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I work in a rehab hospital currently, that is until i unass the AO for sunnier and sandier parts of the world. Here's my .02$-
Conservative treatment beats any form of medical intervention. For instance:
1. Corticosteroid injections offer short term pain relief. However, there are some definite downsides. If done improperly, you run the risk of compressing a nerve, or stretching a joint capsule the latter applies mainly to the upper extremity. Anyone who's ever had a CS injection into their elbow or shoulder could probably attest to that. The reason being whenever they inject anything into that capsule, it stretches it, leading to instability.
2. Chiropractors/DO's can re-align/decompress your musculo-skeletal system. Without addressing the root causes IE poor posture, bad shoes, agonist/antagonist muscle instability.
3. NMES/TENS units are often provided to people to control pain, they do that very well, especially if you're concerned with taking drugs to alleviate pain.
My personal recommendation would be to get on board in a physical therapy clinic, they'll be able to advise you best on what you're doing wrong, if there are any above issues. As well as provide you with a good list of exercises to strengthen those muscles as well as stretch and condition your back.
If you wake up stiff, take a medium sized towel, saturate it with hot water, but not dripping. Place it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes depending upon your microwave. Wrap it in at LEAST 2 towels and place it on your back. It will take a little bit of time to find a therapeutic medium, because you don't want to overdue it. don't leave it on longer than 10-15 minutes, because even though it doesn't feel hot, you can get a nasty burn.
As far as the arthritis, if you're looking for a wholistic approach, try poke berries. Remember when you were a kid and your parents told you to stay away from those clusters of purple berries that always stained your hands purple because you'd get sick if you ate them? Yeah, those. Take 4 a day, dried. Before that, please PM me for more information concerning this if you decide to try that route. As with any medication herbal or otherwise- you gotta watch for drug interactions.
I grew up on a farm in WV, way out in the boondocks, my Grandmother has been a medicinal herbalist for over 30 years. When her arthritis would flare up, she wouldn't be able to hold a skillet without both hands. When she takes those poke berries, she's able to type and do any other functional activities with her hands. So i can attest to their efficacy. Has anyone had any experience with appalachian medicine?
Given the number of miles you gentlemen have under your feet, i look forward to hearing what has worked well for you.
-Steve
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