The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis and it usually strikes people who are past their middle age. This condition ensues when the joints begin to gradually degenerate. As one can surmise, osteoarthritis is quite a painful musculoskeletal condition and can be quite debilitating as well. Here is how osteoarthritis develops.

Between two adjacent joints, there is a membranous layer called a cartilage separating these two joints. During our youth, the cartilage aids in facilitating movement by serving as an emollient to the two adjacent joints. It aids in preventing these joints to rub against each other during movement.

With aging, however, comes wear and tear to the cartilage causing it to degenerate and when it comes to the point where it is so worn out that it can no longer function as a protection to the joints, the adjacent joints start to rub against each other causing intolerable pain accompanied by inflammation and limited range of motion to the affected part of the body.

Osteoarthritis can develop from several causes. It can come about due to overuse, injury, old age, and heredity. The overuse of the cartilage may lead to the development of osteoarthritis even in the young ages of 20 and 30 years old.

There are a couple of reasons why you need to seek medical help if you feel that you are starting to develop osteoarthritis: To further avert more damage to the cartilage and to treat the swelling, pain and soreness that always accompany this type of arthritis.

As inflammation develops around the affected joints, the inflammation needs to be addressed. A lot of western doctors almost often prescribe steroidal anti-inflammation medicines. Having so many side-effects, however, these drugs can only be taken for a limited time period. Research have been done showing that constant and repeated intake of these medications can actually exacerbate the osteoarthritis, not treat it. This has forced doctors to approach this condition without the use of steroid-based medication.

Acupuncture is a therapy that has been considered by some doctors along with the use of NSAIMs or (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines). A controlled study has revealed that right after acupuncture treatment, about 70% of the patients experienced relief of their pain.

Acupuncture is actually thousands of years old and is still being practiced in huge numbers in the land it took its roots from, China. It is such a powerful form of therapy that a growing number of western trained doctors are training to become medical acupuncturists themselves and adopt it in their practice. Acupuncture is about the use of needles to stimulate the acupuncture points in the body. Acupuncturists state that there are more than 2000 acupuncture points scattered all over the body. The body will become healed when Chi or life energy is balanced or has a balanced flow. So, the primary objective in inserting needles into the body is to stimulate these acupuncture points in order for the blockages to be removed so that the obstructions can be cleared allowing Chi to flow freely.

Osteoarthritis is a very debilitating and painful illness that damages the joints of the hands, hip, or knee. During osteoarthritis instead of a new and normal bone developing when the old cartilage wears out, the body will produce abnormally shaped joints that often result in impaired movement and severe pain.

Both herbal medicine and acupuncture can help resolve the symptoms of osteoarthritis. Practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine attribute the growth of misshapen joints to hardened phlegm that came about as a result of an underlying and chronic deficiency. When there is damp in the body, phlegm is produced. Phlegm usually hinders the flow and transformation of fluids. The spleen is affected by too much phlegm in the body as it is the organs system responsible for the transport and transformation of spleen. Herbal medicine and acupuncture are used to tonify the spleen to help correct this problem.

Besides boosting spleen energy, acupuncture needle can help stimulate healing by reaching the deeper levels of the body affected by osteoarthritis, something that topical herbs or massage therapy cannot do. Sufferers of osteoarthritis in the knee, usually state that they experienced immediate results once the acupuncture needles are inserted in the areas near the kneecap.

Studies have verified the effectiveness of acupuncture and herbal remedies in the treatment of osteoarthritis. The Cochrane Review posted a study during January 2010 that demonstrated an improvement in pain related to osteoarthritis after two to 6 months of treatment. The people who participated in this study reported a 4 point improvement of their pain on a scale of 0 to 20. Besides that, they said that their overall physical function got better by 12 points based on a scale of 0 to 69.

Another edition of the Cochrane review published in June 2013 published a study showing comfrey extract gel and Chinese herbal patches to be helpful in the betterment of function and relief of pain compared to placebo treatment. The center point of the study, however, was the effectiveness of arnica in the improvement of physical function and relief of pain when compared to the effectiveness of NSAIDs or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Natural treatments like topical herbal treatments and acupuncture were shown to really help in the proper control and management of osteoarthritis symptoms. They have proven to be effective frontline treatments for this disease.

These days, osteoarthritis is quite a commonly reported issue heard by doctors. Most of the time, this condition affects middle age people. Osteoarthritis is the gradual degeneration of the joints and it is a quite painful condition.

Between the joints in the body, a layer of membrane exist called cartilage. For young people, the cartilage acts to facilitate movement by serving as a lubricating membrane. It assists in preventing the two adjacent joints from rubbing against each other when the body moves. But, as a person ages, the cartilage starts to weaken and degenerate. It eventually becomes so eroded that it can no longer effectively act as a protective layer for the bones. This then results in pain whenever there is movement. In a lot of instances, the inflammation of the joints also causes swelling that follows the soreness.

Osteoarthritis can be due to many factors. This problem can be brought about by overuse, injury, old age, or heredity. People who are in their 20s or 30s also have a chance of developing this disease. An osteoarthritis sufferer should find treatment as early a soon as possible for 2 reasons: to prevent the condition from worsening and second to relieve the swelling, soreness and pain of osteoarthritis.

The inflammation needs to be treated when it develops around the affected joints. Western doctors usually prescribe steroid-based anti-inflammation medicines. The bad thing about this is that these drugs come with a number of harmful side effects. Worse, these drugs can actually induce osteoarthritis in some case thus exacerbating the condition. This has forced doctors to seek other non-steroid ways to resolve osteoarthritis.

Acupuncture is one very good way to treat osteoarthritis, especially if it is combined with the use of NSAIMS or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines. In one controlled clinical study, about 70% of the patients received pain relief right after being treated with acupuncture.

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese modality and has been practiced for over 5,000 years. These days, a large number of doctors are also practicing this ancient treatment method. Acupuncture uses ultra thin needles to stimulate the energy pathways in the body. Acupuncturists state that the body possesses over 2000 acupuncture points scattered all over the body. When Qi or vital energy in the body is balanced, the body is able to easily heal itself. O, the primary aim of using acupuncture is to stimulate these acupuncture points to clear out obstructions can be cleared and allow Qi to flow freely.

Western medical scientists believe that these acupuncture points are part of the central nervous system and when they are inserted with acupuncture needles, hormones, neurotransmitters and other special chemicals are released and they all aid the body in healing itself. Through the use of acupuncture for the treatment of osteoarthritis, there will be less and less need for the use of steroid based drugs. This therapy brings quick relief from pain and enables the affected joints to heal naturally and gradually.