Who’s Holding This Joint Up?
The pain of arthritis can be avoided if prepared for early on.
February 14th, 2005
By Sal Roach
The FDA estimates that 1 in 7 Americans, that’s around 40 million people,
suffer from some form of arthritis.
Despite the best efforts of modern science to duplicate sheep, we do not yet have
the ability to cure this crippling and life threatening condition.
Currently, there are three over-the- (Aleve), and ketoprofen (Actron and
Orudis).
"People shouldn’t be mixing these medications," says Linda Katz,
M.D., of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, "and anyone
regularly taking NSAIDs should carefully read the labels of OTC products to
make sure they don’t contain similar drugs."
While there are various forms of arthritis, the one affecting the majority of
Americans is Osteoarthritis. Simply put, it is when the joints between your
bones begin to break down. This usually occurs naturally with the onset
counter anti inflammatory drugs approved by the FDA: ibuprofen (Advil, Nuprin,
Motrin), naproxen sodium of age, but there are more and more people
experiencing symptoms of the condition earlier now with the everyday use of
computers both at home and in the office.
What can we do to prevent some of this?
First, arthritis in the knees often occurs due to an individual being
overweight coupled with a lack of physical activity. The effects of this can
start at a very young age, so parents with overweight children should take
note that people who suffer from obesity are more likely to experience
arthritis in the knees later in life because of the extra pressure they are
putting on themselves.
Literally.
Integrating your diet affects more that your physical appearance.
Stretching exercises every day will keep your joints from tightening.
5 minutes of stretching in the morning could do wonders for you down
the line.
In the office, after typing for more than an hour or so, make sure you
take a break. Stand up, bend down and try to touch your toes, stretch out
your wrists and neck. Although you are around computers all the time, your
breakdowns are more painful than theirs.
Injections filled with steroids do strengthen the joint and may relieve minor
pain, but there is more and more proof that this actually leads to an overall
weakening of the joint, as well as an addiction to the injections, which
could start to require higher dosages than originally prescribed.
Strangely enough, relaxing in a warm climate actually helps your arthritis,
not only because of the ability of the joints to stay loose, but the
relaxation actually can slow the onset of arthritic illnesses, giving an even
deeper meaning to the phrase "tight neck."
A joint in motion is a joint that can be saved from arthritic conditions.
Preventative measures can save you years of pain later in life.
It is best to think about this now while there is still time to do
something about it.
As with most things, we often wait until we feel pain to do something
about it. With arthritis, it is nearly impossible to push it into a full
remission, so make sure you do your exercises everyday and take breaks
from the computer.
The power to stop arthritis is in your hands - use it while your
grip is strong.
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