When you experience an injury, dealing with the pain that comes as part of the aftermath is expected. While painful, most of the time when recovering from an injury you can find comfort in the knowledge that the pain is temporary. As your body heals, as you go through the motions of building your muscle mass back and improving flexibility with physical therapy, you know that in time you will feel like yourself again. This knowledge gives you something to work towards, and helps the pain feel more manageable—even when it is intense, and never-fleeting.
Health+Fitness N E W S L E T T E R
HELP FOR ARTHRITIS PAIN
Discover Relief For Arthritis Pain
Exercise Essentials Try this exercise to relieve Your Arch Pain!
Healthy Recipe Try this delicious Chicken Mango Salad Receipe
Physical Therapy N E W S L E T T E R
HELP FOR ARTHRITIS PAIN
When you experience an injury, dealing with the pain that comes as part of the aftermath is expected. While painful, most of the time when recovering from an injury you can find comfort in the knowledge that the pain is temporary. As your body heals, as you go through the motions of building your muscle mass back and improving flexibility with physical therapy, you know that in time you will feel like yourself again. This knowledge gives you something to work towards, and helps the pain feel more manageable—even when it is intense, and never-fleeting. Arthritis pain is different. Arthritis doesn’t develop as a result of an injury, but instead develops over time as a result of chronic use, or even as a result of genetic disposition. This can make dealing with the pain of arthritis even more difficult to cope with, as it begs the question: if the pain is coming from inside the joint, is there anything I can actually do about it? Understanding Arthritis Pain Osteoarthritis is the most common chronic condition to affect the joints. Almost 30 million adults in the United States struggle with
the condition, and while it can influence anyone of any age, it most frequently develops among those who are most prone to overuse—those who are over the age of 65. Arthritis occurs when there is a breakdown of the cartilage that covers the ends of the bones. This cartilage is what allows the joints in the elbows, ankles, knees and hips to move with freedom. Without cartilage, the bones would rub against one another with each movement, and would cause extreme pain. As the cartilage breaks down, so, typically, does the bone, and as the shape of the joint changes, it becomes even more difficult for it to function smoothly. Furthermore, the ligaments and tendons around the joint will often stiffen, and the muscles surrounding the joint will weaken, making it altogether more difficult and painful to move. While arthritis pain typically develops gradually, the realization of what you are dealing with can still come as a shock. In some circumstances the pain will appear more abruptly, especially when the pain develops in association with a change in weather or other environmental circumstance.
Call Courcier Clinic at 405.478.5333 to schedule your appointment today! Visit courcierclinic.com for more information.
COURCIERCLINIC.COM
Is pain or injury keeping you from enjoying life? Schedule your consultation with a physical therapist today by calling 405.478.5333!
Help for Arthritis Pain
Physical Therapy and Arthritis Physical therapy is highly recommended for the treatment of arthritis because it can strengthen and support the joints through guided practice of movement and strength building exercises. Typically, the best activities for arthritis pain are low impact activities. Working with a physical therapist is the best way to ensure that you are practicing the best techniques for overcoming your discomfort. There is a long list of home remedies that are said to help with arthritis pain as well, and there is some credibility to some of these concepts. For example, losing weight, exercising regularly, and making some dietary changes such as reducing caffeine and sugar consumption are said to help alleviate pain associated with arthritis. However, before you start making any changes to your lifestyle, it is best to consult with a physical therapist. For more information about how to rid your life of arthritis pain, contact us.
Overcoming Arthritis Pain Turning to over the counter pain medications to cope with arthritis pain is ineffective as a long-term solution. While some of the medications may provide temporary relief, they will not help you overcome the pain for good. Physical therapy, on the other hand, can provide actual relief from arthritis by helping to rebuild strength in the joints through targeted movements and flexibility exercises. There is a lot of current research trying to understand what precisely causes arthritis to develop in some people, and not in others. Everyone uses their joints every day, and while it makes sense that so much pressure would cause pain to develop over time, it doesn’t explain why the pain develops when and where it does, and why it happens to some people and not to others. Anti-inflammation and Arthritis One leading form of arthritis treatment is with the use of anti- inflammatory medication. Certain types of arthritis develop as a result of a build-up of inflammation in the body. Specifically, the tendons and ligaments become inflamed as a result of an internal attack from the immune system, which is typically triggered by some combination of environmental factors. Avoiding certain foods and movements can reduce inflammation, and thereby reduce pain.
Call Courcier Clinic at 405.478.5333 to schedule your appointment today! Visit courcierclinic.com for more information.
Sodoku
Exercise Essentials
www.simpleset.net
ARCH CURL Helps to relieve arch pain.
Start with your foot flat against the floor, then flex your toes towards the ceiling, hold for 10 seconds, then flex your toes into the floor, and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 5 times on each foot.
Patient Success Spotlight “After two ACL injuries and two surgeries in one year, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to continue to work as a nurse and do activities with my family. I was impressed with the knowledge of Courcier Clinic. They helped restore my quality of life and today I’m able to rock climb, strengthen with weight training and hike with my family. I always recommend Courcier Clinic to anyone with pain.” -Tanya
Laughter Is The Best Medicine
Did you know? …that laughter is good for your heart? It diminishes stress and boosts the immune system. Even the simple act of smiling has a positive effect on happiness and physical health, helping the heart recover more quickly after stressful events. Smiling and laughter reduce blood pressure and releases serotonin and other natural pain killers. Did you know? ...that laughter’s positive effects are instantaneous! Once you start laughing, you immediately feel better and pain is perceived as less intense. These effects can last as long as 24 hours so laugh at least once a day! Laughter is a potent endorphin releaser. One of the most recent studies on laughter shows that laughing with others releases endorphins in the brain—our homegrown feel-good chemicals— via opioid receptors. The more opioid receptors a given person has in their brain, the more powerful the effect. Highly addictive opioid drugs, like heroin, also bind to those receptors, suggesting that laughter induces euphoria not unlike a narcotic (minus the obvious drawbacks). Laughter fosters brain connectivity. Not all laughter is the same, and it turns out that decoding a laugh is more challenging than it seems. One study found differences in how we perceive, for example, joyous laughter versus taunting laughter versus tickling laughter, each of which activates connections between different brain regions. What this all amounts to is that laughter fosters rigorous brain-region connectivity that kicks in when we hear a laugh, as our brains work to decipher what sort of communication is coming through.
Do you know someone who needs our help? Tell them to call 405.478.5333 to schedule your appointment today!
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Shoulder arthritis image viewed on Muskuloskeletal Ultrasound.
HEALTHY RECIPE CHICKEN MANGO SALAD Ingredients
Don’t Miss Out On This Special Offer! FREE 15 min Consultation!
• 2 cups sugar snap peas, thinly sliced • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast • 1 medium mango, sliced • ½ cup chopped fresh mint • ¼ cup sliced scallions • 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1/3 cup orange juice • 3 tbsp rice vinegar • 3 tbsp less-sodium soy sauce • 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil • 2 tsp sambal oelek (optional) • 6 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage
Directions Whisk juice, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and sambal oelek (if using) in a large bowl. Add cabbage, peas, chicken, mango, mint and scallions; toss gently to coat. Serve the salad sprinkled with sesame seeds.
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