Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is estimated to affect roughly 27 million Americans, with those older than 60 having the highest incidence (1). The main symptoms are swelling, pain, stiffness, and possible grinding at the affected joint. Most OA treatments focus on relieving joint pain and optimize function to improve quality of life (2).
Extivita Therapies for Osteoarthritis:
Extivita Therapies Osteoarthritis Recovery:
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Neurofeedback
Supplements
Nutritional IV Therapy
Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Osteoarthritis:
Additionally, research on rheumatoid arthritis, which presents with inflammation and pain symptoms like OA, showed decreased feelings of pain in a human study (5). Beyond treating symptoms of OA, recent research suggests that HBOT may stimulate the production of new cartilage at joints (6).
Effects of HBOT on Osteoarthritis:
Decreased Inflammation
Increased Stem Cell Activity
Neurofeedback for Osteoarthritis:
There is some evidence to suggest that neurofeedback may improve dynamic stability for those with osteoarthritis following knee replacement. Neurofeedback may work by strengthening the connections between the brain and the limbs and may be an appropriate supplementary therapy to traditional physical rehabilitation (6).
IV Therapy for Osteoarthritis:
Research has shown that the imbalance between free radical burden and free radical scavenging mechanisms is a significant part of OA disease development (7). Increased free radical burden has been shown to cause inflammation, fibrosis, and pain in local tissues between joint compartments. This can lead to cartilage destruction, joint changes from inflammation, and subsequent transition to apparent OA. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that protects cells from damage caused be free radicals (8). Myers’ cocktail and IV glutathione can provide oxidative stress resistance (9-10).
Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy for Osteoarthritis:
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease which causes joint pain and ultimately loss of joint function and disablement. PEMF’s effect on improving microcirculation/blood flow has been shown to reduce inflammation, improve mobility and alleviate pain(11-12). In fact, a review of 16 studies found that PEMF effectively reduces pain and stiffness while improving physical function in people with osteoarthritis(13).
News & Research for Osteoarthritis:
Oxidative stress in secondary osteoarthritis: from cartilage destruction to clinical presentation?
Abstract Due to an increasing life expectance, osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common chronic diseases. Although strong efforts have been made to regenerate degenerated joint cartilage, OA is a progressive and irreversible disease up to date. Among other...
Hyperbaric oxygen treatment is comparable to acetylsalicylic acid treatment in an animal model of arthritis.
Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the United States are affected by the pain, disability, and decreased quality of life associated with arthritis. The primary focus of treatment is on reducing joint inflammation and pain through a variety of pharmacotherapies, each of which is associated with various side effects. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an alternative treatment that has been recommended to treat a variety of inflammatory diseases, ranging from chronic brain injury to exercise induced muscle soreness. The purpose of this set of experiments was to explore the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on joint inflammation and mechanical hyperalgesia in an animal model of arthritis, and compare these effects to treatment with aspirin. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy significantly reduced both joint inflammation and hyperalgesia. As compared with aspirin treatment, hyperbaric treatment was equally as effective in decreasing joint inflammation and hyperalgesia. This article reports that hyperbaric oxygen treatment decreases pain and inflammation in an animal model of arthritis. The effect of hyperbaric oxygen treatment is very similar in magnitude to the effect of acetylsalicylic acid treatment. Potentially, hyperbaric oxygen could be used to treat pain and inflammation in patients with arthritis.
Do antioxidant micronutrients protect against the development and progression of knee osteoarthritis?
Abstract Objective: Cumulative damage to tissues, mediated by reactive oxygen species, has been implicated as a pathway that leads to many of the degenerative changes associated with aging. We hypothesized that increased intake of antioxidant micronutrients might be...
References
- “The Basics of Osteoarthritis.” WebMD. Accessed July 18, 2019. https://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/guide/osteoarthritis-basics.
- “Diseases and Conditions Osteoarthritis.” American College of Rheumatology, March 2019. https://www.rheumatology.org/I-Am-A/Patient-Caregiver/Diseases-Conditions/Osteoarthritis.
- Sellam, Jérémie, and Francis Berenbaum. “The Role of Synovitis in Pathophysiology and Clinical Symptoms of Osteoarthritis.” Nature Reviews Rheumatology 6, no. 11 (November 2010): 625–35. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrrheum.2010.159.
- Thom, Stephen R. “Hyperbaric Oxygen – Its Mechanisms and Efficacy.” Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 127, no. Suppl 1 (January 2011): 131S-141S. https://doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0b013e3181fbe2bf.
- Slade, John B., Mary V. Potts, Alan M. Flower, Karen M. Sky, Michelle T. Sit, and Thomas W. Schmidt. “Pain Improvement in Rheumatoid Arthritis with Hyperbaric Oxygen: Report of Three Cases.” Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine: Journal of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, Inc 43, no. 4 (August 2016): 467–72. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28763177
- Chen, Hang, Gaoyi Wu, Qi Sun, Yabing Dong, and Huaqiang Zhao. “Hyperbaric Oxygen Protects Mandibular Condylar Chondrocytes from Interleukin-1β-Induced Apoptosis via the PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway.” American Journal of Translational Research 8, no. 11 (November 15, 2016): 5108–17. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5126354/
- Jamebozorgi, Ali asghar, et al. “The Effect of Neurofeedback on Postural Balance and Attention in Patients Suffering From Knee Osteoarthritis With Bilateral Total Knee Replacement: A Pilot Study.” Archives of Rehabilitation, vol. 21, no. 1, Archives of Rehabilitation, Mar. 2020, pp. 4–4.
- McAlindon, Timothy E., Paul Jacques, Yuqing Zhang, Marian T. Hannan, Piran Aliabadi, Barbara Weissman, David Rush, Daniel Levy, and David T. Felson. “Do Antioxidant Micronutrients Protect against the Development and Progression of Knee Osteoarthritis?” Arthritis & Rheumatism 39, no. 4 (1996): 648–56. https://doi.org/10.1002/art.1780390417.
- Ziskoven, Christoph et al. “Oxidative stress in secondary osteoarthritis: from cartilage destruction to clinical presentation?.” Orthopedic reviews vol. 2,2 (2010): e23. doi:10.4081/or.2010.e23
- Shouan Zhu, Dawid Makosa, Benjamin Miller & Timothy M. Griffin (2020) Glutathione as a mediator of cartilage oxidative stress resistance and resilience during aging and osteoarthritis, Connective Tissue Research, 61:1, 34-47, DOI: 10.1080/03008207.2019.1665035
- Kaitlin S, Sheena S, Magda H. Pilot Study: Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMFT) Alleviates Symptoms of Osteoarthritis. Nov Tech Arthritis Bone Res. 2017; 1(5) : 555571.
- Gutterman, David D et al. “The Human Microcirculation: Regulation of Flow and Beyond.” Circulation research vol. 118,1 (2016): 157-72. doi:10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.115.305364
- Yang, Xiaotian, et al. “Effects of Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy on Pain, Stiffness, Physical Function, and Quality of Life in Patients With Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials.” Physical Therapy, vol. 100, no. 7, July 2020, pp. 1118–31. PubMed,.