How To Fix Arthritis: Five Myths Holding You Back
Arthritis is a common concern for adults as they age. In 2013 the CDC repoorted that the direct costs of arthritis and joint pain were $140 billion in the United States and up to 4.3% of ALL hospital costs. Indirectly, arthritis accounts for up to $164 billion in lost wages each year (people unable to work because of their pain). Having helped 100’s of people with arthritis, I've found that there are many misconceptions when it comes to how to fix arthritis.In this week’s article we aim to correct the top five myths and show you how to fix arthritis pain without givinge up your favorite activities or being doomed to a lifetime of pills, injections, or surgery.
Myth #1: Arthritis Is The Cause of Your Pain
Many people are told (usually by their doctors) that arthritis is the CAUSE of their pain. In reality, osteoarthritis is a normal part of the aging process. Majority of people over the age of 30 have some form of arthritis in their joints and experience no pain. Similarly, other people have joint pain with no arthritis. The idea is even backed up in the research. A recent study looking at arthritis in the spine concluded that “many degenerative features seen in X-Ray are likely a normal part of aging and unassociated with pain.”The danger of this myth is that many doctors use X-Rays to show patients their arthritis and scare them into unnecessary injections or surgery. This almost always leads to worse outcomes for patients.
Myth #2: Arthritis Is Genetic
A lot of people are led to believe that arthritis ‘runs in the family.' That because their parents had arthritis, they are doomed to suffer the same fate. This line of thinking leads people to believe there is nothing they can do to improve their arthritis. As a result, they don't take action on the changes needed to help them lead an active, healthy, and happy life. Osteoarthritis is caused by too much wear and tear on your joints. The amount of wear and tear is the result of your lifestyle which has no genetic component. Understanding this reality puts you back in control when it comes to how to fix arthritis.
Myth #3: 'Wear And Tear' Is The ONLY Cause
Osteoarthritis is the result of chronic inflammation on joints over a long period of time. There are a lot of causes of inflammation in our body. Wear and tear from movement, strength, and high impact activities is one. Other causes of inflammation include diet, stress, sleep and other lifestyle factors. Improving lifestyle factors has been shown to lower inflammation and should be included plans to treat arthritis.
Myth #4: Rest, Pills, and Injections Are The Best Treatments
The traditional medical approach to treating arthritis relies on pills, injections, and avoiding all your favorite activities. All designed to manage symptoms of arthritis but do nothing to prevent your arthritis from getting worse. Remember, arthitis is caused by too much inflammation and impact on your joints over a long period of time. Learning how to fix arthritis with lifestyle, movement, and strength will help keep active as you age.
Myth #5: Exercise Is Bad For Arthritis
Lastly, many people are nervous to exercise in fear of making their joint pain worse. Their doctors may even suggest cutting out exercise all together. The truth is that, exercise is one of the best things you can do to limit pain and stiffness associated with arthritis. Building strength is the best way to limit the wear and tear that causes osteoarthritis. With that being said, there are some special considerations to keep in mind for exercising with arthritis. Learn more at the article below.
Learn More About How To Exercise With Arthritis
Traditional medicine has it all wrong when it comes to how to fix arthritis. Treating underlying causes through lifestyle, movement, and strength training will always lead to better results than pills, injections and rest.
Osteoarthritis is a condition that results from wear and tear over time. The one certainty with arthritis is that the longer you wait to take action, the worse it will get and the longer it will take to fix. To get started on a program designed to help you fix arthritis download our free 'Solving Pain With Strength' guide below.
