My bones make all these crunching noises when I move them...Is that arthritis? Are my joints crumbling?
The sciency word for the audible crunching heard in joints is "Crepitus".
Although it sounds worse than a dozen 3 year olds playing the Tin Whistle 🎶🎶🙉 it is usually painless and harmless.
Your joints are not falling apart, they will not crumble under pressure and it is unlikely you will start to get pain from exercise or exertion (quite the opposite in fact).
Arthritis is a tricky term also...arthritis is a poorly thrown about word just like the old "slipped disk" term.
Break the word down..."arth-" = relating to the joint and "-itis" relating to inflammation. So arthritis should mean inflammation of the joints.
But, often this is the term used for degeneration of the joints (actually termed "arthrosis") or when there is pain in the joints - not specifically inflammation.
So a diagnosis of "arthritis" (when there is pain involved) is often lazy, and if treated with medication often (but not always) useless.
So when it comes to dealing with crunchy but pain free joints...let the metaphorical sleeping dog lie 😊
Sorry for the grim video of my crunching knees here folks 🙈 but I'm pain free in both those noisy joints 😁
Tag someone who has a set of noisy bones 🎶🎶😅
"Get high get Low, get Hot get Cold..." 🗻.🌊.🔥.❄
This is something I am going to constantly precribe to my patients this year. Get up into the mountains, down to the beach, into the heat or into sea.
There is ever developing & mounting evidence of the benefits of heat therapy, cold therapy and getting out in nature for helping problems like depression, stress and chronic pain syndromes.
I myself have am going to make it a habit of mine to do one of these things each week going forward in 2019 and beyond.
I've been making regular visits to the saunas and steam rooms this last 2 weeks and today I had my first cold therapy experience with the Lough Neagh Monster Dunkers at Oxford Island.
A lovely set of people all down to get a 6°c bath with quite strong winds and choppy waters 🏊♂️🌬🌊😨
Such a buzz getting into the open water and refreshing the body & mind.
I'll be trying to do this weekly from now on so if anyone wants to tag along give me a buzz and get involved 😊
