A report from the Journal of the American Medical Association says that arthritis is now the “leading cause of disability in the United States.” This statistic is reflected in many parts of the world.
WHAT IS OSTEOARTHRITIS?
Osteoarthritis, also referred to as degenerative joint disease or spondyloarthritis, is the most common form of arthritis. Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage in the joints begins to wear down. Cartilage plays a critical role in cushioning the area between the joints. Osteoarthritis can affect any joint in the body, although it most commonly affects joints in the spine, hands, hips, and knees. Several joints may be affected. Although most people consider osteoarthritis to be inevitable during one’s lifetime, proper clinical management and treatment with KKT suggest that we may be able to stall, if not reverse, the impact of this deteriorating condition. Our longer life span has made osteoarthritis an ever more common condition. Maintaining a precisely balanced body can preserve mobility and slow down or even reverse the elements of degeneration.
SIGNS OF POTENTIAL CONCERN
- Grating or cracking sensation on movement of the head, neck and joints
- Limited movement or stiffness in the neck or lower back
- General feeling of stiffness
- Stiffness in morning prior to hot shower or movement
- Overall loss in flexibility
- Pain in the neck and back as well as other joints for more than six weeks
- General feeling or sensation of getting shorter
If you have any of these symptoms or related concerns, please schedule a visit to a KKT Centre near you for a thorough assessment.
WHY IS SPINAL OSTEOARTHRITIS MORE OF A CONCERN?
Unlike any other region of the boy the spine, when afflicted by osteoarthritis or any other injury or disease, impacts our very core. This is due to the intimate relationship the spine has with the central nervous system (i.e. spinal cord and brain). Before age 45 osteoarthritis occurs more frequently in males. After age 55 years it occurs more frequently in females. A recent study detected osteoarthritis in 10% of children under the age of ten.
Once considered to be age-related and normal, studies like this, as well as the clinical research being done at KKT, are helping us to appreciate how early diagnosis and treatment can reduce the impact of the lifelong limitations once associated with the disease. The presence of spinal degeneration, spondylosis or arthritis signifies that the noted pain is a result of damage having occurred a long time ago.
The KKT process plays an integral role in stimulating the connective tissues of the spine to promote cellular regeneration.