July 2021 Healthy News from Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
Distraction and Patient Education and Exercise
Osteoarthritis of the knee and hip are known and growing concerns as our society ages…around the world. Currently in 2021, Canada is evaluating the “Good Life with Osteoarthritis in Demark” (GLAD) system for knee and hip osteoarthritis. The program incorporates manual therapy, exercise and patient education. (1) In one GLAD study in which patients attended 2-3 patient education classes and 12 supervised exercise sessions in 8 weeks, patients’ pain intensity got better by 26-33%, walking speed improved 8-12%, chair standability got better by 18-30%, and joint-related quality of life improved 12-26%. (2) (Another study utilized MRI to measure the thickness of knee joint cartilage after knee joint distraction to find that it thickened with treatment resulting in significant short- and long-term cartilage regeneration up to 10 years after treatment. (3) This was done with young people, but it is hopeful!) Back in 2017, a Canadian chiropractor described the benefit of his treatment using Cox® flexion-distraction-principle-based distraction to the osteoarthritic knee, and the success he has witnessed in his patients. Inclusively (acute and chronic patients together), patients related a mean visual analog scale score drop from 7.7 to 1.8 in 3 weeks and 5.3 visits. Acute knee OA patients’ scores decreased from 8.1 to 1.1 in 4.8 treatments in 2.4 weeks. Chronic patients’ scores decrased from 7.5 to 2.2 in 3.3 weeks and 5.4 treatments. (4) Chiropractors like yours at Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC are ahead of the curve with their modified Cox® Technic principles-based-flexion-distraction-approach to knee osteoarthritis. New protocols for use in hip OA are also in development. Talk with us today about how distraction treatment may help you with La Grande osteoarthritis of the hip and knee!
HOPE FOR DEGENERATED DISCS: Chondroitin Sulfate
Back pain treatment approaches from surgery to manual therapy to exercise to nutrition abound while back pain endures. Injecting hyaluronic acid hydrogel is showing some potential as it is shown to suppress the loss of disc height, stimulate tissue hydration for disc repair, and decrease inflammation and innervation to prevent more disc degeneration. (5) The nutritional approach continues to hold hope for back pain sufferers as the disc matrix components are known, two central ones being chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan and hyaluronan. Making chondroitin sulfate available to the disc plus controlling the hydrostatic pressure of the disc is valuable. (6) Cox® Technic is shown to decrease intradiscal pressure, so combining it with chondroitin sulfate may be, too. Are you including it in your daily supplements? Consider adding a disc supplement that has chondroitin sulfate to your routine after we talk. Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC is ready!
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he presents research on the part chondroitin sulfate plays in the health, degeneration and possible regeneration of the intervertebral disc and in the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
CONTACT Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
Schedule your next La Grande chiropractic appointment with Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC. See you then!