Almost all of us will encounter some joint pain/stiffness before are days are done. Most commonly, this will be osteo or common arthritis, which is regarded as a condition rather than a disease. It is widely considered by orthodox medicine to be normal wear & tear and little can be done other than minimise the pain & inflammation.

Not only do pain killing and non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s) mask the symptoms, but they interrupt what is a natural process. Inflammation does not cause the deterioration but is part of the process that does the repair work. I am not saying do not take these, if needs must. But these should only be taken short term. Not only does the effectiveness of NSAID’s drop off after a few months, but lots of people are sensitive to them, with thousands of people dying every year from their side effects, mainly stomach & intestinal problems. So if they give you indigestion or other stomach upset it would be advisable to avoid them and asthmatics should avoid them anyway. Also studies have shown that in the long term NSAID’s actually increase the degeneration of the joint/s in question. Pain killers, on the other hand, are toxic to the liver and kidneys, and often cause constipation. Always read the information leaflet/box before taking. 

There are many reasons why some suffer more than others with this condition, including tissue type/ constitution, bowel health, nutritional deficiencies, lack of exercise etc., but I will give here a simple mechanical model.

Enter the first principal of osteopathy:

If the structure of the body is compromised, (i.e. injury, strain, overuse, etc.), then it is likely to have a detrimental effect on the function (i.e. stiffness, pain or instability). This also works in reverse, in that a lack of stretching before & after exercise or lack of exercise in general (function) - is likely to cause a shortening of the muscles (structure) leading to stiffness.

Someone may have a stiff elbow, which may have tightened a little after a minor injury or perhaps they do a job that involves a lot of work for they’re forearm muscles, which tighten up over time. The body, then automatically compensates by over-using the shoulder and/or wrist to compensate. The hand does what the brains tells it to - and control of everything in between is controlled from the spinal cord and lower centres of the brain. If this pattern continues, then this may lead to strain of the wrist (i.e. Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)) or shoulder (i.e. Frozen Shoulder) with associated inflammation and therefore pain. So it’s easy to see why rubbing the sore bit or just treating the symptoms rarely works. It makes more sense to treat the cause where possible.

As we age our tissues become less elastic and shorten, so we become less able to adapt and compensate. Also, as time passes we tend to collect and adapt for minor injuries, stresses and strains along the way. So often it is the case of the final straw breaking the camel’s back.

If the problem is more generalised, then an osteopath who practices visceral (internal organs) and cranial osteopathy would be appropriate or if you prefer - homeopathy or traditional acupuncture.

This is why, to maintain joint health and flexibility to good age it is important to stretch & exercise ( ideally Yoga and/or Tai Chi ) and an occasional preventative/maintenance osteopathic treatment.

Why treatment - well as mentioned earlier - your system knows of it’s foibles, such as stiff areas and automatically works around them and after time accepts these as being ‘normal’. This is usually done by the ‘okay’ or mobile areas becoming more mobile to compensate. Whereas a good body worker, such as, an osteopath can feel where the actual stiffness is and focus on improving the mobility where needed.

Stiffening of joints often creeps up unnoticed, starting with a loss of accessory movements - those movements that we don’t normally use. Whenever we move a joint the required tension in the muscles compresses the joint to stabilise and then flex, extend, etc.. Whereas an osteopath can ‘passively’ move a joint, gapping and separating the joint surfaces, which stretches the joint capsule, ligaments and other shortened tissues around the joint. This improves the overall mobility, which reduces local inflammation and allows the maintenance and repair mechanisms to do their job more efficiently. Working on the local muscles to improve local circulation and reduce the stresses on the joint is also important.

In short

• Get any stiff joints mobilised ( you may not be aware of these yet, particularly in the spine ).

• Use hot/cold compresses or a capsicum (pepper) based cream on any sore areas to reduce inflammation.

• Keeping moving, without over doing it, will do likewise.

• Stretch out the shortened muscles to maintain mobility.

• Keep your joints moving through their full range or work towards this.

On a final note - the one thing that is likely to lead to and aggravate joint pain and stiffness is stress. Over excitation of the nervous system not only increases the tension in the muscles, but also increases the perception of any existing pain. So de-stress. Whether you chose to learn to meditate properly or choose from the wide range of treatments available from the centre - it’s your choice.