A Cure for Arthritis

by Brian Dorfman

The Mayo Clinic states on their webpage for Osteoarthritis that arthritis "gradually worsens with time, and no cure exists."  In their lexicon, osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease which results from the breakdown of cartilage, which only increases over time.

I began my first article in this series with the story of a 58-year-old man who had been diagnosed with osteoarthritis in his left knee and was, according to his doctor, looking at a total knee replacement as the only way to solve the problem.  We were, however, able to resolve his case quickly and completely through massage, stretching and manual manipulation of the effected joint. How can this be?

In my understanding, the term arthritis has always been used to identify an area that has some kind of inflammation.  It is interesting to me that the AMA views the swelling associated with osteoarthritis as a symptom rather than a cause of the immobility in the joint.   Often there is only one joint where a person will have swelling.  So the idea that one thing is swollen, then the person has a disease or a predisposition for a disease is a bit absurd.  Arthritis is almost always localized. (Rheumatoid arthritis is a different story.  It results from inflammation in all the joints.  It is a systemic disease that affects the whole body.)

One of the first rules about injury rehabilitation is that when a joint is injured or compressed, there is some swelling.  This inflammation can be alleviated, but until it is, it can easily—and, in my opinion—erroneously be diagnosed as arthritis.   Especially chronic swelling, which can happen all the time in a joint.
The idea that a swollen knee (or an elbow or thumb) that is injured at some point can not have swelling is false.  We know swelling can be resolved in a joint.   When it's resolved the pain is alleviated and there is more mobility.

The reason that swelling can easily lead to bigger problems is that it pinches off the capillaries and decreases circulation. Then there is a situation where the body is not able to actively move calcium out of a joint. The nature of a joint is that if it is immobile it starts to calcify.  So a joint that is swollen and immobile will also likely have some level of calcification. This would qualify as arthritis.  I've been told many times by patients diagnosed with arthritis that their cartilage has worn away and that the joint is now bone-on-bone.  The more likely scenario is that the bone has collected more calcium, which is now compressing the cartilage.  I believe it is quite rare to truly have a bone-on-bone situation in a joint.  In most cases, once the extraneous calcium is broken up and removed from the joint, the vascular system can be freed to do its job again and the joint can begin to heal.

In other words, this disease that can't be cured, can be cured.  But don't take my word for it.  If you suffer from joint pain and immobility, find a practitioner who will work the joint, instead of just medicating it.  And if you are considering surgery for an arthritic joint, think carefully. You do have other options that can help you feel better forever.

Double-crested Cormorant on banner by Cleve Nash