July 2021 Healthy News from Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC

Osteoarthritis of the knee and hip are known and growing concerns as our society ages…around the world. Today, Canada is evaluating the “Good Life with Osteoarthritis in Demark” (GLAD) program for knee and hip osteoarthritis. The program includes 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 improved 26-33%, walking speed got better by 8-12%, chair standability got better by 18-30%, and joint-related quality of life improved 12-26%. (2) (Another study utilized MRI to determine the thickness of knee joint cartilage after knee joint distraction to find that it thickened with treatment bringing about significant short- and long-term cartilage regeneration up to 10 years post-treatment. (3) This was performed with young people, but it is hopeful!) Back in 2017, a Canadian chiropractor published a paper describing his treatment using Cox® flexion-distraction-principle-based distraction to the osteoarthritic knee, and the success he has seen in his patients. Overall (acute and chronic patients combined), patients reported a mean visual analog scale score decrease 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 Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC are ahead of the curve with their modified Cox® Technic principles-based-flexion-distraction-approach to knee osteoarthritis. Novel protocols for use in hip OA are also in development. Talk with us today about how distraction treatment may help you with La Grande knee and hip osteoarthritis!

 

HOPE FOR DEGENERATED DISCS: Chondroitin Sulfate

Back pain treatment approaches from surgery to manual therapy to exercise to nutrition abound while back pain continues. Injecting hyaluronic acid hydrogel is showing some promise as it seems to suppress the loss of disc height, stimulate tissue hydration for disc repair, and decrease inflammation and innervation to ward off more disc degeneration. (5) The nutritional approach continues to hold hope for back pain sufferers as the disc matrix components are known, two key components being chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan and hyaluronan. Making chondroitin sulfate available to the disc as well as controlling the hydrostatic pressure of the disc is valuable. (6) Cox® Technic is shown to drop intradiscal pressure, so combining it with chondroitin sulfate may be, too. Are you taking yours? Consider including a disc supplement containing chondroitin sulfate to your schedule after we talk. 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 potential regeneration of the intervertebral disc and in the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.

CONTACT Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC

Schedule your next La Grande chiropractic appointment with Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC. See you then!