The Pain & Injury Doctor ONLINE Newsletter
Here is your latest pain relief tip. If it doesn’t apply to you, still take note because life is full of surprises. If you know someone who is dealing with this type of pain, please forward this email to that person– thanks!
Knee Pain & Stiffness Due to
Early Cartilage Thinning
What is Happening:
The cartilage lining the ends of the femur (upper leg bone) is thinning and weakening. Cartilage enables smooth movement of the knee joint; when it forms pits and tears abrasion occurs which triggers inflammation.
Risk factors for this type of knee pain include aging/declining HGH levels, history of single impact trauma, repetitive trauma (running, football etc.), smoking and obesity.
If your knees are stiff upon waking, move better the first few hours of the day and then gradually get stiff as the day wears on, you likely have thinning cartilage in the knees that may be starting to develop pits and tears. If it progresses, nerves underneath get exposed to abrasion and pain becomes unbearable. Most people at this point opt for knee replacement surgery.
Recommended Home-Use Products Covered in This Issue:
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Z-Coil Anti-Shock Shoes
Z-Coil shoes have a strong spring in the heel that dampens the small but numerous shocks generated from walking and assists the foot in forward motion, reducing strain on the plantar fascia, heels and forefoot. These specialty shoes are great for those who have thinning cartilage in the knees and/or hips as the springs make up for the reduced cushioning capability of degenerated joint cartilage.
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Knee Brace With Gel Cushion
Knee braces stabilize weak knees and limit excessive abnormal movement, sparing some damage to thinning cartilage.
-Thick gel provides comfortable stabilization to the knee, and absorption of dynamic forces.
-4-Way stretch material provides supportive compression while allowing full range of motion.
-Light, breathable fabric keeps skin dry reducing any fabric irritation.
-Medial and lateral spiral stays provide knee joint stability.
Recommended Lifestyle Changes
1. If you are overweight, it puts more pressure on your knee cartilage, which squeezes out fluids making the cartilage weaker over time. The fastest way to lose weight is to severely restrict your sugar and grain intake. Eliminate sweets, juice, fruits, breads, pasta and crunchy wheat-based snacks. This will not only reduce your knee pain but will improve multiple other health metrics.
2. If you are a frequent runner, reduce your distance running. The pounding from running may cause small tears in the cartilage over time. Consider high intensity interval training to get your cardio exercise instead of long distance running. Elliptical and Stairmaster are preferred over running and high impact aerobic exercises if you have knee problems.
3. Wear a knee brace to minimize excessive movement caused by knee ligament instability.
4. Apply an infrared lamp to the front and back of your knee a few times a week, Infrared light and heat penetrates deep into tissues, increasing circulation to cells.
5. Wear Z-coil shoes. These shoes have a powerful spring that dampens shocks generated from walking which can offer some protection to your weakened knee cartilage.
6. It is also worth trying a topical, herbal anti-inflammatory all around your knee, such as Penetrex.
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Professional Infrared Heat Lamp
This lamp is popular with acupuncturists, chiropractors and physical therapists. It delivers deep-penetrating infrared light and heat to muscles and joints. Infrared light increases cellular ATP production (energy) which enhances healing of injured tissues and reduces inflammation. The heat increases local circulation, delivering more oxygen and nutrients to the treated area. Great for treating thick muscles, shoulder joints, knees, hips and spine.
For knee pain, bend your knee 45 degrees and point the lamp head straight down in the plane of the joint line, keeping it about 12″ from your knee. Do for 10 minutes. Then, lie on your stomach, and point the lamp directly over the back of your knee for 10 minutes. This approach ensures maximum exposure to the internal joint surfaces.
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Penetrex
Penetrex is a best-selling topical pain relieving cream that delivers Vitamin B6, Pyridoxine, Arnica, MSM, Cetyl Myristoleate, Glucosamine, Boswellia Serrata and other proven pain relief elements deep into muscles, nerves, ligaments & tendons. The resulting relief is quick, strong & long lasting.
Apply it all around the knee before or after infrared lamp therapy. It can also be used as an emollient for instrument assisted myofascial massage.
Recommended Exercises (check with a professional)
Supine Bicycles: While lying on your back, bend your hips and knees 90 degrees and pedal in the air. Make wide circles to maximize knee range of motion. This is basically exercising your knee joint in the non-weight bearing position. The action may stimulate synovial fluid production, which is the “natural lubricant” of the knee.
Swimming pool walk – In chest-high water, walk from one side of a swimming pool to the other. This resistance exercise strengthens your quadriceps and patellar tendons, increasing knee joint stability; plus the water buoyancy removes some weight from your knees during the exercise.
My Nutrition Recommendations to Repair Thinning Cartilage:
Take joint supplements for added protection. I recommend Dr. David Williams Joint Advantage Gold 5x, Astaxanthin (best anti-oxidant) and Curcumin, a spice that has well-known anti-inflammatory properties.
Even better, get a masticating juicer and juice green vegetables at least twice a week to infuse your cartilage cells with badly needed nutrients. Juice from dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, chard, spinach and cabbage are packed with vitamins A & C and essential minerals such as manganese, zinc, sulfur and selenium which are beneficial to connective tissue health among other things. Also, the pigments (carotenoids) in vegetables are powerful anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants arrest oxidative damage to cell membranes.
Lastly, eat bone broth soup twice a week. Eat the ligaments, cartilage, fat and bone marrow and of course drink the broth. This provides the raw material building blocks of cartilage and is the best nutrition for joint health.
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BOTTOM LINE: Your knees bear a lot of punishment, as they absorb much of the force that is generated in the standing position. If you have thinning cartilage, it is imperative that you do the things mentioned in this issue to slow down or even stop this progression. The consequences are reduced mobility and eventual knee replacement surgery.
The information contained in this email and on www.PainandInjuryDoctor.com is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as a medical directive. It is provided as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dan Perez, D.C. Every person is unique, and individual cases of pain are therefore unique. Dr. Perez encourages readers of PainandInjuryDoctor.com to use available sources of information to help them make a more educated and informed decision regarding their health, in partnership with one or more qualified health care professionals.
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