Osteoarthritis isn't just an age related issue

Dealing with chronic pain and you have been told that it’s due to degeneration and there is nothing you can do about it? Blaming it on ‘old age’ perhaps? .

Think again.

Multiple research studies have now suggested that LOW GRADE INFLAMMATION is a key factor in the pathogenesis and development in Osteo-arthritis (OA).

Chinese Medicine has known this for a long time.

For many years, Western Medicine thought OA to be just damage to cartilage, but they know now that it affects the ENTIRE joint structure.

More so, they found that those with OA have significantly raised immune response and inflammatory mediators in their system. .

What this means is that your ‘arthritic knee’ is not only caused by local repetitive movements and injuries, but generalised inflammation that hasn’t been resolved in your body for a period of time, plays a large contribution.

Typically this is related to what tissue is affected. Let me explain further…. In Chinese Medicine orthopedics each organ has a way that it extends its health out onto certain tissues in the body.

LIVER= tendons + ligaments

SPLEEN= muscle

KIDNEY = cartilage/ labrum

LUNG= lymph skin

HEART= blood flow into affected tissues.

Chinese Medicine look where the affected area is and then treats the associated organ. Your joints ‘health’ is determined by their nourishment from those key mediators such as the brain, spinal cord + organs.

How do you improve tissue integrity to treat OA? A few things, but improving local blood flow to the affected tissue and reducing SYSTEMIC inflammation in the body is the place to start.

It’s time we start changing these victim mentality statements and educate ourselves with FACTS. Lets start deleting out the mindset and myths of ‘ageing’ so we give power back to the next generation to approach age with an understanding that changing your lifestyle and treating inflammation correctly, is the way forward.

Until next time,

Dr. Alana Green (Chinese Medicine)