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I was born with “bad knees” meaning a genetic disposition to osteoarthritis. By 60, my grandmother had to climb the stairs of her home in modified hands-and-knees position. My mother started avoiding stairs in her fifties and by her mid-sixties took a literal minute per stair when she faced them. The pain is excruciating, as you know if you are reading this for yourself or someone you love.
I have learned through the years that any pain in our body is rooted in three things:
Stress (due to genetics, injury, emotions)
Inflammation (due to body’s defenses, diet, chronic pain)
The contraction of muscles that sends “pain” messages to the brain.
The knowledge of these three things have helped me to live relatively pain free even with “bone on bone” knee joints and a lower lumbar misaligned disc that back surgeons insisted was from a childhood injury and needed fusion to deal with the stabbing pain I was having two years ago. (Here is a radiologic image of the lower back I live with pain-free.)
Fun times! Back to knees. My non-medical advice (I am not a healthcare provider, so please talk to yours before following it) has worked for me. The pain is gone most days, and when my knees start aching, (after running around all day, the weather, or working too hard at the gym), I increase my use of the following three therapies.
Disclosure: there are links in this blog that allow you to immediately buy or access my simple approach to freedom from knee pain. I do make some income from your purchases but that does not detract from the integrity of my experience. I hope you will soon agree.)
1: Stop the inflammation and reduce the pain with an anti-inflammatory mostly vegetarian diet and/or the use of food supplements proven to reduce the pain of inflammation. I can testify to the use of muscadine grapeseed extract for rapid and continual relief of knee pain. (I have used so many other things in the past including turmeric, devil’s claw, and Boswellia but nothing even comes close.) I use the brand MusNatural for its premium quality (I have tried others; saved a few dollars but the pain came back.) I have forgotten my MusNatural a few times when I travel and within 2-3 days I am downing NSAIDs like ibuprofen to stop the pain. When I start the muscadine grape again, I get relief in a few days. For maintenance, I take 4 pills per day, spread throughout the day like food. When pain starts creeping back in, I increase to 6.
2. Stimulate healing, nerve relaxation, and muscle release with far infrared light. You can research from science around the world how far infrared not only relaxes muscles and relieve pain but also helps to produce collagen and heal the mitochondria of cells for better “younger” muscles, tendons, and joints. I will set the lamp on the front or back of my knees once a week without pain, and twice a day if the tightness or pain starts to come back. It usually resolves within two or three uses. I personally use it for about 20 minutes at a time. Amazon has a variety of well-priced infrared ramps with quick delivery and real results from pain. The AceFox Infrared TDP Lamp is what I have and love.
3. Experience the connection of body and brain and its relation to the total release of pain with Somatic Functional Therapy. I discovered this amazing micro-movement and mindful method when I met Dr. Alba Rodrguez and Dr. Ramon Nunez a few blessed years ago. A simple, minutes-only, scientifically proven approach to releasing stress and the contraction of muscles to resolve pain. It’s a lot easier than it sounds and there is a free webinar available at www.somaticallyspeaking.com
REGISTER NOW TO ATTEND THE FREE WORKSHOP
Please let me know what works for you. I can be reached on Facebook at Tanya Abreu or at tanyaabreu@hotmail.com
Wishing you and yours painless, joyful, youthful living.
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