Osteoarthritis awareness

Within a joint there is a very smooth fibrous connective tissue, known as articular cartilage. This covers the areas where each bone comes into contact with one another.
In a normal joint this articular cartilage allows for smooth movement within the joint as well as acting as a shock absorber.
Osteoarthritis is the degradation and degeneration of this articular cartilage.
In addition, the bones themselves become thicker and may form bony “spurs”.

Causes of Osteoarthritis in the knee

•               History of injury to the knee
•               Pro-longed and excessive use of the knee joint.
•               Previous fracture at that site of the knee.
•               Obesity
•               Genetic factors.
 
Symptoms of arthritis in the knee

•               Deep aching pain in the inner knee that is worse after exercise.
•               Stiffness particularly in the morning, lessening with movement.
•               Swelling of the knee.
•               Clicking or cracking noises when moving the knee.
 
Treatments
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms or have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, come and see us for an assessment and we will holistically help you achieve your personal and functional goals.

Importance of Choosing Comfortable Footwear for Your Feet

In order to make sure your new footwear is an adequate size for your feet, make sure you choose your new footwear at the end of the day.  This is because your feet are achy, tired and most swollen at the end of the day.  Make sure that you are able to fit at least one index finger behind the heel to ensure that the footwear is not overly tight.  Last but not least, make sure that you can wiggle your toes within the new footwear to ensure that there is sufficient room at the front of the shoe.

Introduction to Acupuncture and Moxibustion

Acupuncture and moxibustion treatments aim at activating circulation of the body’s “qi” thereby restoring normal function of the organs and tissues.  By treating acupoints, disease and disorders including heart disease, asthma or gastritis may be treated.

The acupuncture effect can be classified into three main categories:  analgesic, regulatory, and immunological.  Research has shown that “acupuncture anesthesia” is achievable via many mechanisms, from raising the pain threshold, to blocking the conductivity of pain fibres in peripheral nerves, to inhibiting pain sensitive cells of the midbrain.

In the next upcoming entry of this column, we will discuss the other two main effects of acupuncture on the body: regulatory and immunological.