by Linda Walker, Peninsula Physiotherapy & Massage –
As fall fast approaches, patients are reporting stiffness returning to their bodies. This is common here in the rainforest and comes with the territory! People are also commenting about how unprepared they feel for their body’s aging processes.
Since this is the Innovation Issue, I thought I’d help enlighten people with new knowledge in three areas of health.
First, let’s dispel the myth of osteoarthritis being a “disease.” The purpose of clarification is to empower and change people’s view of their health to become active in their body’s maintenance. Too often, as soon as someone says you’ve got a “disease,” you feel like there’s nothing you can do about it. Here’s where knowledge can change your view and lead you to take positive action.
Osteoarthritis is the natural result of pressure and friction created by gravity and daily use of your weight bearing joints, spinal column included. We learned in grade 11 physics that when you rub two cells together the results are heat, and the wear and tear of the surfaces (you were paying attention in class, right?). This is what defines and causes osteoarthritic changes to your joints over time. Now that you’re in the know, what can you do about it?
Well, we can’t live on the moon, but you can certainly do exercises that create space for your joints. It stands to reason that since gravity is squishing you down every day, a daily space-creating elongation program is necessary for best results. So when patients ask me how long they have to do their exercises, the answer is always: “Until you don’t want to use your body anymore.”
One of the newer treatments for osteoarthritis is injecting joints with your own spun blood to increase the amount of cell healing potential in the joint. Called PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma), there is some evidence that it may create short-term relief. But gravity is still coming! So the best way forward is to use this type of treatment for temporary relief so that you can get moving with exercises that lubricate the joints and buy joint space back without impact. Exercises like cycling, swimming and yoga are made to reduce impact, strengthen muscles, support good joint alignment and elongate muscles to increase the space between your bones.
Second, the newest brain-scanning equipment shows that you create a deep state of recovery for your nervous system while you’re in the second phase of deep REM sleep. This helps you stay healthy in the long term. Even more encouraging is that the researchers found that you can actively create the same deep state of recovery while meditating! Learning how to apply breath awareness for better health is essential.
Lastly is good news for patients suffering from dizziness: there are more accurate assessments to clarify if your dizziness is created by eye movement disorders. Although this base knowledge has been around for years, we can now better assess and treat more specifically using this new knowledge.
So keep moving, keep warm, and our team is always happy to help!
