Re: Thanks...Zyglamail...
Coachsprints said:
I appreciate your attentive response. JRA must have been one unfriendly start to a new life...but your proactive approach seems to have carried you a long way. I have never heard of a prolotherapist but I will check your link for anything that would give me more mobility.
As a side note, how has weight training effected the progression of your RA and have you found particular diets that seem to alleviate the pain and stiffness?
I had it very bad in my left knee and right elbow. I remember hopping around the house on one leg for hours every morning before I finally got some mobility in my left leg and could walk. It was painfull as hell and for a while I even had to sleep with an open cast at night to prevent the leg from bending so I could actually get a bit quicker use from it in the morning. The pain and flareups lessoned as I got older and for the most part I didnt have much trouble after the age of thirteen. However years of not being able to use the leg it is a bit longer and not quite as muscular, the muscles in that leg just dont seem to take on the same shape as my other but its still about 27" whereas my good leg is 28". Im over 30 now so the treatment back then was pretty pathetic.
My current understanding is that the majority of arthritis now, as I mentioned above is caused by joint laxity that never gets fully healed. This allows for a sloppy joint and the destruction of cartiledge. Not all prolo docs will likely try and actually regrow cartiledge(which invlolved adding GH to their injections) but even if they dont the prolo itself I would think should offer you strengthened joint which in and of itself should help with pain. I have found the best thing has simply been staying active and weight training has shown to improve bone density as well as cirulation by adding blood vessels etc. As for my diet, pretty much high protien moderate carbs with plenty of good fats. Pretty much the diet that any weight trainer would follow. Its funny you bring up the progression of the RA, if anything I feel the joint is now stronger and likely much better than it was before weight training. They key is strengthening the joint and that is where prolo comes in. It will strenthen the tendons/ligiments around the unjured joints which in turn can releave a lot of the pain and wearing away of the cartiledge giving the body the ability to heal it.
Its rather ironic that so many surgeries that result in cartiledge shaving etc are done to help the joint, however, when the removed flesh is sent to a lab it is almost always in a state of proliferation, which means its trying to repaire itself but the joint is in such poor health, damage is done as fast(or usually faster) than the body can repaire it. The prolo procedure is very simple and usually is only done once every 4 weeks or so. How many times its done will depend on progress and damage. For me I have had prolo, but ironically enough, never on one of my arthritic joints until just now and thats on my elbow for a little tendonits that starting so its not actually the joint causing pain, but the tendon that runs along the outer side of elbow.
Anyways, I hope you at least look into and please, if you follow through and get prolo done, I would love for you to e-mail me with your progress.
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