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Skeletal

Essential Amino Acids and Why They Matter

INTRODUCTION Many of my clients have sustained injuries, especially from car accidents. Regretfully, pain and stiffness limit their movement, which can cause muscle loss, weakness, and deeper dysfunction. Increasing client strength, and overall health, through a well-developed strengthening program is a key component in rehabilitation. However, many forget that resistance training is only one step,…

Mitochondria and Relationships to Health

INTRODUCTION Mitochondria are organelles (subcellular structures conducting specific tasks) found within the cells of our bodies. Such organelles are involved in several critical processes to include reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, cell survival, cell signalling, apoptosis (cell death), several metabolic pathways, and energy production via adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis; its most widely known contribution.1,2 As…

Managing Osteoarthritis and Inflammation With Saunas

Knee osteoarthritis (KO) is one of the most common conditions affecting approximately 30-50% of individuals over 65 years of age.1 KO is a chronic and degenerative process which is characterized by articular cartilage degeneration, injury, narrowing of articular space, and inflammation.1(1-2) In recent years, researchers have placed particular focus upon the inflammatory cascades associated with…

Osteoarthritis Support With Platelet-Rich Plasma

As outlined in this author’s last post, Osteoarthritis (OA) is a condition characterized by incremental joint pain and compromised joint function; an arthritic state, which generally affects individuals over the age of 50 years.1 Left untreated, OA can progress into a severe condition and slowly diminish an individual’s productivity and quality of life.1(1)In the following…

Environmental Pollutants, Sweating, and Detoxification

Sears, Kerr, and Bray (2012) indicated that several elements exist in the environment that provide no known benefit, physiologically. Such elements include arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg) (Sears et al., 2012). However, said elements have the capacity to bioaccumulate in the body producing aberrations in multiple regions to include the cardiovascular,…

Tracking Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by compromised bone strength and elevated bone turnover, which increases an individual’s risk of fracture (Srivastava et al., 2005). Almost 44 million Americans are estimated to have low bone mass which, in 2001, had a direct national expenditure of 17 billion dollars (Srivastava et al., 2005). As such, methods of…

Open Reduction and Closed Reduction Internal Fixation: Pros and Cons

Malalignment or displacement (terms used to describe abnormal position of fracture fragments) of bones requires interventions, which stabilize and immobilize the tissue for optimal healing (Delforge, 2002). Two prominent methods that enhance bony union while reducing chances of malunion (i.e., healed fracture fragments in a malaligned/imperfect position) include the open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) and…

Medial Collateral Ligaments, and the Healing Process

Understanding the tissue healing process, without medical intervention, serves as a baseline to determine and compare the efficacy of modern-day therapeutic techniques. As a means of appreciating the undisturbed process of tissue healing, the following will examine the research of Frank, Woo, Amiel, Harwood, Gomez, and Akeson (1983) as it relates to medial collateral ligament…

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction; The “Ligamentization” Process

Ligament strength is essential to maintaining joint stability, and prevention of injury. Collagen, a structural protein constituting 65%-80% of the dry weight of ligaments and tendons, provides the majority of functional integrity and framework, as seen on the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) (Marumo, Saito, Yamagishi, & Fujii, 2005). Thus, finding a suitable tissue replacement for…