It seems that the idea of arthritis as the cause of pain has entered our culture so deeply, that I bet it would be a shock to most to find out that on the whole arthritis does not cause pain. Osteoarthritis is actually a progressive mechanical wearing down of joint surfaces. It is not an inflammatory response. It occurs when excessive force is placed through a joint due to weakness or imbalance of the surrounding musculature. The excess force causes a wearing down of the cartilage that is found at the end of bones that make up the joint. Once the cartilage wears away, either excess bone grows or bone is worn away. This process takes years to occur. It is so slow in its progression that it never emits a pain signal.
The only time osteoarthritis causes pain is when the joint space between the bones that make up a joint is worn away COMPLETELY. This limits the ability of the bones to glide on one another and prevents free motion of the joint. This causes excessive compression that can lead to bleeding of the bone or irritation to the soft tissue surrounding the joint. These phenomenon can lead to the eliciting of pain.
I think it is a sad statement when people are targeted with commercials of drugs designed to target “arthritis pain”. The sad reality is that this concept leads people to become dependent on medication or drugs because the only real method of resolving pain that is associated with osteoarthritis is surgery and for the vast majority of people unless the pain is unbearable they would never consider surgery as an option.
By falsely presenting the idea that pain is the result of arthritis limits people from ascertaining what is the true cause of their pain. If it is found to be muscular based, then a targeted strength training proper can be performed to resolve the pain quickly and effectively. Getting the right diagnosis is the difference between being left on medication for a long period of time with all the associated side effects or resolving the cause of the pain quickly and effectively leading to a pain-free fully functional life.
DON’T BUY THE HYPE!
Learn how to identify the cause of your pain in my new book, “The Pain Cure Rx: The Yass Method Of Diagnosing and Resolving Chronic Pain” by Hay House Publishing. It is being released June 2, 2015 and see my 1 hour PBS special on most PBS affiliates airing June 1 -14, 2015.
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