Out of all of the things human beings use, the most important is anatomy, and the reasons are apparent. For the regular adult, the multiple systems enable us to function in the best way possible. For the children, they provide an avenue for the growth and development of their future bodies. Nevertheless, many of these functions rely on the condition of the bones in our bodies.
Despite this, those that link these bones are genuinely responsible for almost all our activities. In essence, they enable us to walk, jog, run, or move as seen in our joints. Those bones also provide a good support structure for our bodies, as seen in our vertebrae. All of these are created through joints found in bones and spines. Unfortunately, there are times when these essential parts will become affected and cause a significant amount of pain.
In light of these events, your priority should be pain management in greenbelt md, as these will have a few consequences. Not addressing these problems will only deteriorate one’s condition as days pass. Nevertheless, one must first know why these “connectors” are essential to everyday life.
How Important Are Your Joints?
Naturally, the word “joint” would immediately be associated with the ability to connect one thing to another. In this case, these two factors would be bones. However, one may not realize it, but joints play an essential part in your body aside from this.
To better understand joints, one may look at the overused example of the femur and the tibia. The femur is described as the thigh bone, which is found directly above the tibia, the shin bone. Typically, we may fold our legs into a most comfortable position, depending on the person. However, we wouldn’t do this without substances in the middle.
While joints are described as the point at which two bones meet, they are also made of fibrous connective tissues. Essentially, these are responsible for connecting bones, but they enable our flexibility. Without these connections, a lot of things would happen. For example, you wouldn’t be able to stand up after sitting down on your office chair. You wouldn’t be able to write down important reminders on your planners. You wouldn’t even be able to walk at all. Joints would be much like a “super glue” if one enabled a stable but flexible movement.
Nevertheless, the femur and tibia are only one example of the many joints in our bodies.
Can Joints Be Affected?
Unfortunately, like many other parts of the human anatomy, joints are not immune to “wear-and-tear” either. As we age and do many activities, we affect the condition of these joints, and we potentially place ourselves in this position. Despite this, we have to accept this as the result of the work we choose to do.
To be even more frank, there is a long list of illnesses connected to joints and their conditions.
Osteoarthritis
Consider, for example, the most common form of pain associated with joints which is Osteoarthritis. This is a degenerative joint disease linked to the breakdown of the joint cartilage. In other words, these eventually wear out the more they are used, hence the “wear-and-tear” effects.
As it is the most common of all illnesses related to joints, they come from a multitude of sources. Those whose work involves lifting heavy loads and a lot of demanding physical work would find that their ligaments worn out after years of labor.
Herniated Discs
Athletes push their bodies to the limit, and one of the occupations that are the most physically demanding is that of the basketball player. There is a lot of acceleration and braking that a normal player should be doing in the span of four quarters. Of course, there are some other sports that are arguably more demanding such as that of a soccer player. They spend 90 minutes running around for one full game, and throughout their careers, they play thousands of minutes in total.
Aside from this, flexible and athletic moves demand more complicated movements out of these athletes, and contact and bumps are also more common than one thinks. That is why the reality of the herniated disc is evermore present in these careers. Athletes do push their bodies to the limit, but this comes at the cost of withered joints.
Nevertheless, much like Osteoarthritis, this comes along through years of “wear-and-tear” meaning that anyone can get it.
Other Illnesses
As mentioned before, there is a long list that describes the illnesses attached to joint use. This, of course, means that they aren’t limited to herniated discs and osteoarthritis.
There is a certain Facet Syndrome describing a disorder of facet joints, usually accompanied by lumbar pain. This is a complicated problem to explain, but it can be summed up into unwanted friction causing pain in movement. While they do support and stabilize weight above each level of the spine, the joints are subject to aging and use.
Spinal stenosis also exists, and this is a group of conditions characterized by the narrowing of the spinal canal in the spinal cord. However, the cause of the joint illness isn’t caused by age and “wear-and-tear”. The chronic lower back pain is most commonly associated with overgrowths in facet joints, bulging discs, arthritis, and even herniated discs.
Bursitis is also another illness that doesn’t have the same causes as the first two illnesses. This is also a joint pain and degenerative joint disease caused by the breakdown of the joint cartilage. This, in turn, is caused by an excessive amount of weight around the knees, hips, and, and back.
What Should I Do (If That Time Comes)?
These joint problems are serious in nature as they can cause you a significant amount of pain when they arrive. However, these only come about through different activities that we encounter in our lives, and younger adults and children have very little to worry about. Nevertheless, the age of an individual doesn’t matter when it comes to an inevitable problem. One needs to make sure that they are prepared for the worst case scenario.
The best way to do this is to find yourself the best pain management clinic in the area. Naturally, you will be taking pills, and they will be injecting solutions onto affected areas. Despite the predictable nature of these institutions to provide you with pills and injections, they must also be able to give you advice on what to do from here on out. This is important as it gives you a chance to forgo these problems for longer periods.
Nonetheless, a physician should be a priority as they will be your guide to better joints.
