July 2021 Healthy News from Vancouver Disc Centers
Distraction and Patient Education and Exercise
Osteoarthritis in the knee and hip are known and growing concerns as our society ages…around the world. Today, Canada is reviewing the “Good Life with Osteoarthritis in Demark” (GLAD) program for knee and hip osteoarthritis. The program combines manual therapy, exercise and patient education. (1) In one GLAD study in which patients attended 2-3 patient education classes and 12 supervised exercise sessions over the course of 8 weeks, patients’ pain intensity got better by 26-33%, walking speed got better by 8-12%, chair standability improved 18-30%, and joint-related quality of life got better by 12-26%. (2) (Another study utilized MRI to measure the thickness of knee joint cartilage after knee joint distraction to document that it increased with treatment bringing about significant short- and long-term cartilage regeneration up to 10 years post-treatment. (3) This was performed with young people, but it is hopeful!) Back in 2017, a Canadian chiropractor described the benefit of his utilization of Cox® flexion-distraction-principle-based distraction to the osteoarthritic knee, and the success he’s witnessed in his patients. Overall (acute and chronic patients together), patients related a mean visual analog scale score drop from 7.7 to 1.8 in 3 weeks and 5.3 treatments. Acute knee OA patients’ scores dropped from 8.1 to 1.1 in 4.8 treatments in 2.4 weeks. Chronic patients’ scores decrased from 7.5 to 2.2 in 3.3 weeks and 5.4 treatments. (4) Chiropractors like yours at Vancouver Disc Centers are ahead of the curve with their modified Cox® Technic principles-based-flexion-distraction-approach to knee osteoarthritis. Novel protocols for use in hip OA are also in development. Let’s talk today about how distraction treatment may help you with Vancouver osteoarthritis of the knee and hip!
HOPE FOR DEGENERATED DISCS: Chondroitin Sulfate
Back pain treatment approaches from surgery to manual therapy to exercise to nutrition abound while back pain continues. Injecting hyaluronic acid hydrogel is demonstrating some promise as it is shown to restrain the loss of disc height, stimulate tissue hydration for disc repair, and lower inflammation and innervation to prevent more disc degeneration. (5) The nutritional approach continues to hold hope for back pain sufferers as the disc matrix components are known, two key components being chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan and hyaluronan. Making chondroitin sulfate available to the disc as well as controlling the hydrostatic pressure of the disc is valuable. (6) Cox® Technic is documented to decrease intradiscal pressure, so mixing it with chondroitin sulfate may be, too. Are you including it in your daily supplements? You may want to think about including a disc supplement that has chondroitin sulfate to your routine after we talk. Vancouver Disc Centers is ready!
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he discusses the role of chondroitin sulfate in the health, degeneration and potential regeneration of the intervertebral disc and in the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
CONTACT Vancouver Disc Centers
Schedule your next Vancouver chiropractic appointment with Vancouver Disc Centers. See you then!