Is Arthritis A Life Sentence?
“Almost every one over 60 years of age will have enough arthritis present to be detected in x-rays"
You will develop arthritis at some point in your lifetime. It can be very mild, causing a little stiffness as you age, or it can be extremely painful and debilitating. Fortunately, there are things you can do to prevent and manage this condition.
Movement is the best prescription you could get for arthritis. Arthritis is not actually a disease. Loss of muscle function causes stiffness and joint pain.
Arthritis is a term used to describe joint inflammation ("arthro" = joint; "itis" = inflammation). When inflammation is present, the joint is usually painful.However, not all joint pain is arthritis. Problems like loss of muscle function, trigger points, sprains, or tendinitis can cause pain, but the joint itself remains healthy.
There are virtually dozens of problems or pathologies that are considered arthritis. Two of the most common are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Other types of arthritis like lupus, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and Reiter's syndrome are less common. These are all systemic conditions. What differentiates each of these is the specific joints that become affected, the problems that occur in other body systems, and the severity of the symptoms.
Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other types of systemic arthritis most often involves the use of medications in conjunction with massage, joint mobilization and exercise. By following this type of regimen, a person can usually minimize their pain and discomfort significantly.
If it starts to give you problems, it can usually be managed very well without medication. It is vitally important, however, that you take proactive measures to prevent wear and tear on your joints.
You must manage your tension and maintain good posture to prevent excessive or uneven pressure on your joints. Your brain controls your muscles and movement. When muscles learn to stay tight and contracted due to stress (compensation due to a surgery or accident, over training in sports, emotional stress or repetitive movements), they literally lose their ability to relax voluntarily. Learn how to restore voluntary muscle function and proper posture and those achy joints have space to move properly. Chronically contracted muscles put pressure on joints, making it difficult to move them freely.Soma Yoga changes the neuroplasticity of your brain, allowing ease of movement and reduction of stiffness.
If you want to learn how to improve your posture, attend a four week Soma Yoga series. In this series you will learn what muscles are chronically tight, what muscles have fallen asleep and dysfunctional muscle movement patterns. Re-educating your muscles will release joint tension and pain. Another result is a change your posture! The next Soma Yoga series starts Tues Oct 6 at 6:45 pm or Thurs Oct 8 at 10:30 am
Massage therapists are trained in fascial, muscle energy therapy and deep tissue techniques that will allow them to manually stretch out shortened muscles that are pulling your body out of alignment. In addition heat, hot stones, magnesium oil, aromatherapy, herbal anti-inflammatories & analgesics can be used during massage to assist in pain relief and promote relaxation.
Do you have to stop exercising because your cartilage is wearing thin? Far from it. You need to move your joints to get nutrients to your cartilage so it can heal. Inactivity can actually cause your cartilage to deteriorate faster. If you have a sedentary job, make sure that you take frequent breaks. As well, engage in some low impact activities like walking, swimming, biking or any activity that you enjoy doing on a regular basis.
If you need help starting a program ask your therapist for assistance. In the case of osteoarthritis, you should consider surgery only after conservative treatment has failed and pain and limitation in movement interferes with your day-to-day activities in a significant way. With arthritic conditions, some joints will lose their mobility, while other joints will tend to become hypermobile. Your muscles have to work harder to both compensate for lost movement and to stabilize loose joints.
Remember that cartilage doesn't feel pain. The pain associated with arthritis usually comes from overworked muscles, dysfunctional movement patterns, sensory motor amnesia or sometimes from the capsule that surrounds the joint. For this reason, Soma Yoga can be invaluable in managing your symptoms. Therapeutic massage to reduce muscle spasm, trigger point therapy to reduce referred pain, and when necessary, joint mobilization to stretch tightened joints and restore your mobility
Massage therapists are trained in fascial, muscle energy therapy and deep tissue techniques that will allow them to manually stretch out shortened muscles that are pulling your body out of alignment. In addition heat, hot stones, magnesium oil, aromatherapy, herbal anti-inflammatories & analgesics can be used during massage to assist in pain relief and promote relaxation.
Do you have to stop exercising because your cartilage is wearing thin? Far from it. You need to move your joints to get nutrients to your cartilage so it can heal. Inactivity can actually cause your cartilage to deteriorate faster. If you have a sedentary job, make sure that you take frequent breaks. As well, engage in some low impact activities like walking, swimming, biking or any activity that you enjoy doing on a regular basis.
If you need help starting a program ask your therapist for assistance. In the case of osteoarthritis, you should consider surgery only after conservative treatment has failed and pain and limitation in movement interferes with your day-to-day activities in a significant way. With arthritic conditions, some joints will lose their mobility, while other joints will tend to become hypermobile. Your muscles have to work harder to both compensate for lost movement and to stabilize loose joints.
Remember that cartilage doesn't feel pain. The pain associated with arthritis usually comes from overworked muscles, dysfunctional movement patterns, sensory motor amnesia or sometimes from the capsule that surrounds the joint. For this reason, Soma Yoga can be invaluable in managing your symptoms. Therapeutic massage to reduce muscle spasm, trigger point therapy to reduce referred pain, and when necessary, joint mobilization to stretch tightened joints and restore your mobility
