Are you suffering from painful arthritis? Do you also have a problem with your weight? If you do, you are probably having back pain not only as the result of arthritis, but also because of the burden your weight is putting on your spine. The body was not constructed to carry around extra weight in the form of body fat. Your spine, which supports your body, is being put under a lot of strain even if you are merely carrying an additional 20 or 30 pounds on a regular basis. This sort of strain can produce aberrations of the vertebral column. These misaligned vertebra can produce arthritic changes in the spine and continue to irritate the degenerative changes that have begun. Furthermore, your body may offset in other ways, for instance your hips moving forward or tilting to accommodate the extra pounds. This can pinch the sciatic nerve, which is extremely painful.
A recent survey by the NPD Group, a leading market research firm based in Rosemont, Ill., shows that about 62% of adults and 34% of children are overweight or obese. The pervasiveness of arthritis amplifies with growing weight. Research suggests that maintaining a healthy weight lessens the risk of developing arthritis in the first place and may decelerate degenerative progression. A weight decrease of just 11 pounds can decrease the occurrence (incidence) of new knee osteoarthritis and would be extraordinarily beneficial in decreasing back pain as well.
A nutritious diet and regular exercise is imperative for an individual who wants to overcome their back pain, knee pain, and joint pain in other areas of the body. Although this information probably doesn't strike you as anything new, it genuinely is the only solution for you to stop suffering and get your life back.
First of all, we'll address the dieting issue. There are hundreds of different ways to diet and the majority of them are useful only for a limited period. Unfortunately, the diet industry is not concerned about your losing weight permanently because as a result they would not have you as a customer. Eating a life-enriching diet (as a lifestyle choice as opposed a temporary fix) and reducing your calories so that you are using more calories than you are taking in is the only method of losing weight in a healthy, permanent way. Don't try to lose 20 pounds every week because that is an unhealthy and perilous fix. Losing about 2 pounds every week will take off the weight and improve your health.
As far as exercise is concerned, research has confirmed that physical activity reduces pain, enhances function, and defers disability. A minimum of one-half hour of moderate physical activity, a minimum of 3 days a week, has been confirmed to be effective. Even at 10-minute intervals such movement is beneficial.
Chiropractic manipulation is a highly beneficial way to get mobility back in the joints of your spine and other areas of, and can be a smart first step prior to starting an exercise program. A spine in alignment makes exercise and physical activity much easier and will slow down arthritic degenerative changes. The Annals of Internal Medicine released the results of a survey of 232 people who had arthritis and were under a rheumatologist's care. Of those people, 63% answered the survey by stating that they were taking advantage of some kind of "complementary care" as named by the study. Of those people, 31% were trying chiropractic. Undoubtedly the most notable statistic was that 73% of those using chiropractic found it effective. Explaining why they'd tried the non-medical chiropractic care, people gave a number of reasons: 1) to reduce pain, 2) they'd been told that it helps, 3) they felt confident that it is safe, 4) it had assisted someone they knew, and 5) because their prescription medication wasn't working.
Chiropractors, also called doctors of chiropractic, have been assisting individuals suffering from back pain due to arthritis and other arthritic problems for over a hundred years. Your San Diego chiropractor treats misaligned vertebra that, in addition to producing arthritic pain and degenerative changes in the spine, can lower resistance and immunity, thereby causing new health challenges.
It is always a good idea to visit a health care professional to talk about diet and exercise. If you looking for expert advice on the sort of lifestyle changes that you will required to aid you in managing your arthritis, your chiropractor will be more than glad to help you. Furthermore, besides getting your spine in alignment through gentle adjustments, your chiropractor will diagnose any faulty gait patterns or posture irregularities that may be contributing to your arthritic pain.
