Your ability to function, maintain mobility and independence is an important goal as you age. This not only affects your quality of life, it also affects your life span. Indeed, exercise is beneficial in numerous ways. Individuals who exercise regularly have a better chance at preventing or slowing the effects of many chronic diseases including congestive heart disease, coronary artery disease, diabetes, intermittent vascular claudication, osteoarthritis and more.
It is a fact that a regular exercise program combined with an appropriate diet is important for avoiding obesity and its many problems. Additionally, exercising has been shown to improve balance and decrease the chance of falling as you age. Furthermore, with exercise muscle mass is increased, which provides some protection from falls. Finally, a sedentary life will often cause a downward spiral in overall health.
With all that exercise does for you, it also helps your joints. Read on to learn about Chiropractor West Palm Beach: Exercise and Osteoarthritis.
Chiropractor West Palm Beach: Exercise and Osteoarthritis
Firstly, prolonged rest decreases and prolongs recovery from injury. Secondly, moderate exercise does not increase the chance or progression of arthritis. Thirdly, adults can benefit from exercise in strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance. Fourthly, osteoarthritis (wear and tear arthritis) pain often responds to toning exercises even though existing degenerative changes (as appears on X-ray) remain.
Researchers have found out the following about athletes and osteoarthritis:
Runners older than 60 years old running 3 hours per week for 12 years showed no greater prevalence of Osteoarthritis than non-runners. However, the runners showed a 40% greater bone density of vertebral bodies (spinal bones) than non-runners. Unfortunately, radiographic (x-ray imaging) evidence demonstrated genu varum (bow legged) in the knees if there was a history of long distance running. Moreover, the ability to repair articular damage decreases with age. Similarly, the healing response is less efficient as one ages for injuries such as knee ligament or meniscal injury and so there is a higher risk of developing degenerative changes. In conclusion, a more varied exercise program may be a solution (e.g. elliptical machine along with running).
Chiropractor West Palm Beach: Types of Exercise
So moderate activity is beneficial to your joints. And as mentioned above, even with Osteoarthritis noted on X-ray, you will improve symptomatically with toning exercises for the involved joint(s).
For weight-bearing joints, it is often helpful to begin with non-weight-bearing activities. For example, pool (aquatic) training is a great choice. Muscles must function against the resistance of water while the load applied is decreased. Certainly, this is due to the buoyancy of the water. So there is no direct impact loading of body weight as would occur with walking, jogging, or running. Alternatively, bicycle riding is also recommended. Bicycling allows a range of motion with minimal loading of your joints. This targets both goals of decreasing impact loads to the knee and toning of muscles around the knee joint.
Chiropractor West Palm Beach: Exercise, and Osteoarthritis
The ultimate goal is to delay functional decline and restore and/or maintain optimal function to allow as much independent living as possible as you grow older. It is clear that the ability to remain independent has a significant effect on your quality of life. Chiropractic Care combined with an exercise regimen will keep you functioning optimally and pain free.
Research on How Chiropractic Adjustments Can Help With Arthritis
A 2017 review in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that spinal manipulation reduces lower back pain. And a 2013 study published in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage found that patient education combined with 12 chiropractic treatments (twice a week for six weeks) were more effective for hip Osteoarthritis than a daily stretching program or patient education alone.
Are you looking for excellent chiropractic care in West Palm Beach? Dr. Natalie Meiri can definitely help you. Find out more about Chiropractor West Palm Beach: Exercise and Osteoarthritis. Call 561-253-8984 today for an appointment.
References:
Thomas Bergman, David Peterson, Chiropractic Technique Principles and Procedures, 3rd edition, 2011