A Hitch In Your Git Along?

Years ago I worked for a doctor whose typical response to a patient hobbling into the office was the above expression.  At the time I found it funny but did not think much about it until recently when I developed my own “hitch” and started thinking more deeply about how to address joint pain, particularly in the hips, knees and ankles.

 

With our mountain environment, lower extremity injuries and plain old “wear and tear” are extremely common.  Without going into detail regarding individual types of injuries, I would like to mention some treatment options:

 

1.  Pilates and Physical Therapy:  Naturopathic Medicine focuses on treating the cause of the illness.  With joint pain and injury, often the cause is weakness/imbalance in the muscles that support the joint, and weakness in the “core” (abdomen, back and pelvic floor). Core strength allows the limbs to move freely without excessive strain on a joint.   See a qualified Pilates instructor or Physical Therapist for an individualized set of exercises to address your specific needs.

 

2.  Weight Loss:  This one seems obvious but bears repeating.  Joints are fairly delicate structures.  Any excess weight born by the hips, knees and ankles is going to speed wear and tear and increase pain and likelihood for injury.  See me to discuss safe strategies for weight loss.

 

3.  Nutritional Supplements:  I would like to mention three products which have been helpful for my patients.

Meriva from Thorne is a Curcumin product bound to phospholipids to make it more absorbable.  It is very effective for joint pain and inflammation, particularly in the acute stage of an injury or if there is ongoing swelling.

 

AR-Encap from Thorne is a very good general formula for chronic osteoarthritis pain composed of Glucosamine Sulfate, MSM, Meriva, Devil’s Claw and Boswellia.

 

Collagen derived from animal cartilage has been the subject of some positive studies recently showing that it may have benefit for chronic joint pain caused by osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and athletic activity.  It appears to reduce inflammation and build cartilage in humans.