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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 17, 2009 Pioneering Cartilage Restoration Surgery - DeNovo NT: Early in 2009, the 1st DeNovo natural tissue graft cartilage transplant in the Southeastern United States was performed by Jon Hyman, MD, at Emory-Adventist Hospital

Jul 18, 2009 Carlos Delago, Alex Rodriguez and Kurt Warner: hip surgery: Alex Rodriguez had arthroscopic hip surgery 3/9/09 and now Kurt Warner 3/18/09. Carlos Delgado has his hip scoped 5/19/09. The list just grows, and grows...

Jun 30, 2009 More Athletes Getting Hip Arthroscopy: in 2009,more professional athletes have been undergoing arthroscopic hip surgery, Alex Rodriquez, Chase Utley, Kurt Warner...

Oct 8, 2008 New Cartilage Restoring Surgery trying to enter US Markets: DeNovo ET, a scaffold-free, living cartilage implant, offers a one-step alternative to current cartilage repair.
A Phase I/II clinical trial for DeNovo ET is underway at three sites in the United States

Sep 2, 2009 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.

Aug 1, 2009 Ways to Preserve Your Joints: Here we present the latest 2009 perspectives on staying healthy and preserving your joints.


www.drjonhyman.com is the place where Atlanta's athletes come for cutting edge Sports Medicine news and information.Interact with other athletes, share tips and advice, or interact with Harvard trained physicians, with questions you may have related to sports medicine. We are not rendering medical care, but can point you to relevant information. All physician advisors and consultants to Atlanta's Athletes Online are Harvard trained doctors. This site is not affiliated with Harvard University.