July 2021 Healthy News from OrthoIllinois Chiropractic

Hip and knee osteoarthritis are known and growing concerns as our society ages…around the world. Currently in 2021, Canada is reviewing the “Good Life with Osteoarthritis in Demark” (GLAD) system for knee and hip osteoarthritis. The program includes manual therapy, exercise and patient education. (1) In one GLAD study in which patients attended 2-3 patient education classes and 12 supervised exercise sessions over the course of 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 improved 12-26%. (2) (Another study utilized MRI to determine the thickness of knee joint cartilage after distracting the knee joint to find that it thickened with treatment resulting in significant short- and long-term cartilage regeneration up to 10 years post-treatment. (3) This was done with young people, but it is hopeful!) Back in 2017, a Canadian chiropractor wrote a paper describing his utilization of Cox® flexion-distraction-principle-based distraction to the osteoarthritic knee, and the success he’s seen in his patients. Inclusively (acute and chronic patients together), patients related a mean visual analog scale score drop from 7.7 to 1.8 in 3 weeks and 5.3 treatments. Acute knee OA patients’ scores reduced from 8.1 to 1.1 in 4.8 treatments in 2.4 weeks. Chronic patients’ scores decrased from 7.5 to 2.2 in 3.3 weeks and 5.4 treatments. (4) Chiropractors like yours at OrthoIllinois Chiropractic are ahead of the curve with their modified Cox® Technic principles-based-flexion-distraction-approach to knee osteoarthritis. Novel protocols for use in hip OA are also in development. Let’s talk today about how distraction treatment may help your McHenry knee and hip osteoarthritis!

 

HOPE FOR DEGENERATED DISCS: Chondroitin Sulfate

Back pain treatment approaches be they surgical, exercise, nutrition, and/or manual therapy based abound while back pain continues. Injecting hyaluronic acid hydrogel is demonstrating some promise as it is shown to suppress the loss of disc height, stimulate tissue hydration for disc repair, and reduce inflammation and innervation to ward off more disc degeneration. (5) The nutritional approach continues to hold hope for back pain sufferers as the disc matrix components are identified, two key components being chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan and hyaluronan. Making chondroitin sulfate available to the disc plus controlling the hydrostatic pressure of the disc is advantageous. (6) Cox® Technic is shown to drop intradiscal pressure, so combining it with chondroitin sulfate may be, too. Are you including it in your daily supplements? Consider adding a disc supplement that has chondroitin sulfate to your schedule after we talk. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic is ready!

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he presents research on the role of chondroitin sulfate in the health, degeneration and possible regeneration of the intervertebral disc and in the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.

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Schedule your next McHenry chiropractic appointment with OrthoIllinois Chiropractic. See you then!