chronic illness

In 2007, arthritis and conditions related to it cost the U.S. economy almost $128 billion in medical care and indirect expenses. The most widespread form of arthritis is osteoarthritis, which is sometimes called “wear and tear” arthritis. Osteoarthritis is characterized by the chronic degeneration of the cartilage that cushions our joints. This cartilage allows for easy, smooth movement. When cartilage is worn away, bone rubs directly on bone, causing pain, stiffness, inflammation, and tenderness. Weight-bearing…

Did you know that the majority of people who have had a limb amputated still report feeling some sensation in the removed limb, such as itching or tingling? As many as 80% of amputees experience a type of this phantom limb pain. This can manifest as almost any sort of pain, such as stabbing, throbbing, or burning. Pain can last anywhere from minutes to hours to days, with some amputees in constant pain for decades.…

Neuralgia is sharp, and often severe, pain that runs along the path of a nerve. The basic cause of neuralgia pain is damage or irritation of a nerve. This damage or irritation can be caused by several different conditions, from disease to trauma. Causes of neuralgia To understand the cause of neuralgia, it’s first necessary to understand how nerves work. The nervous system is responsible for carrying information back and forth from the brain to…

Imagine waking up with intense, burning pain for no reason, or undergoing surgery only to find that the accompanying pain increases and spreads until it forces the use of a wheelchair. Worse still, imagine spending months—or even years—going to physicians who are unable to diagnose the condition. This is the grim reality for people with complex regional pain syndrome. The symptoms of complex regional pain syndrome can be very different from person to person. Once…

It is not uncommon to see those with hypermobility and EDS covered in an abundance of brightly coloured KT tape. Kinesio tape comes highly recommended for those with hypermobility, however, just like most modalities, there are those that find it helpful and those who do not. There is an abundance of claims when it comes to using KT tape, ranging from injury prevention to increased circulation. However, what does the research say about taping joints…

We often get asked about Fibromyalgia and Osteoarthritis from our clients, because more often than not, they have been told numerous scary stories by consultants. Likewise, many of the people we speak to have read many articles online, that are laden with misinformation. Osteoarthritis as a whole, gest a bit of a bad reputation, despite being completely normal and inevitable. In fact, even the name Osteoarthritis is somewhat of a misnomer, as “Osteo” means bone,”‘Arth” means…