Osteoarthritis Action Plan

The unfortunate reality is that even the best doctors are only guessing about what is going on inside you and why. As I’ve shared with many patients, the doctor’s role isn’t to have all the answers right away. Instead, it’s to know the right questions to ask. These questions spark a process of trial and error testing to find the most effective treatment for each patient. We want to believe that doctors know the answers, but that is quite impossible. What we doctors do know narrows down what questions we ask, but each person is so different from the next that we are stuck with simply trying stuff and seeing what happens. This does not build confidence in us doctors I know, but it is still the truth.

So, what’s the plan for osteoarthritis? First, we’ll ask some questions to figure out if we’re dealing with osteoarthritis or one of the other 100 types of arthritis. Arthritis comes from the Latin word for “my joint hurts.” So, the first step is to make sure it’s really your joint that’s causing the pain.

 A proper exam will include you describing:

– How the pain started

– How long it’s been there

– If it’s the same all the time

– If it’s worse or better in the morning

– If movement makes the pain better or worse

– A detailed description of your diet

– Any stress factors that are affecting you now

– Any other health conditions that may affect your joints

The doctor will then:

* Check how far the joint(s) can move

* Check if the ligaments are loose by gently stressing the joint(s)

* Check for painful spots in the joint(s)

After reviewing all the medical records, the doctor makes a guess about what’s wrong. In our case, it’s osteoarthritis. So, what’s next? This diagnosis means our joints are inflamed because our immune system isn’t working properly. It’s also because our joints are unstable and our muscles and nerves aren’t working correctly. This happens when we’re not moving our joints often enough or gently enough. Here are three areas we need to focus on to fix the problem: the immune system, joint instability, and lifestyle. Some of these things we can fix right away, while others will take time and some trial and error.

Osteoarthritis is different from pneumonia, where you go to bed, take some antibiotics, and you’re all better in a week. By the time I see people with osteoarthritis, there’s usually some permanent damage already. Treatment is all about how much we can improve the condition over time. I usually work with patients who have traumatic arthritis. Their joints hurt because of something they did or an injury they sustained. With this type of condition, I adjust them and they feel better in a couple of days. But with osteoarthritis, it’s a different story.

What can we do today to manage osteoarthritis? Most people’s first concern is the pain. So, what can we do right away?

Here are a few ideas:

– **Alternating heat and cold:** Heat for 15 minutes, then cold for 15 minutes. Rest for 2 hours. (You might find that heat or cold works better for you.)

– **Pain-blocking lotions or pills:** CBD, DMSO, menthol, capsaicin, and analgesics can help reduce pain.

**Electricity:** TENS, electroacupuncture, ultrasound, diathermy, and red light can provide relief.

– **Gentle stretching, yoga, and massage:** These can help loosen tight muscles and improve mobility.

– **Chiropractic adjustment:** If the affected joints are stiff, a chiropractic adjustment can help loosen them up.

Let’s tackle the problem head-on by focusing on our three main targets: lifestyle, instability, and immune system.
Lifestyle:

Stop doing things that put a strain on your joints, and start doing things that help them heal. High-impact activities like jogging, racquetball, and contact sports can be tough on your joints, so it’s best to avoid them. Instead, opt for low-impact activities like walking, swimming, or cycling. Your joints will thank you for it! Avoid heavy lifting and physical work when you’re feeling tired. Take breaks every half hour to get up and move around. Your back and neck don’t like it when you hunch over for long periods looking at your phone, tablet, laptop, or game console.

Instability:

Here are some things that can help your joints: slow, gentle, repetitive movements like swimming, cycling, yoga, Tai Chi, ballroom dancing, and walking. Also, try focused balance activities like rocker boards, standing on one foot, and inflatable ball exercises. Lastly, remember to stretch your muscles and loosen your joints gently and slowly. To address the instability in your joints and muscles, consider getting chiropractic adjustments. Additionally, you can engage in neuromuscular re-education to strengthen the muscles around the inflamed joints. This can be done by physical therapists or chiropractors. They may also prescribe specific exercises for you to follow. Improving the spinal stabilizer muscles can also enhance overall stability. I suggest checking out Foundation exercises on YouTube.

Immune system:

Regarding the immune system, there are some things you can do to support it. The immune system is super complex, but it all starts with our gut. Most immune system issues begin there, so it’s important to make some dietary changes. Any diet change will take at least four weeks to show real results. For joint pain, I recommend starting with the big four: eliminate all nightshade vegetables, rancid oils, grains, and sugar. (That means no French Fries, ketchup, bread, or candy.) Do this completely for four weeks and see how your joints feel. Certain foods can trigger an inflammation cycle that can last for weeks. These are the most common culprits for joint pain, but any food could be a trigger. Personally, I find that diets high in carbs make my joints ache. When I switch back to a solid Keto diet, my joints stop hurting. However, I have patients whose symptoms worsen when they eat eggs. It’s important to avoid anything that can harm our gut. Unfortunately, this includes alcohol, even fancy wines. Sure, dark reds might have some health benefits, but they still cause damage to our gut lining, so it’s best to steer clear.

Here are some natural ways to soothe an overactive immune system and inflamed joints. My top pick is curcumin from turmeric. CBDs can also help reduce systemic inflammation. For the joints, I recommend mixing frankincense and ginger oils with DMSO applied 4 times a day to penetrate the tissues. These two things can help stop inflammatory pathways. Another great way to calm inflammation and get rid of the fibrous glue that sticks to joints is to use systemic proteolytic enzymes such as lumbrokinase, nattokinase, or serrapeptase.

While you’re helping your immune system relax, you also want to make sure your joints get the nutrients they need. One super critical nutrient for cartilage repair is vitamin K2. Since joints are made of protein, you want lots of the most specific protein for joints, collagen. Bone broth is also great. Foods rich in sulfur, like cruciferous veggies, are powerful healers for your joints. You can also take MSM capsules, glucosamine sulfate, and chondroitin sulfate as these are also sulfur sources. Ligaments need vitamin C, manganese, zinc, and a lot of protein. I also use a ligament supplement called Ligaplex II.
That is my basic simplified action plan for tackling osteoarthritis. Hopefully you don’t ever need this information, but I know there are many of you who do.

Take care,

David

Ellen

It has been a month since Ellen has had to have blood drawn to lower her red blood cell count. But today her numbers were a little too high, so the nurse sucked out 400ml of blood. We won’t need to recheck for another month.