Why does knee pain worsen with age?
Occasionally, young people, especially athletes, can develop osteoarthritis (OA) from injuries and mechanical imbalances. About 14% of Americans over the age of 24 have OA. This is characterized by the breaking down of the cartilage that protects the bones in joints. But after age 65, this number increases to 34%.
Many people as they age gain weight, which can load the joints, especially knees, with more pounds than they were designed to bear. This creates more wear and tear on knee joints. Also, your muscles shrink in size by about 40% between the ages of 20 and 60, resulting in loss of muscle strength and joint support. This leaves you more vulnerable to knee pain.
Another factor is the number of aging people with metabolic syndrome. This inflammatory condition of the body, characterized by high blood pressure and high blood glucose levels, sets the scene for widespread inflammation in the body, including the synovial membrane in knee joints.
If you haven’t developed knee pain with age, there are steps you can take to ensure that you stay pain-free. Research has shown that doing these two things can help you avoid knee pain with age:
- Exercise more: A joint needs pressure on it to stay healthy (like strength training and walking). Also, exercising helps keep blood pressure and blood sugar within normal ranges.
- Lose weight: Simply lowering your body weight by 5% can decrease disability and increase functionality.
If you already have knee pain, the sooner you get professional care, the better. It is rarely too late, even if you have advanced stages of OA. One facility in Dallas, TX where you can get excellent care WITHOUT surgery and a vicious cycle of medications and their side effects is our Pain Recovery Clinic at Living Well Dallas. Our multi-faceted approach to recovery gives hope for any age and almost any condition of knee pain.
First, the inflammation is addressed with nutrition. You will have a customized nutrition and supplementation program designed specifically for you by Health Coach Celia Naples. Next, you will be counseled through the depression, anxiety and insomnia of “pain brain” by Joy Schwartz. You will also receive brain training with the Brain Tap device which reprograms your brain’s pathways so that your body begins to respond other than with pain.
In addition, you will receive bodywork sessions with Brenda Briscoe called Bowen Therapy, which is done through the clothing, is gentle but works at a deep level through vibrations, and is known for its quick, profound, and long lasting resolution to the core problem. Another significant offering you will experience is LED Light Therapy, shown by clinical studies to reverse the conditions that set up arthritic joints. How? By stimulating the release of nitric oxide in the red blood cells and ATP (adenosine tryphosphate) in the mitrochondria (power house) of the cells. This simply means that you’ll receive a flood of healing nutrients and oxygen to the areas where the LED light pads are placed, as well as quicker cellular repair (clearing out debris and moving in the healing nutrients).
If you are suffering with knee pain, call the Pain Recovery Clinic at Living Well Dallas to set up a consultation to find out if you are a good candidate for these services at 972-930-0260.
Concussions are very prevalent these days with so many children, as well as teens, engaging in full contact sports. The medical community offers very little in the form of treatment. They tell the parents to go home and watch their child and look for changes in mood, behavior, headaches, nausea, dizziness, neck pain, interruption of sleep cycles, and cognitive functioning (memory, concentration, etc.).