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Fitness Highlights |
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Are
you in
Pain?
Data
from the
World
Health
Organization
suggests
that
20- to
30-percent
of the
world’s
population
experiences
chronic
pain;
and
women
are
nearly
twice as
afflicted
than
men.
In
America,
it is
estimated
that up
to 56
million
adults
experience
chronic
pain
with the
top five
conditions
cited
being:
low
back,
arthritis,
migraine,
jaw/lower
facial,
and
neuropathies.
What
does
this
mean? It
means
more
people
are
visiting
the
doctor
for
pain-related
illnesses
than for
any
other
reason,
which
correlates
with the
fact
that
analgesics
are
prescribed
more
often
than
drugs
from any
other
therapeutic
category. |
A
Personal
Trainer
can help
ease
Arthritis
Pain
Marilyn
Kass:
Certified
Personal
Trainer
- ACSM,
NASM,
ACE
An
estimated
46
million
people
suffer
from
arthritis
in the
United
States
and a
projected
67
million
people
being
will be
affected
by 2030,
according
to a
recent
study
from the
Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention
(CDC)
However,
there’s
relief
for
arthritis
sufferers.
For
those
lucky
enough
to have
avoided
the
disease,
prevention
is key.
Here’s
how a
fitness
facilities
can play
a role:
1. Have
a
trainer
who
understands
your
medical
conditions.
Your
fitness
trainer's
first
step
should
always
be a
thorough
evaluation.
Make
sure
they
have all
your
medical
history,
complete
with
physician
or
caregiver
contact
information
if
necessary.
2. Your
fitness
trainer
should
offer a
specific
training
program.
A
pain-free
workout
is
rarely
found
for
arthritis
patients.
However,
a
specialized
program—commonly
slow-motion,
high-intensity,
low-impact
strength
training—offers
arthritis
sufferers
a sure
solution.
3. Get
the
right
equipment.
The
slow-motion,
high-intensity,
low-impact
strength
training
involves
several
pieces
of
equipment
designed
to
produce
safe and
successful
results
from
head to
toe.
4. The
fitness
professional
is the
beginning
and end
to a
successful
program.
When
working
with
arthritis
sufferers,
there’s
more
that
applies
to the
training
than
usual.
Understanding
medical
and
physiological
implications
to
specific
disorders
initiates
your
entire
program.
With the
Baby
Boomer
generation
getting
older—and
especially
those
suffering
from
arthritis—proper
body
alignment
is
essential
for
greater
safety
and
program
effectiveness.
Once
your
clients
have
mastered
the
equipment
and all
the
techniques
associated
with
this
particular
program,
the
trainer
then
becomes
a
motivational
coach
who
brings
the
client
through
the
regimen,
month
after
month.
These
four
steps
give
arthritis
sufferers
a
greater
opportunity
to live
happier,
healthier
and more
fulfilling
lives.
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The Role
of
Chiropractic
in
Chronic
Pain
Management
Dr.
Debra
Rabideau,
P.A.
Though
different
styles
of
chiropractic
practice
may
differ
on the
theory
of pain,
all
chiropractors
employ
spinal
adjustments
in the
treatment
of pain.
Chiropractic
is
particularly
effective
in the
treatment
of
chronic
pain
that
results
from
nervous
system
irritation,
injury
or
damage
due to
its
action
on the
nerve
roots.
Moreover,
chiropractic
is
effective
in
reestablishing
normal
function
of
muscles,
joints
and the
vascular
system,
helping
to
eliminate
the root
causes
of
chronic
pain.
Many
doctors
of
chiropractic
are also
trained
in a
number
of other
therapies
that are
useful
in the
treatment
of
chronic
pain.
For
example,
many
chiropractors
are also
trained
in the
use of
nutritional
supplements,
and may
prescribe
a
regimen
of
vitamins,
minerals
and
other
supplements
to
strengthen
the
overall
treatment.
Additionally,
in the
words of
the New
Zealand
government’s
inquiry,
chiropractic
care is
“remarkably
safe”.
Chiropractic
has an
excellent
safety
record,
and is
the
result
of a
natural
approach
to
health
which
avoids
invasive
procedures
or
addictive
drugs. A
thorough
case
history
and
patient
exam
help to
reveal
areas of
the
spine
that may
be
causing
nervous
system
dysfunction.
All
factors
are
taken
into
consideration
in order
to
determine
the best
course
of care
for each
patient.
Taken
together,
chiropractic
and
related
therapies
are
among
the most
effective
treatments
for
pain.
Chiropractic
offers
the
additional
advantage
of a low
risk
profile,
with no
drug
side
effects.
Chronic
pain
suffers
may find
chiropractic
to be
just the
right
therapy
for long
term
pain
management,
and
perhaps
even the
complete
elimination
of pain.
|
Oct. 26, 2005
Massage Scores For Pain Relief: Survey Finds Massage Rates As High As Medication; 1 In 5 Uses It
Massage Therapy and Pain Relief, Yolanda Vargas, LMT
Excerpted by an article by Lloyd de Vries, www.cbsnews.com(WebMD) For the treatment of pain, Americans rate massage as highly as medications, a new survey shows. Conducted by an independent research firm, the annual survey is the ninth commissioned by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA).
It shows that one in five U.S. adults got a therapeutic massage in the last year. Three-fourths of them would recommend it to others — one reason for the body therapy's growing popularity.
Among those who actually had a massage in the past year, 28 percent say massage therapy gives them "the greatest relief from pain." Another 28 percent say medication gives them the greatest relief. Chiropractic comes in third at 11 percent, followed by 8 percent who got the most pain relief from physical therapy, 3 percent who said acupuncture was best for their pain, and 1 percent whose pain best responded to biofeedback.
Survey Findings
The survey, conducted by Opinion Research Corp. International in Princeton, N.J., surveyed a national sample of 1,014 U.S. adults. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent. It found that:. |
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90 percent of Americans feel massage is good for a person's health.
93 percent agree with the statement that massage can be effective for pain relief.
Use of massage in people age 65 and older has tripled from 4 percent in 1997 to 15 percent in 2005.
22 percent of Americans had a massage in the past year; 34 percent had a massage in the last five years.
73 percent of those who had a massage would recommend it to a person they know.
46 percent of respondents at some time had a massage to relieve pain.
Among respondents who discussed massage with their health care provider, 57 percent said this health professional strongly recommended massage or encouraged them to get a massage.
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Whole-Body
Approach To Pain:
Massaging sore
muscles obviously
reduces pain. But
massage is really
meant as a
whole-body approach,
says AMTA vice
president and
licensed massage
therapist M.K.
Brennan, RN, LMBT.
"One of the things
about massage that
helps pain is that
it goes down to the
heart of where
people feel their
pain," Brennan tells
WebMD. "There is the
overall sense of
well-being one can
get from the massage
approach. And the
stress responses in
the body associated
with pain, such as
elevated cortisol,
are reduced through
massage."
For these reasons,
massage can be used
to treat many
different kinds of
pain, says Tiffany
Field, PhD, director
of the Touch
Research Institute
at the University of
Miami School of
Medicine.
"Basically we have
found massage to be
effective in chronic
pain syndromes in
arthritis and
diabetes; in
depressive disorders
such as ones that
involve addiction
like eating
disorders; in
chronic fatigue and
fibromyalgia and
other autoimmune
disorders —
HIV-associated
diseases, too,"
Field told WebMD in
a June 29 interview.
"We have looked at
the A-to-Z of
medical conditions,
and we have not
found a single
condition massage
has not been
effective for." |
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