THIS POST WAS WRITTEN BY ETOIMS ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2012
POSTED UNDER: UNCATEGORIZED

As we age, our muscles and joints become tight and stiff. However, we accept these symptoms as part of normal aging. If aging is defined as being of advanced years, especially past middle age, how is it that we resign ourselves to also accept that it is OK to be tight and stiff? What does the passage of time has to do with symptom development? What if a younger person has these symptoms? Does chronological age has an important role in symptom development?

Is this acceptable to feel discomfort from the movements of tight muscles and joints? Can we age without feeling such discomfort? Or prevent pain from developing? How do we slow down the pathophysiological process of aging since we cannot slow down chronological aging? Can there be an opportunity to youthfully age and enjoy freedom of mobility, function and have quality of life comparable to that of a younger person though one has “aged” ?

Symptoms of osteoarthritis most often develop gradually and include

· Joint aching and soreness, especially with movement

· Pain after overuse or after long periods of inactivity

· Stiffness after periods of rest

· Bony enlargements in the middle and end joints of the fingers (which may or may not be painful)

· Joint swelling

The first three symptoms truly mimic that of myofascial pain/discomfort due to spinal nerve irritation that produces trigger points. Could it be that if muscles symptoms can be controlled, that arthritic symptoms can be controlled? If muscle tightness and stiffness can be controlled, possibly that the last two objectives signs in the list above may not even occur? If the condition is diagnosed later, we may not be able to reverse the arthritic process. In that case, we should be able to decelerate the aging process?

Regular light to moderate physical activity has both preventive and therapeutic benefits for individuals with knee osteoarthritis. When these regimens fail, apart from blaming genetic makeup and having to resort to just taking medications and looking forward to eventual joint deformities leading to joint repair/replacement surgeries can anything be done at all before that happens to slow down this down-hill trajectory and the complications associated with such procedures? What if all these procedures have already been performed to the individual and the person still remains in discomfort and worse yet, in pain?

Exercise is important to maintain joint health. However, routine exercises as well as movements that occur during activities of daily living result from the contractions of multiple muscles that cross the joints and produce movements of multiple joints. It is not suprising that patients with osteoarthritis feel painful to move their joints or have more pain after the exercise. So when exercises fail to relieve pain and or discomfort and yet because exercise is therapeutic, one should consider exercises that can actually isolate movements to only one muscle at a time. This can be done through twitch contractions by electrical stimulation of trigger points zones of individual muscles so that isolated active contractions can occur for individual muscles.

Twitch contractions produce the ultimate aerobic and active exercise since this occurs from nerve-muscle transmission and activation of the neuromuscular junction (trigger points) as it normally occurs with electrical impulses coming from the brain and spinal cord. However, when the muscles become very tight due to nerve irritation or nerve death at these trigger points, the tight muscles due to muscle spasm or intramuscular fibrosis act as a local constrictor force on the intramuscular nerves and blood vessels. The tight muscles also produce a traction force on underlying bone and joints.

The most effective way to unfurl these muscle knots and spasms is to locally excite the entrapped intramuscular nerves with deep but painless, local electrical stimulation with eToims. These twitch muscle contractions are the most effective method of sending fresh oxygenated blood to these injured trigger point areas especially in the deepest portions of the muscles where the pain/discomfort is concentrated.

The local muscular pump effect created by the twitch contractions which mimic in rhythm to that of cardiac contractions can most effectively improve the circulation of blood to the sites where it needs the most blood supply. This can occur since the freshly injured trigger point is very electrically sensitive. On the other hand, twitches are difficult to elicit in chronically tight muscles or when the pain is very strong since the muscles tighten up more.

The twitch contractions also perform an intramuscular stretch to these tight spasmed muscles thus relieving pain by reduction of the traction force on the underlying bone and joint. In this manner, we can use localized and focalized active twitch contractions to not only reduce the pain and discomfort of the osteoarthritis but also to prevent its progression. It also simulates normal exercise since the individual can twitch contract his own muscles with the eToims Twitch Method to feel physically rejuvenated and feel and look young. eToims done on a daily basis can provide blessings to have youthful aging. Correction of pathophysiology and treating the ischemic and traction effects of tight muscles on bones and joints is the answer to prevent or slow down osteoarthritis. Yes, this is important to youthfully age and feel and even look young. Anyone game for forever 18 years of age?