Before I begin, I want to stress that this article is about Osteoarthritis and Degenerative Joint Disease.  It is not about autoimmune or inflammatory joint diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.  Doctor John W Phelts, D.C. see many people in New York, NY who have arthritis.  Osteoarthritis is the degeneration of cartilage tissue in joints.  Cartilage tissue is made up of cells called chondrocytes and allows bones of a joint to move upon one another with very little friction. 

Cartilage has a very limited blood supply and most of its nutrition comes from the bones they cover.  When you move your bones, the pressure within the joints change, which allows nutrients to move into and wastes products out of the chondrocytes.  When there is no movement or not enough movement of joints, the chondrocytes do not get their nutrition or not enough of the nutrients required to stay healthy.  As a result, they begin to die.  When the rate of dying exceeds the rate of repair and replication of cells, osteoarthritis develops and progresses over time. 

Resistance exercise ensures that you are repeatedly moving your joints, and thereby pumping nutrition into your cartilage.    It is important to choose resistance exercises that move the joints through their full range of motion like squats and dumbbell chest presses.  Exercise is a great way to prevent arthritis, and if you already have arthritis, it is a great way to prevent it from progressing.  Consult a fitness trainer to develop an exercise program for you.  Phelts Chiropractic PC serves the 10016, 10017, and 10018 zip codes.  If you have osteoarthritis, call us today at 212-286-2012 to see how we can help you.