Weekend warriors are trying to hold aging at bay. Are you someone who has developed aches and pains related to your physical activity? Have you resorted to drugs or surgery to stop the ravages of aging?
Erika Feinberg, CEO of Active Forever said, “There are three major solutions to aches and pains: drugs, slowing down and taking it easy, or finding a non-drug-related product that can help you heal.”
Based on her interaction with Boomers, she added: “It is safe to say that they do not care for drugs as the solution. Slowing down is also not an option.”
Surgical relief is frequently an option, and after 38 years of full-court basketball, I am living proof with two new shoulders this year and a knee replacement several years ago. Surgery has not relieved all of my pain. Because of side effects, drugs are not a good option.
For the Boomer and those a bit older, there are a multiple of aches and pains.
According to Patience H. White, vice president for public health for the Arthritis Foundation, arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States, affecting 50 million Americans, or one in five adults. That number could jump to 67 million by 2030.
Osteoarthritis- a degenerative joint disease- is the most common form of arthritis.
In addition, osteoporosis, a precursor to osteoarthritis, affects 10 million Americans and another 34 million are at risk of getting this disease.
Research shows that 20 percent of seniors who break a hip die within one year. Experts are predicting that by 2025, osteoporosis will be responsible for roughly 3 million fractures and $25.3 billion in costs-per-year, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation.
When you look at the products that are used for bone- and- joint related diseases, it is estimated by Global Industry Analysts that more than $9 billion will be spent on supplements like calcium fortification, glucosamine, methylsulfonylmethane , vitamins and soy to focus on disease prevention. “You should research and decide the efficacy of drugs to help you relieve pain,” Feinberg said.
“The key to keeping aches and pains to a minimum, all comes down to eating correctly for your body, positive thoughts and moderate exercise, while enabling your body to heal faster than you are damaging it,” she said.
The Arthritis Foundation supports motion as the best medicine for joint therapy. October 12th is Move Around the World Day. If you go to www.fightarthritispain.org you can determine your risk and keep track of your movement progress.
In searching non-drug ways to provide pain relief Feinberg suggested, “the products we have identified that have been the most and effective include products in the categories of infrared heat therapy, cold laser, compression and traction.”
Tom Lescault, CEO of Renewal Technologies, invited me to use a new product that his company put on the market with FDA approval called Laser Touch One, a device that combines cold laser and electrical stimulation. I borrowed one to see if it would help with the recovery of my two shoulder replacements. I reviewed the testimonials and instructions on the website.
It has worked with a variety of conditions from shoulder pain to fibromyalgia. A research study was completed that compared three technologies, and the LTO was the most effective for pain, according to Okky Oei, M.D., a pain specialists and medical director for Renewal Technologies.
For me, I got pain relief and an increase in range of motion with only two weeks of application. Although Mayo has not tested LTO, my surgeon said that cold laser and electrical stimulation are proven techniques in rehabilitation therapy.
Written By: William Arnold
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