KNEE PAIN……………….is it Arthritis?

Many young and elderly people complain of knee pain. Almost all the people who experience knee pain for any reason ask a common question………….Is it arthritis?  Some people have undergone various treatments intended for arthritis and still suffer from pain.

What is the cause of my knee pain? Is every knee pain due to arthritis? how to relieve knee pain? Do I  have to depend on pain killers throughout the life?

These are the common questions asked by patients with knee pain at my Nature Car Clinic.

Causes of Knee Osteoarthritis

Deterioration or wear and tear of articular cartilage is the main problem associated with knee osteoarthritis. The condition can be caused by:

· previous knee injury

· repetitive strain on the knee

· fractures, ligament tear, and meniscal cartilage  injury which can affect alignment and promote wear and tear

· genetics which make some people more likely to develop knee osteoarthritis

· obesity (being over weight)

· problems with subchondral bone (the bone layer underneath cartilage)

Knee osteoarthritis typically develops gradually over a period of years.

The primary symptoms associated with knee osteoarthritis include:

· pain (mild, moderate, or severe)

· stiffness (especially after a period of inactivity)

· limited range of motion in the knee

· localized swelling

Knee  pain due to osteoarthritis is usually worse following activity, especially overuse of the affected knee. Stiffness can worsen after sitting for prolonged periods of time. As knee osteoarthritis progresses, symptoms generally become more severe. Pain can become continuous rather than only when weight-bearing.

But one has to know that all knee pains are not due to Osteoarthritis.

The other common reasons for knee pain are:

Overuse knee injuries (including muscle strain, tendonitis and bursitis) may develop gradually over days or weeks. Knee pain is commonly caused by doing too much too soon. Pain is often mild and intermittent in the beginning and worsens over time. When muscles and tendons are stressed even slightly beyond their capabilities, microscopic tears (micro trauma) occur. (Inflammation, which is part of the healing process, is what causes the pain). These tears must be given a chance to heal before subjected to the same activity to avoid overuse injury. One has to treat overuse injuries early to prevent chronic problems.

Knee Pain Treatment

Most of the painful knee conditions respond well to non-invasive treatments such as Marma Therapy temporarily restraining from activities that aggravate pain.  Exercises to strengthen the muscles that support the knee help reduce stress on the knee joint and prevent re-injury.

Osteoarthritis is usually preceded by chronic thigh muscle weakness. When there is a thigh muscle weakness it leads to muscular dysfunction of the knee joint exposing it to micro injuries. This situation is further aggravated by dehydrated articular cartilage which covers the bone ends. Thigh muscle weakness causes pain and feeling of instability of the knee joint. At the first stage of knee pain, if such condition is detected and treated, Osteoarthritic changes can be arrested or prevented. Marma therapy is capable of detecting and treating this condition. Once Osteoarthritis is started and established in the knee, it can not be reversed or cured. 

Body weight plays a vital role in the process of starting Osteoarthritis. One must keep the body weight at it’s optimal level, according to the height and age. Also, inactivity and over activity contributes to this condition, therefore moderate amount of activity should be maintained.

Marma Therapy when applied in combination with weight reduction (If you are over weight), and proper nutrition can be very helpful in counteracting the knee pain of any origin.

Marma Therapy for Pain-free living

 

Marma therapy is a technique used in the Sri Lankan Traditional Medicine for regulating body’s vital points. This is done by using specific Ayurvedic oils, performed by the physician using his hand and feet, applying appropriate pressure to specific vital points/parts of the body. Marma therapy relieves pain, stiffness and regulates the function of various body organs and systems.

Marma are specific vital areas of the body. The word Marma comes from Sanskrit origin mru or marr. The Sanskrit phrase, Marayate Iti Marmani, means there is likelihood of death or serious damage to health after infliction to these places and hence these areas are called Marma.

According to the Traditional knowledge, a Marma point is a juncture on the body where two or more types of tissue meet, such as muscles, nerves, ligaments, bones or joints.

Yet Marma points are much more than a casual connection of tissue and fluids; they are intersections of the vital life force or Prana.

Marma therapy is an important part of vitality as it involves the conditioning of these vital areas. Effective conditioning of these areas can improve and maintain a good health balance.

Prana is a form of vital energy. Prana pervades each and every cell of the body, and it nourishes, maintains and controls the functioning of the cells and body systems. When these Marmas are affected, the organs linked with Prana channels become starved with lack of Pranic energy and some organ becomes diseased, crippled or malfunctioning depending upon the quantum of Prana being lost, it may lead to long term illness.

The idea behind Marma therapy is to cleanse and redirect blocked Pranic energy, by either stimulating or calming the doshas. each Marma point has three receptors that align with the three doshas. During a Marma-point therapy, the points are stroked in a deliberate sequence using specific oils and other medicinal preparations.

According to the tradition there are 365 Marma points in the body. Major Marma points correspond to the seven chakras, or energy centers of the body, while minor points radiate out along the torso and limbs. The points cover both the front and back body.

They are classified for better understanding according to the physical components:

•Mansa Marma - muscle

•Sira Marma - vessels conveying body fluids and impulses

•Sanyu - tendons

•Asthi - bones

•Sandhi - articulate points specially bone joints

The Marma are also grouped on the basis of their similarities in the features particularly on the basis of vulnerability:

•Sadhya Pranhara Marma ~ Sadhya means sudden or immediate. These Marma are vulnerable for the loss of life immediately after injury or insult.

•Kalantara Pranhara ~ Kalantara means after the lapse of some time, Pranhara means loss of life. After infliction to these Marma, loss of life results gradually after some time.

•Vishalyaghana ~ Vishalya means being the foreign body removed. This category of Marma is named on its surgical importance. Vishalyaghana indicated death being the foreign body removed. When injured the person survives as long the foreign body remains in place.

•Vaikalyakara ~ Vilkala means deform or cripple.

Marma therapy involves a full body work out with specific oils and applying pressure and massage strokes to the Marma points on the body. According to psychosomatic constitution or disease, different oils are selected for Marma therapy. This therapy encompasses the techniques developed in keeping the knowledge of Pranic channels and nadi locations in priority. Marma therapy generates and redirects the energy resources and helps the flow of vital energy within the individual. It removes blockages form the vital points giving physical and psychological relaxation and strength.

Benefits of Marma therapy

Some of the benefits of the Marma therapy include:

•increase in protection from nerve disorders

•nourishes of the nerves, muscles, tendons, joints

• encourages good sleep

•improves physical stability.

Marma therapy today

In summary, simulating or massaging the Marma points gives benefits to the area of their locations and improves the function of the connecting organs.

The Marma therapy itself is approximately 30 to 60 minutes of duration

The above is only a brief overview of Marma therapy. Patients who are interested in receiving Marma theray should be first consulted with a qualified Ayurvedic physician who is experienced in performing Marma Therapy. Marma therapy is a really useful way to help improve or maintain an individual's health balance.

What are the conditions that can be helped with Marma Therapy?

v Chronic pain of musculo-skeletal origin

v Carpal tunnel syndrome

v Pain related to Osteoarthritis of the knee

v Cervical spondylosis

v Low back pain and sciatica

v Menstrual pain

v Tension headache and migraine headache

v Sleeplessness

v Menopausal discomfort

v Leg pain

v Frozen shoulder

WELCOME TO GREENHEALER BLOG SITE

For those who are interested in ways of Natural Healing, this blog I created.

I am Dr.Roy Perera, from Sri Lanka and I practice Ayurvedic Medicine and Traditional Sri Lankan Medicine. Also I help people with number of complementary disciplines such as Therapeutic Massage, Deep Tissue Therapy, Aromatherapy and NeuroKinetic Therapy.

I have my own Clinic. It is not a conventional 'Dispensary' or a 'Medical Center'. It is a Healing Chamber integrated in to a homey atmosphere.

I strongly believe in the natural healing power that exists within our own bodies and minds. Body and mind is closely connected, and can not be separated. What we think with our minds immediately felt within each and every cell of our bodies. When we think positively, our bodies respond positively. When negative thinking predominates our bodies respond accordingly. Healing is the total outcome of body-mind co-operation.

Modern drug centered medicine is actually only in it's childhood, if not infancy. It is rapidly developing into it's adulthood with the accompanying technological advances. Mostly it deals with the physical body and body parts in isolation. Orthodox medical doctors are taught to discover what is wrong with a given body system or body part and give a name to the malfunction. Treatment is only possible after labeling the malfunction. They pursue the diagnosis with number of chemical drugs and number of procedures until the end. Some disease conditions have purely physical causes. Kidney stones, blocked arteries, appendicitis, trauma such as complicated fractures, hernias, are some examples for such conditions, and they can be successfully corrected by modern medical skills. Also, modern vaccination techniques have eradicated some weird viral and bacterial epidemics. However, we see that Modern high tech medicine is using space age technology to patch up our self abused bodies and effects of our unbalanced nutritional states and high speed life styles.

We live in an era of consumerism and rapidly changing life styles. We are always busy and we don't have much time to consider what is happening to our lives. Whenever we feel ill, we try to do sort of 'plumbing' our bodies. we rarely think about the cause of our illness. We are ready to blame 'germs', cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and host of other agents for our illnesses. But we hesitate to turn our attention inwardly to search what other potential causes are there to make us ill. Surely, we even do not know such causes are there,lurking within our minds and our ways of thinking and living.

I believe that it is time to change our thinking towards wider perspective and deeper understanding of how we become ill, how we can be healed, and how we can prevent illnesses. We should understand that in the treatment of certain illnesses drugs have no part to play. When you have a long term pain, a pain killer drug is not the answer. If you are threatened with osteoarthritis a multiple drug regime is not the answer.If you are sleepless a sleeping pill is not the answer.

Let us work towards a more rich understanding of vitality,life, health and happiness.

Wishing you all good health and vitality

Dr. Roy Perera