

You can also have tight muscles that compress or entrap nerves. This can happen with your piriformis, hip flexors such as your psoas muscle, and even your hamstrings. As muscles start to bunch up and the muscle fibers adhere together forming scar tissue it then starts to wrap up the nerve fibers and create additional compression on your nerves. A good chiropractor should be able to adequately diagnose and often correct what is pinching on your nerve and causing you pain.

If you are having an episode of this, get an ice pack out of the freezer and call us. We will be able to diagnose your problem correctly. Do not heat your injury because it will get even more inflamed. Please remember when you visit your chiropractor to have realistic expectations. Any back problem that is extending into your leg, is not going to go away overnight. You will need regular and frequent care to feel better for the long term but chiropractic has a tremendous success rate for conditions like this.  If you have any questions or would like to schedule a complimentary consultation to discuss your situation, please give us a call at 918-940-4630.  If you found this information helpful, please help us spread the word and pass this along to someone in need.

The post Why is Pain Shooting Down My Leg From My Back? first appeared on Chiropractor Broken Arrow.

First of all, evaluate your sleeping posture.  If you prefer to sleep on your back, you need a pillow with the support (neck roll) under your neck.  The bulk of the pillow should not be under your head.  If your preference is to sleep on your side, you need a thicker pillow to keep your head in line with your neck.  If you are sleeping on a feather pillow that flattens out during the night or a thin foam pillow, that isn’t going to work.  You will spend a lot of the night with your head tilted towards the bed pinching off the nerves that exit your spine.  That causes you to wake up with neck pain and numbness.

Secondly,  I really like to read at night before I go to bed.  It’s a nice little ritual that helps me wind down from my day and makes me tired.  I found a pillow at Walmart here in Broken Arrow that is perfect for holding a kindle or a book.  It even has a nice pocket if you wear reading glasses.  It is shaped like a pyramid and has a little ridge around it the reader sits within.  For those of you who like books, it also has a long tassel to keep your page.  You can keep it on your lap, your table or take it to bed.  It keeps the book at an angle so your head isn’t constantly looking down.

Thirdly, ask yourself why you have neck pain and headaches.  Have you left a problem untreated for years only for your muscular imbalances to worsen?  Do you spend endless hours on devices such as laptops, phones, and tablets?  Do you have a career that restricts you to a desk and computer the majority of the day?

It’s important to ask yourself what shape you want your spine to be in 5 years from now.  If the answer is better than it is right now, you need to change your device habits and also find a chiropractor so that you can correct the damage that years of looking forward and down have caused.

The post Do you wake up with neck pain and numbness? first appeared on Chiropractor Broken Arrow.