Arthritis is Not Caused by Old Age
| 02 March 2010
Arthritic aches and pains are a major issue in our ageing workforce. According to Professor Paul Hodges from University of Queensland’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences body aches, pains and injuries are the second most expensive cause of lost productivity at work and health care expenditure in Australia. Only cardiovascular disease costs our society more.
With arthritis making up a significant proportion of our injuries and pains, the big concern is that so many people are being left with the impression by well-meaning health professionals that arthritis is an inevitable part of ageing. Although arthritic pains may become more common as you age does that mean that arthritis is caused by old age?
Surely if arthritis was caused by old age then all of your body would be worn out to the same degree because it is the same age. But in reality you will find that arthritic change is more advanced in some parts of your body compared to others completely dismissing the myth that old age causes arthritis.
With arthritic aches and pains interfering with the productivity of our ageing workforce and the quality of our lives it is important to understand what actually causes arthritis?
The New First Aid Protocol That Reduces Pain and Inflammation
| 02 March 2010
Whenever you injure yourself, you are taught to follow the traditional first aid protocol of R.I.C.E. For those who haven’t heard of it, R.I.C.E. stands for: Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation
Considering that musculoskeletal injuries are the second most expensive cause of lost productivity at work in Australia (cardiovascular disease is no. 1) there is now a more advanced way to help injured workers relieve pain and get back to work as soon as possible. This M.I.C.E. protocol is a more effective and holistic approach to reducing pain and inflammation because it addresses the physical AND chemical aspects of pain and inflammation simultaneously.
Get Injured Workers Back To Work Quicker By Avoiding This Mistake
| 21 November 2009
If you had any doubt about how much pain can suck the energy right out of you, you only needed to look at Graham. At the age of 39, he was bent over in agony and shuffling along like an old man. Even his face was wrinkled from the continual wincing in pain. I helped him to lie face down on the table so I could examine his inflamed lower back. As I felt his inflamed lower back I exclaimed "Oh no!" in exasperation. I had realised that he had committed one of the cardinal sins that often prolongs pain and recovery.Antioxidant supplementation can delay recovery from muscle damage
| 01 November 2009
After the initial euphoria of finishing my first marathon my fatigued legs began to let me know what they thought of being put through such an ordeal. Walking more like one of the characters from the Muppets, I gingerly made my way to a nearby public pool where I spent the next hour wading in water to help my aching muscles recover. Everyone knows that exercise is good for your health and is a vital component to an energetic and productive lifestyle. But exercise can also cause some harm your body. It can cause muscle damage, fatigue and inflammation. In fact, if not properly managed, exercise can become a form of stress.
Research shows that the more exercise you do, the better your body becomes at minimizing any harmful effects from exercise. Every health professional, elite athlete and weekend warrior has their ideas on what can help your body cope with these rigours of exercise. One commonly prescribed suggestion was to supplement your diet with antioxidants. The thinking was since antioxidants in your blood are a key component to repairing damage in your body, then surely if you flood your body with even more antioxidants, then it should assist in this repairing process.
Researchers at the University of Porto in Portugal1 decided to see if antioxidant supplementation can assist in the recovery of aching muscles. They researched 20 athletes (14 men and 6 women) from the national kayaking and canoeing teams. These elite athletes were engaged in a controlled competitive period of training for the European Championships.
Does cracking your joints give you arthritis?
| 20 July 2009
Graham had been working solidly on his computer for hours and the tension building in his neck, shoulders and arms told him that it was time to have a break. He interlocks his fingers and stretches them forward causing his knuckles to ‘pop’ like bubble-wrap. He then tilted his head to one side. Grabbing the back of his head with one hand and pushing up on his chin with the heel of his other hand, he pushes somewhat violently until he hears a ‘crack’ of relief emanating from his neck. Right in the middle of his contortions one of his colleagues walks into his office.
“Ooh, that’s gross. You know you’ll get arthritis if you keep doing that to yourself,” she declared.
“Who cares?” replied Graham indignantly, “It feels so much better.”
With my background as a chiropractor, I have often been called upon to solve arguments between family, friends and work colleagues on this particular question:
“Does ‘cracking’ of the joints give you arthritis?”
But firstly, you may be wondering what actually causes the ‘cracking’ noise of the joints?
When can you use heat packs and heat creams?
| 09 July 2009
“Let me be very clear about this. Do not ever use heat packs or heat cream as a treatment for injuries,” I declared.
As I anticipated a murmur of confusion, raised eyebrows and exchanges of glances bubbled throughout the hall. I had been invited by one of the clubs trainers to speak to a hundred of the best Australian Rules footballers in the district on injury management and prevention. To this day I am still surprised how so many people still use heat to treat injuries rather than using ice.
“For treatment of injuries you must you ice to reduce the inflammation. Heat increases inflammation. You don’t see any of the professional footy players that injure themselves with a heat pack strapped to them. They use ice.”
One of the senior players got up defiantly. “I have used heat creams before and they have helped me.”
“That is because you feel the heat instead of the pain. The heat masks the pain but can increase the underlying inflammation.”
“Do you suggest that we throw the heat creams out or is there anything that heat creams can be used for?”