July 2021 Healthy News from Johnson Chiropractic
Distraction and Patient Education and Exercise
Osteoarthritis of the knee and hip are known and growing concerns as our society gets older…around the world. Currently in 2021, Canada is evaluating the “Good Life with Osteoarthritis in Demark” (GLAD) program for knee and hip osteoarthritis. The program combines manual therapy, exercise and patient education. (1) One GLAD study had patients attend 2-3 patient education classes and 12 supervised exercise sessions in 8 weeks, patients’ pain intensity got better by 26-33%, walking speed got better by 8-12%, chair standability improved 18-30%, and joint-related quality of life got better by 12-26%. (2) (Another study utilized MRI to determine the thickness of knee joint cartilage after distracting the knee joint to document that it increased with treatment bringing about significant short- and long-term cartilage regeneration up to 10 years after treatment. (3) This was done with young people, but there is hope!) Back in 2017, a Canadian chiropractor published a paper describing his application of Cox® flexion-distraction-principle-based distraction to the osteoarthritic knee, and the success he has witnessed in his patients. Overall (acute and chronic patients together), patients related a mean visual analog scale score decrease from 7.7 to 1.8 in 3 weeks and 5.3 visits. Acute knee OA patients’ scores decreased from 8.1 to 1.1 in 4.8 treatments in 2.4 weeks. Chronic patients’ scores dropped from 7.5 to 2.2 in 3.3 weeks and 5.4 treatments. (4) Chiropractors like yours at Johnson Chiropractic are ahead of the curve with their modified Cox® Technic principles-based-flexion-distraction-approach to knee osteoarthritis. New protocols for use in hip OA are also in development. Let’s talk today about how distraction treatment may help you with Richmond osteoarthritis of the hip and knee!
HOPE FOR DEGENERATED DISCS: Chondroitin Sulfate
Back pain treatment approaches from surgery to manual therapy to exercise to nutrition abound while back pain endures. Injecting hyaluronic acid hydrogel is demonstrating some promise as it seems to restrain the loss of disc height, promote tissue hydration for disc repair, and decrease inflammation and innervation to ward off more disc degeneration. (5) The nutritional approach continues to show promise for back pain sufferers as the disc matrix components are identified, two central ones being chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan and hyaluronan. Making chondroitin sulfate available to the disc as well as controlling the hydrostatic pressure of the disc is beneficial. (6) Cox® Technic is documented to drop intradiscal pressure, so combining it with chondroitin sulfate may be, too. Are you including it in your daily supplements? Consider including a disc supplement that has chondroitin sulfate to your schedule after we talk. Johnson Chiropractic is ready!
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he discusses the part chondroitin sulfate plays in the health, degeneration and potential regeneration of the intervertebral disc and in the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
CONTACT Johnson Chiropractic
Schedule your next Richmond chiropractic appointment with Johnson Chiropractic. See you then!