Arthritis is happening for you. Arthritis is what happens with bones, and to be specific, it usually happens at the joints between bones. Fortunately, osteoarthritis or arthrosis is not very painful. Other types of arthritis can be considerably agonising and crippling. Sometimes people use the term ‘rheumatism’ for any joint pain. This is technically correct because arthritis occurs from mild strains all the way through to complete destruction. Your health and longevity depend on the adequacy of your environment; temperature, the quality of your nourishment and consistent self-care are all vital.
One way of looking at ageing is that it’s a failure of regeneration or healing, related to changes in the nature of inflammation. Let’s talk about the most common forms of arthritis and see what that might mean for you!
Infectious and rheumatoid arthritis both have swollen, hot and painful joints. The local fever at its peak is able to break-down bone, yet following this is usually a healing process that is equally constructive. Leaving well-healed joints, even if they seem deformed in shape and range of motion. Sometimes the repair goes on longer than necessary, and people are left with large and deformed joints.
With Syphilis, Diabetes, or a Charcot joint, the nerve supply to an area of the bone or joint can be damaged and lost. In these cases the nerve supply is depleted, therefore trophic reflexes don’t take place. There is bony destruction without repair within a few years, thus severe situations can and do arise.
Arthritis happens with daily activity. Minor wear and tear “micro-traumas” are swept up as a normal process which is initiated as quickly as the nerve system can register what’s occurring. As you grow older or push through fatigue, the added stress calls the body to work more than normal. Your innate capabilities allow for well-reinforced joint adaptations such as higher density bones or changes to the shape of bones.
You will have noticed how during childhood, wounds heal quickly and any inflammatory processes rapidly subside. And likely, you will have seen during ageing, or during extreme stress or starvation, wound healing is much slower because the nature of the inflammation and wound closure is different. Inflammation is recognised as a cause of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and ageing itself.
All arthritis happens along a spectrum, and each person’s environmental and behavioural characteristics steer the course of where and to what degree a person experiences arthritis. Furthermore, identifiable changes in the nature of inflammation under different conditions can explain some of these losses of healing capacity. Factors that limit inflammation and fibrosis while permitting tissue remodelling could slow-down ageing and stimulate regeneration.
If you’re metabolically unable to produce the energy to survive and repair your body, you’ll experience breakdown. Therefore, consider if the foods that you’re consuming are going to be destructive or constructive. How about the movement you create in work and play? This needs to be significant and meaningful to help foster healthy adaptation. You don’t need to push yourself to become a contortionist or gymnast. You DO need to move your body through adequate and stimulating ranges of motion.
Looking after your skeleton is like anything to do with health and sense of the body. It is VITAL. Fortunately, Your Chiropractor at The Healthpraxis loves working with the spine and nerve system and he is well versed when it comes to assisting you with your neuro-skeletal health.