AgeWell: Helping Arthritis Pain

AgeWell: Helping Arthritis Pain

N E W S L E T T E R

HELPING TO RELIEVE YOUR 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. (Read more inside...)

I N S I D E HELPING TO RELIEVE YOUR ARTHRITIS PAIN LIVE YOUR LIFE WITHOUT ARTHRITIS PAIN NOSTALGIC NEW YORK

AGEWELL PT IS CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF PROVIDING INDIVIDUALIZED AND CARING PT TO EACH OF OUR VALUED CLIENTS!

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N E W S L E T T E R

HELPING TO RELIEVE YOUR ARTHRITIS PAIN As your body heals and 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. (Continued from outside)

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, typically so 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. Contact your physical therapist to learn more about how you can take steps to start improving your posture today.

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LIVE YOUR LIFE WITHOUT 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.

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 today!.

HEALTHY RECIPE: CABBAGE CREOLE INGREDIENTS • 1lb ground beef

• 1 (10 ounce) can cheddar cheese soup

• 1 medium onion

• Salt and pepper

• 1 medium green pepper

• 1 medium cabbage

• 1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies

INSTRUCTIONS Chop the onion and green pepper. Slice the cabbage. In a large pan, brown the ground beef with the onions and peppers. Drain and remove from pan. Put the sliced cabbage in the pan; add the Rotel tomatoes. Cook on medium heat until cabbage is tender. Add the meat mixture to the cabbage and stir well. Stir in the cheese soup until well blended. Cover and cook over low heat for at least 1 and half hours, maybe longer. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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RECEIVE THERAPY IN YOUR HOME! AgeWell PT and LiveWell OT offer in-home physical therapy and occupational therapy services. If you have difficulty traveling or leaving your home, these services are for you! These services are also covered by Medicare. I N - OF F I CE SPECIAL TEST ING SERV I CES AgeWell PT offers in-house electrodiagnostic testing and musculoskeletal diagnostic ultrasound testing for all of our patients. We hope our therapy patients take advantage of these tests to improve their rate of recovery and therapy outcome.

NOSTALGIC NEW YORK: HISTORY OF NEW YORK CIT Y (POST WORLD WAR TWO DECADES)

Immediately after World War II, New York City became known as one of the world’s greatest cities. However, after peaking in population in 1950, the city began to feel the effects of white flight to the suburbs, a downturn in industry and commerce as businesses left for places where it was cheaper and easier to operate, an increase in crime, and an upturn in its welfare burden, all of which reached a nadir in the city’s fiscal crisis of the 1970s, when it barely

avoided defaulting on its obligations and declaring bankruptcy.

Postwar: Late 1940s through 1950s As many great cities lay in ruins after World War II, NewYork City assumed a new global prominence. It became the home of the United Nations headquarters, built 1947–1952; inherited the role from Paris as center of the art world with Abstract Expressionism; and became a rival to London in the international finance and art markets. Yet the population declined after 1950, with increasing suburbanization in the New York metropolitan area as pioneered in Levittown, New York. Midtown Manhattan, fueled by postwar prosperity, was experiencing an unprecedented building boom that changed its very appearance. Glass-and-steel office towers in the new International Style began to replace the ziggurat-style towers (built in wedding-cake style) of the prewar era. Also rapidly changing was the eastern edge of the East Village close to FDR Drive. Many traditional apartment blocks were cleared and replaced with large-scale public housing projects. In Lower Manhattan, urban renewal began to take shape around 1960, led by David Rockefeller’s construction of the One Chase Manhattan Plaza building. In a built-out city, construction entails destruction. After the old Beaux Arts Pennsylvania Station was torn down, growing concern for preservation led to the 1965 Landmarks Preservation Commission Law. The city’s other great train station, Grand Central, was also threatened with demolition but was eventually saved. Meanwhile, New York City’s network of highways spread under the guidance of Robert Moses, with consequent increased traffic congestion, but the defeat in 1962 of Moses’ planned Lower Manhattan Expressway by community activists led by Jane Jacobs was an indication that Moses would no longer have the free hand he had enjoyed in the past. 1960s Pennsylvania Station in 1962, two years before it was torn down, an event which jump-started the historic preservation movement. During the ‘60s, a gradual economic and social decay set in. A symptom of the city’s waning competitiveness was the loss of both its longtime resident National League baseball teams to booming California; the Dodgers and the Giants both moved after the 1957 season. A sports void was partially filled with the formation of the Mets in 1962, who played their first two seasons at the Polo Grounds, the former home of the Giants, before moving to Shea Stadium in Queens in 1964. The passage of the federal Immigration Act of 1965, which abolished national-origin quotas, set the stage for increased immigration from Asia, which became the basis for New York’s modern Asian American community. On November 9, 1965, New York endured a widespread power blackout along with much of eastern North America. (The city’s ordeal became the subject of the 1968 film, Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?) The postwar population shift to the suburbs resulted in the decline of textile manufacturing and other traditional industries in New York, most of which also operated in extremely outdated facilities. With the arrival of container shipping, that industry shifted to New Jersey where there was more room for it. Blue-collar neighborhoods began to deteriorate and become centers of drugs and crime. Strip clubs and other adult businesses started filling Times Square in the late ‘60s. In 1966, the US Navy decommissioned the Brooklyn Navy Yard, ending a command going back to the early 19th century. It was sold to the city. The Yard continued as a site for shipbuilding for another eleven years.

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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_New_York_City_(1946%E2%80%931977)