HOPE FOR KNEE AND HIP OSTEOARTHRITIS:
Distraction and Patient Education and Exercise
Osteoarthritis in 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) system for knee and hip osteoarthritis. The program incorporates manual therapy, exercise and patient education. (1) One GLAD study had patients attend 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 improved 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 knee joint distraction 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 performed with young people, but it is hopeful!) Back in 2017, a Canadian chiropractor wrote 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. Inclusively (acute and chronic patients combined), 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 dropped from 8.1 to 1.1 in 4.8 treatments in 2.4 weeks. Chronic patients’ scores reduced from 7.5 to 2.2 in 3.3 weeks and 5.4 treatments. (4) Chiropractors like yours at New Hampshire Spine and Sport 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. Talk with us today about how distraction treatment may help your Southern New Hampshire osteoarthritis of the hip and knee!
HOPE FOR DEGENERATED DISCS: Chondroitin Sulfate
Back pain treatment approaches be they surgical, exercise, nutrition, and/or manual therapy based flourish while back pain endures. Injecting hyaluronic acid hydrogel is demonstrating some potential as it is shown to restrain the loss of disc height, stimulate 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 valuable. (6) Cox® Technic is documented to drop intradiscal pressure, so combining it with chondroitin sulfate may be, too. Are you taking yours? Consider adding a disc supplement containing chondroitin sulfate to your schedule after we talk. New Hampshire Spine and Sport 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 New Hampshire Spine and Sport
Schedule your next Southern New Hampshire chiropractic appointment with New Hampshire Spine and Sport. See you then!