Arthritis Reversal – 5 Ways Movement Impacts Arthritis

1.) Traumatic movement – Avoid traumas but when they do inevitably happen, you need to stop what you’re doing and rehabilitate the problem. As I explained above, toxic physical stress (increased toxic mobility) such as a motor vehicle accident can create splinting or guarding. Joints like the ankle will swell with inflammation creating hypomobility so the joint can repair the damaged tissue. The general advice is to stay off the damaged joint and slowly increase mobility as well as weight-bearing exercises as tolerated. Spinal joint damage will result in similar symptoms with the added splinting of involuntary postural muscles. The old advice was to stay in bed and let the damage heal. What we know now is that most joint injuries recover better when safe mobilization of the joint happens as soon as possible. The mobilization of the joint will allow for fluid exchange as described above but also allow for the brain to reset its proprioceptive awareness of the damaged joint. The neurological rehabilitation of the joint is equally important for the full recovery of the joint segment. A joint left immobile or hypomobile (altered movement) will result in the mechanical degenerative condition described above as well as the neurological damage as described in 7 scientific ways movement improves your brain. This is the case for every joint but especially the 139 synovial joint articulations and 23 discs in the human spine. The inevitable traumatic injuries in life are enough to understand why everyone should be under the care of a good Chiropractor and consistent corrective exercises. A joint left immobile for extended periods of time will adapt with an increase in degenerative osteogenic changes (overstabilization). Bone spurs are an effective way to increase the surface area of an unstable joint and efficiently stabilize the guarded area. Restore joint mobility after any trauma and you can stop the degenerative process and increase the regenerative process of “arthritis”. 

2.) Altered movement  – Correct your movement form. Form comes before function. Proper movement needs proper form. Improper form provides an imbalance of chronic toxic physical microstressors thus causing abnormal joint strain. A great example would be Upper Crossed Syndrome. This malpositioned form, with rounded shoulders, tight pecs and weak neck muscles creates a poor environment for the function of the shoulder complex, upper back and neck. This chronic malposition of the upper body will ultimately result in the early degeneration of these musculoskeletal systems. It is my opinion that this is the most common cause of joint damage in today’s society. I have multiple blog posts related to diagnosing and correcting your posture. Many of the physical stressors in life may never reach toxic traumatic levels if someone’s posture is correct and strong enough for the physical task at hand. I know that almost every person reading this blog has heard “lift with your legs”. This statement relates using proper form and function of the body is physically healthier than using bad form and function when lifting with the back. This poor alteration away from correct biomechanics will lead to abnormal force loading at the expense of the articular cartilage as well as the whole joint complex. Multiple small traumas over time will lead to the same degenerative results as one large acute trauma described above. The answer is to restore proper form, therefore, restoring proper mobility.

3.) Repetitive similar movements – Constant varied movement – Ok, maybe not constant, but near-constant motion is ideal. A sedentary life will create chronic immobilization and therefore chronic lack of nutrient exchange. The articular cartilage and any other tissue relying on nutrients will begin to degenerate. The body will adapt to its new environment and effectively remove your joint space for a more protective and stable bony structure. Constant varied motion does not mean you cannot rest, but rather you should have short periods of rest. In our culture of convenience today we leave our bodies at rest more than we actively pursue motion. We were not built to sit for long periods of time, yet many will sit for 8-14 hours a day. If you recall in our last blog about movement and the brain, I relate the idea that we need a balance (hormesis) of stressors for the positive progress of our well-being. Sleep is the greatest of physical rest, unfortunately, we often take it for granted as if it were an inconvenience. 

Find ways to create constant and varied motions in your everyday activities. Repetitive similar motions create movement but tend to wear out the joint if not varied. This is to say, change your daily environment to keep you safely moving within your capabilities.  For those of you that need more of a practical example. Get a standing desk and a sitting desk. Change your position regularly. Try not to do joint stacking in any of your positions. Let your muscles remain consistently engaged for proper postural control. 

4.) Movement of nutrients – As described above, the synovial exchange of nutrients depends highly upon the movement of your musculoskeletal system. Another factor in the movement of your nutrients from blood to synovial fluid is the chemical composition of your blood. This portion of the nutrient exchange depends upon the viscosity of your blood as well as the nutrients in the blood. This factor most often depends upon your lifestyle choices. In my blog posts on Eat Real Food, I try to relate to you the importance of diet on the entire human structure as well as the absurdity of our fast-food culture. You are what you eat is one of the truest summary statements I have yet to hear. The nutrients in your food, feed your cells which ultimately make up every part of your body. This factor alone should help you to make better choices, but I’ll stick to my original point. The chemical composition of your blood carries nutrients as well as many other factors. These factors such as the inflammatory chemicals released under chemical, physical or emotional stress will thicken the blood. Increased blood sugar due to an imbalance in macronutrients will also lead to thickening of the blood. Dehydration, another factor due to poor habits of water intake, will increase the viscosity of blood. This high viscosity of the blood will impede the effect of imbibition as well as the synovial fluid exchange needed to provide nutrients to the articular cartilage of a joint. The movement of nutrients through the permeable joint capsule highly depends on movement of the joint, but also on the movement capability of the fluids.  

5.) Guarded movement – Restraint of the musculoskeletal system due to chronic emotional stress. Hopefully, you now understand the importance of rehabilitating restricted movement post-trauma (physical stress). This lack of movement due to acute physical stress creates an ideal environment that is intended to lead to healing. This same restriction of movement if left unattended or chronically disrupted can instead lead to degenerative adaptive changes described above. Similarly, emotional stress can create restricted movement with muscle guarding due to the sympathetic nature of the stress response. I’ve elaborated on this response in 3 Ways Chronic Stress Kills You Faster. Here, in this post, I want you to understand that this stress response is ingrained in us for survival purposes. The mere threat of a physical threat, real or perceived, can trigger this cascade of chemicals used to ensure that you live to see another day. A person living under chronic emotional stress (chronic fight or flight /sympathetic dominance) will, in fact, have an increase in muscle tone and a decrease in range of motion as to prepare for an imminent threat. I often relate this to an emotionally abusive relationship, but in truth, this type of emotional stress is common in today’s culture of social media ideals and constant fear of missing out. We live in an amazing time to be alive but are often too buried by the stress of these ideals to notice. My best advice to you is to reduce unnecessary stress and/or find coping strategies, such as exercise, that help to offset the negative effects of the sympathetic stress response. Here in my blog post 7 Scientific Ways Movement Improves Your Brain, I explain how exercise reduces the negative effects of stress.