22
Wednesday, April 24, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Fit For
Sisters
Andrew Loscutoff
Columnist
Joint pain, arthritis,
and weight
Is being overweight caus-
ing an arthritic crisis?
Aches and pains that
become persistent are cer-
tainly not an ideal way to
exist. Pain in the ankles,
knees, hips, back, shoul-
der, neck and hands often
leads to diagnosis of joint
inflammation and arthritis.
Arthritis is a non-specific
description for symptoms
of aches, pains, inflamma-
tion and joint degeneration
often associated with age,
genetics, and lifelong use. 31
million American people suf-
fer, according to the Arthritis
Foundation. The number is
expected to double by 2040.
What are a couple of the
underlying factors in this
wave of arthritis? It is inter-
esting to consider the weight
of a typical American and the
impact of this extra weight
on the joints. For example, it
is commonly understood that
10 pounds of extra weight
produces 40 pounds of stress
on the knee joint. Extrapolate
this over the course of a day
and there is a lot more <wear
and tear= happening. Now
a paridoxial question: Does
joint pain cause more obe-
sity because a person elects
to do less movement because
of painful joints? This seems
to be likely 4 and it can
cause downward trajectory
toward more accumulated
body weight and more pain-
ful joints.
Another link to excess
body weight and joint pain
is the increase of inflam-
mation in overweight and
obese individuals. This
causes joints to flare up, and
causes a lot of the symp-
toms of stiffness and aching
in a joint. Adopting an anti-
inflammatory diet of whole,
minimally processed foods,
along with exercise (which
can help reduce inflam-
mation) is a way to help
improve symptoms.
It is more and more com-
mon to treat joint degrada-
tion with a procedure like
a replacement. Why not?
Surgical technology has
come a long way; a person
can go under the knife and
come out with a new joint.
Sometimes this relieves
symptoms and a person
enjoys pain-free movement.
Other times a person is left
a little better and the pain,
immobility, and low activity
persists. Consider the cost of
obesity in general, not only
to joints, but to other areas.
Heart disease, diabetes, and
other complications. Does
replacing a joint correct the
bigger picture?
This is why weight loss
ought to be considered as
a must to begin joint-pain
treatment. Once weight
is down, muscular health
established, and a diet of
whole foods is habituated, it
is very likely that pain levels
improve. Other interventions
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can follow lifestyle and <pas-
sive= treatment if joint pain
is still debilitating.
Exercise professionals
can help with low-impact,
low-intensity exercise to get
a person moving. This slow-
building progress establishes
habits, reduces inflamma-
tion, and will produce pain-
relieving endorphins from
the exercise to help with
pain. People can find profes-
sional help at gyms, wellness
centers, and physical therapy
offices.
Arthritic conditions
will continue to rise, along
with the average weight of
Americans. Many wellness
and health programs are
helping people with a variety
of conditions, and insurance
companies are beginning to
notice the benefit to their
bottom line. Without pro-
fessional help, a person can
research a whole food diet,
begin exercising sensibly
and see symptoms reduced.
Andrew Loscutoff is a
trainer at Sisters Athletic
Club and a competitive
cyclist.
Financial management
classes available
NeighborImpact is offer-
ing financial management
courses to Sisters families
interested in applying for
the affordable homes that
will be built in McKenzie
Meadows, if the development
is approved in the coming
weeks.
<Through our Home-
Source program, Neigh-
borImpact offers a variety
of financial management
courses that improve skills
in many areas including bud-
geting, goal-setting, saving
techniques, building credit
and steps in buying a home,=
said Sonia Capece, Neigh-
borImpact HomeSource
director
Completion of our
Homebuyer Education
Workshop will be required
to be eligible to apply for
the affordable homes in
McKenzie Meadows. The
cost of the course is $45, and
scholarships will be provided
by Hayden Homes for indi-
viduals that fall below 80 per-
cent of area median income.
<Attending classes
through NeighborImpact
will help every individual get
ready for the next chapter of
their money-management,
rental or homebuying jour-
ney,= Capece said.
Completion of any courses
is not a guarantee that a First
Story application will be
approved.
For more informa-
tion visit neighborimpact.
org/ni_events. To enroll in
the Homebuyer Education
Workshop, select the date
and location desired and
complete the General Intake
form; reference First Story in
the referral code.