Millions of Americans suffer from arthritis, and they often find it difficult to get any pain relief. Degenerative joint disease is a common type of arthritis that affects the cartilage in the joints, and is common among the older population. But is degenerative joint disease hereditary, or is it caused by life choices? If you already have the disease, how can you prevent further damage?

What is degenerative joint disease?
Degenerative joint disease or osteoarthritis occurs because of the wear and tear on the cartilage. Cartilage is the spongy tissue that is found at the end of the bones in the joints. It acts as a shock absorber when there is physical movement, and also enables the bones to glide over each other and avoid friction.

Is degenerative joint disease hereditary?
There are certain risk factors for osteoarthritis, but it is not considered a hereditary disease. Obese individuals are at greater risk for developing degenerative joint disease, because of the strain the excess weight puts on the joints. People, (especially athletes) who suffer injuries near the joint, are also susceptible to osteoarthritis.

It is also important to make wise lifestyle choices in order to maintain bone health, and avoid osteoarthritis. This includes getting regular exercise, and eating foods rich in calcium and vitamin D.

How to prevent further damage
You can prevent the pain and other symptoms of degenerative joint disease from getting worse, by paying attention to your body, and taking care in order to avoid surgery (learn more). Exercise is always recommended, and there are also therapeutic products from Posture Pump that can help to ease joint pain, and provide the necessary lubrication the joints need for improved function.

Contact www.posturepump.com to find out more.

Pain in the cervical spine or neck is more common than ever, especially because of the poor posture when using smartphones and other modern mobile devices. It’s well known that good posture is better for your back, while bad posture stresses the cervical spine, and leads to early degeneration. So how do you alleviate cervical pain?

Treatment for Cervical Pain
Cervical pain can affect quality of life, and prevent you from doing the things you normally do. While neck pain can be alleviated with the use of home remedies such as hot showers or hot compress, this is often not sufficient for those with chronic pain and severe discomfort. More serious symptoms may require treatments such asAxial Linear Traction, or Expanding Ellipsoidal Decompression (EEDTM).

Axial Linear Traction
Axial linear traction is a conventional treatment for cervical pain that involves the use of a device that helps to provide cervical support, and promote proper posture. However, it has the unwanted side-effect of straightening the normal cervical curve (lordotic curve), which can increase wear and tear on the intervertebral discs.

On the other hand, EED enhances the lordotic curve.

Expanding Ellipsoidal Decompression
Cervical discomfort can be alleviated with the use of cervical decompression treatment using the Posture Pump with EED.This is a technique in which ellipsoidal air cells are released into the cervical and lumbar regions of the spine. The air cells continuously expand and contract during treatment, and they also hydrate the discs, helping to alleviate cervical pain. The ellipsoidal decompressionalso molds the normal curved shape of the spine.

While both treatments can alleviate cervical pain, EED actually improves the cervical curve, and enhances posture. Go online to www.posturepump.com for more information on the EED Posture Pump treatment, and other products designed to treat neck and back pain.

The emergence of smartphones has created a whole new medical phenomenon known as ‘text neck,’ the symptoms of which include neck and back pain. But can such a fun pastime damage your health, and are there long term effects of neck and back pain from texting. You may also be wondering – is texting damaging my spine? The answer may surprise you (read more).

It’s estimated that people spend about 2 to 4 hours a day texting, that means the neck is bent and the head and spine are out of alignment for long periods. Studies carried out by Dr. Kenneth K. Hansraj (published in Surgical Technology International); confirm that texting and bending the head to look down at your smartphone, puts additional stress on the cervical spine.

Texting and Back Pain

The human head weighs about 10 to 12 pounds, but when the head tilts forward even slightly to 15 degrees, the weight increases to 27 pounds. More weight is added, the further forward the head tilts.  The excessive weight accelerates the degeneration of the spine, and causes pain in the neck and back.

Is texting damaging your Spine?

Yes it is, because of the forward head posture that you adopt when using smartphones. Having the head dropped down puts the curves in the neck and spine out of alignment. An increasing number of young people are complaining of pain in the neck and upper part of the spine, because of ‘text neck.’

In order to avoid these pitfalls, you should limit the amount of time spent texting.  If you are already suffering from neck and back pain, check out Posture Pump products at www.posturepump.com, which can decompress and lubricate the spine.

When the spine has its healthy, natural curves there is sufficient space between the discs, and the lubricating fluid can penetrate so that there is adequate lubrication. However, if the discs become compressed, then the joints are starved of lubricating fluid, resulting in reduced flexibility and back pain. In order to ease this problem, doctors must understand how to extend and stretch the cervical spine (click here).

Neck and Back Pain

If you have pain in the neck and/or back then that may be an indication of problems in the spinal region. It is possible that some level of disc compression has taken place. When this occurs, the nutrients from the lubricating fluid cannot penetrate the joints, and this causes them to become dry and stiff, resulting in  neck and back pain, accompanied by reduced flexibility.

Solutions

Exercises and physical therapy are often recommended to extend and stretch the cervical spine, (read more) in order to relieve these symptoms. However, there are also excellent devices like the Posture Pump that can help to dramatically improve the pain, and lack of mobility.

The Posture Pump

The Posture Pump is an inflatable device that relieves the pressure on the spinal nerves, and strengthens the cervical spine. It is lightweight, easy to operate, and portable. The posture pump stretches many dimensions of the neck and spine, thereby increasing flexibility.

How it works

As the air cells on the Posture Pump are inflated, it produces an up and down motion that pulls and pushes the vertebrate. This motion stretches the muscles and the discs, and also promotes disc lubrication.

For more information on how the Posture Pump can safely extend and stretch the cervical spine, visit their website at www.posturepump.com. You can also email them at [email protected], or give them a call at 800-632-5776.