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Ways to Preserve Your Joints


All of the info below is about Non-surgical  treatments.  For an update on the latest surgical techniques in knee joint preservation see our article on Knee joint preservation which synthesizes the data from a recent conference at Harvard Medical School. 

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In this article we touch on Tai Chi, Omega 3,  Limbrel,  Aquatic Therapy, Alternative or Natural Remedies and Abatacept (for R.A.)


Latest advice from an international rheumatology meeting is that early diagnosis of inflammatory joint problems is the key to improved quality of life.  There are 100 different types of arthritis (joint inflammation), osteoarthritis being the most common.  These go beyond the basic, but true, "diet and exercise is key"

 

See here a Very helpful video for information about how joints work and osteoarthritis.

 

Tai Chi   Exercise like this can make a difference to the arthritic process. 

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   Why specifically Tai Chi in terms of exercise?   Almost any exercise will be beneficial, but Tai Chi has been studied and seems to have some particular properties in terms of balance and proper perception, sort of the joint knowing what position it's meant to be in and toning the muscles around the joint. Slow, gradual movements can nourish the joints without heavy impact.  See this Video Demo of Tai Chi

Aquatic Therapy / Hydrotherapy    

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   Yes, you can train and exercise in water.  You can do physical therapy in water.  Pregnant women give birth in water and professional athletes rehab in water, so consider an aquatic program.  They ranges from water aerobics to aqua joggers to underwater treadmills to swim simulator hydrojets to intense interval pool training.

Fish Oils / Omega 3   

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   This vitamin supplementation has been studied in randomized trials for rheumatoid inflammatory arthritis and and can contribute to the reduction in the joint swelling and the joint pain.  It can generally be taken with regular medications. Consult with your doctor.  It is being studied in other forms of arthritis.

Limbrel 

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   Limbrel  is considered a "botanical medical food." It is made from a combination of root and bark extracts from plants.  Limbrel: the first new prescription medical food product to manage nutritional needs of OsteoArthritis patients.   This FDA approved 'Medical Food' is not a drug or nutritional supplement.

Abatacept.  This is a powerful new medication designed for the difficult cases of Rheumatoid Arthritis.  Read more here on Abatacept

Alternative Therapies,  Natural Treatments and Home Remedies

For a comprehensive list of such approaches, see About.com's article on Alternative Therapies 


Also in: Medical News

Aug 22, 2008 Hip Arthroscopy: Olympic impact and at home: Olympians are even getting it, but insurance carriers continue to deny care for the rest of us. One insurer, Kaiser Permanente, even issued a statement to it's doctors to stop referring patients to me because they didn't want to pay for hip arthroscopy. Coventry won't recognize the procedure, even though it's been a proven treatment for many years...

Jan 1, 2008 Ways to Preserve Your Joints: Here we present the latest 2008 perspectives on staying healthy and preserving your joints.

Aug 17, 2007 Hospital for Special Surgery Ranked No. 1 in USA: Hospital for Special Surgery Ranked (HSS) No. 1 Tops in the Nation in Orthopaedics by U.S. News & World Report 2007!
Read on to find out which Orthopaedic Surgeons in Atlanta trained at the Best Orthopaedic program in the Country...

Dec 30, 2007 More Athletes Getting Hip Arthroscopy: in 2008,another professional athlete undergoing arthroscopic hip surgery, professional basketball player Troy Hudson Golden State Warriors...

Jan 20, 2007 Newest Advances in Knee BioSurgery: We are busy trying to develop cartilage restoration technologies to prevent the knee from wearing out and needing prosthetic metal replacement. This article gives you the current update on what the future looks like for state-of-the-art knee surgery.


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