Ohhhhh, my achy-breaky bones - Life lessons on easing joint pains
published:
Monday | April 7, 2008
Painful joints can severely impact on the quality of your life and on your mobility. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the two commonest diseases that cause joint pains, but many active individuals and most competitive athletes have to deal with joint pains on a regular basis. Maintaining or rebuilding healthy joints is crucial for all individuals if they are to enjoy freedom from joint pains.
WHAT ARE JOINTS?
Joints are structures in the body where two bones connect. Since these points are vulnerable to damage or wear and tear, dense connective tissues called ligaments and cartilage provide both stability and cushioning to joints. The ligaments connect the bones to each other, while cartilage acts as a shock absorber between the ends of the bones. The ligaments are composed of strong proteins like collagen while cartilage contains substances like glucosamine, chondroitin sulphate and sulphur-containing compounds. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body, especially in ligaments.
Producing and maintaining collagen is crucial for strong joints, while healthy cartilage prevents bone from rubbing on bone, causing pain. Although our joints are prone to injury, they are capable of healing and repair by the rebuilding of these substances.
DANGERS OF ARTHRITIS MEDICATION
The standard approach to treating joint pain has been the use of anti-inflammatory medication in the form of steroidal and non-steroidal drugs. Medication such as aspirin, ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) block the production of inflammatory chemicals in the joint to relieve pain. But at a cost. The possible long-term damage to the joint for the short-term pain relief offered by these drugs must be considered.
At least six studies conducted in the United States and Europe have reported that NSAIDs can lead to destruction of joints. Two of the studies actually showed that NSAIDs could interfere with the normal production of cartilage. Those affected by rheumatoid or osteoarthritis and athletes who freely use NSAIDs to relieve joint pain are the individuals at greatest risk for joint destruction from NSAID. Kidney damage and stomach bleeding are two other well-documented dangers of NSAID use.
Steroids are very effective anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving drugs that are administered as tablets or as injections into the painful joint. In high doses, these drugs also damage joints by connective-tissue degradation and collagen break-down. Is short-term pain relief alone worth the possible dangers or should we also be trying to assist the joint to heal?
EXERCISE CRUCIAL
Healthy connective tissue needs to be both strong and supple. Regular exercise is a key to achieving both. Resistance exercises (strength training) appear to be the best form of physical activity to stimulate new growth and correctly align the collagen fibre in newly forming connective tissue. This means that joints need to be moving against some resistance, either using weights or working against one's own body weight.
These exercises are best done slowly and when the joint is free of pain. The approach to take for strengthening a joint which has been injured or is arthritic should begin with isometric exercises. These are resistance exercises whereby the muscles surrounding the affected joint are contracted, but there is no movement at the joint.
Yoga poses are an excellent form of isometric exercises. Adding isotonic resistance exercises to your routine later is recommended. By imposing stretching forces on newly forming collagen fibre (that is, scar tissue), reorganisation can occur. Thus, flexibility or stretching exercises are key to maintaining and rebuilding supple connective tissue. A programme of physical therapy involving both strengthening and stretching with a qualified instructor is often invaluable.
WEIGHT LOSS
Excess body weight imposes an increased burden and stress on the weight-bearing joints like the ankles, knees and hips. In addition, obesity promotes inflammation in the body and will worsen joint pain anywhere.
A healthy weight-loss pro-gramme is, therefore, an essential part of the prevention and treat-ment of arthritic pain. I have successfully used a programme called the cellular nutrition programme to help thousands of people lose weight and it's readily available.
Email Dr Anthony Vendryes at info@anounceofprevention.org or listen to him on POWER 106FM on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m.
Although our joints are prone to injury, they are capable of healing and repair by the rebuilding of these substances
HEALTHY JOINT NUTRIENTS
Natural products may be used to treat joint pain because they act as micronutrients - co-factors and precursor compounds which actually build new joint connective tissues and repair damaged ones.
1. Glucosamine sulphate: This can be used as a building block for connective tissue in joints. Numerous studies have reported beneficial results in the treatment of osteoarthritis using glucosamine sulphate. In a number of these studies, glucosamine sulphate was more effective than drugs, but it required about six weeks of supplementation before its superior benefits appeared. At least 1,500mg daily in divided doses is recommended.
2. Chondroitin sulphate: This has also been tested clinically and reported to be efficacious in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Because chondroitin sulphate is a very large molecule compared to glucosamine sulphate, it may not be so well absorbed when taken orally and this may make it less effective.
3. SAMe: This is a special form of the sulfur-containing amino acid methionine, with the chemical name S-adenosylmethionine. In several clinical trials with osteoarthritis patients, SAMe performed at least, as well as NSAIDs, with fewer side effects. Most important, SAMe may have connective-tissue rebuilding effects, evidenced by the maintenance of benefits one month after stopping the supplement. The usual dosage is 400-600mg daily.
4. Vitamins and minerals: Vitamin C is particularly important for connective tissue integrity, as it is essential for the manufacture of collagen. Vegetables and fruits are the best sources of vitamin C, but supplementing during a time of needed repair, with two to four grams (2,000-4,000mg) in divided doses with food should be optimal. Minerals shown to be important in producing strong connective tissue are copper, zinc, manganese, and boron. These are found in nuts and seeds, but for repair, supplementation is warranted.
5. Fish oils: As explained in last week's article, the omega-3 fats in fish oils have potent anti-inflammatory properties and are very useful in relieving joint inflammation. At least two to three grams of omega-3 fatty acids are usually required daily for this benefit.
6. Herbs: A number of herbs have useful anti-inflammatory properties for joint pains. These include boswellia, ginger, turmeric, tang kuei and sea cucumber, as well as bromelain (from pineapple) and papain (from papaya).
