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Time to Think with Doctor Bacon- Arthritis

Back Pain and Arthritis

We may all think of different things when someone brings up the term arthritis. I may think of my grandmother with the crippled hands, and you may think of Joe on the corner with the bum hip. Others may say, oh my Uncle Johnny has a bad knee and walks with a limp and a cane. Rarely however, do we think of the spine being associated with arthritis.

Surprisingly, nearly all of us have some degree of arthritis in our spines, many at a very young age. Now, to make things more clear, we should actually define arthritis. If we break down the word we get arth-, which is joint and -itis, which is swelling. As simple as that sounds, it gets incredibly more complicated. Keeping it simple, you must know that there are many forms of arthritis, all with different symptoms and prognosis. For this discussion, we will strictly speak of osteoarthritis or arthritis of the bone.

Osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative joint disease, and guess what, WE ALL END UP WITH IT! This is because over time, our joints wear out due to uneven weight distributions and stresses that we put upon our bodies from poor posture, injuries, accidents or repetitive patterns. Many times, we will actually feel the effects of DJD in our lower extremities (our knees, hips and ankles), but in reality, it all starts in the core of our body, our spine. Many people with DJD experience pain and stiffness, especially after exercise, but more commonly, many people will experience no symptoms in their back and with x-ray we find some degree of arthritis.

Now, there are few things that most people are not told or are not explained well about DJD:

First, Joints degenerate one by one, not usually together and they tend to degenerate in a sequence of pattern,

· Only joints that have a lot of continued excessive stress on them for a long time degenerate.

· Find out as early as possible what joints are overloaded and fix them. Restore joint position and function and keep them that way.

· Find a doctor (usually a chiropractor) who specializes in biomechanics and soft tissue injury and repair. The Pettibon System seems to work the best. Chiropractic Biophysics also works pretty well.

Joints do not usually degenerate. They are designed to last a lifetime.

· All tissues in the body are made up of cells that are dying and being replaced all the time. They continue to do so until you die. You get a whole new skeleton every 10 years.

· If you restore form AND function to the joints, you will help them regenerate faster and better. If you don’t, you will quicken their deterioration.

· I pretty much guarantee that if you can connect with a Pettibon Systems doctor, you will get the knowledge and tools to start restoring joint and around the joint soft tissue function.

Degenerated discs cannot regenerate.

· Not True. The disc is 92% water and we’ve proven time and time again that discs can re-hydrate.

· You have to find the systems and tools (and teachers) that give you the ability to decompress and rehydrate the discs.

· Our proven system of rehab is so unique that even if you live in Timbuktu, you can get the ideal treatment so you can go a long, long way on your own.

You can’t make the calcium go away! Again, WRONG! You can but pay close attention to this one.

· Calcium is changing location, moving in and out of bone all the time-until death.

· Guyton’s Physiology= Calcium is deposited in bone where stress is greatest. The part of the bone that has more stress on it is where calcium develops.

· Change the stress point and the calcium will move to the new stress point. It will then equalize the load and keep it neutralized. This is only achieved by very strategic exercise and rehab protocols preformed for a long enough period to “remodel” the bone to its ideal and original shape. Control the load and you control the calcium.

Until next time,

Doctor Bacon

P.S. Got questions? Email me at drbacon@advancedchirohealth.com

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