Joint and Muscle Pain

..or some kind of ‘-itis’ – arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, fasciitis, and blah, blah, blah.  These are just inflammations of specific parts of the structural system.  See index at right. 

So why?

Those parts wore down.  How come?   The muscles crossing that area became foreshortened.  IN FACT, most joint or spinal pain comes from tight muscles which have become tight due to physical or emotional stress.
Point #1 in the muscle document explains the etiology of joint pain. To reduce the wear-and-tear on the joint as you are working on the underlying causes, I recommend using a simple massager to relax the muscle tension around the joint.   If you have specific joint problems and want to find the associated muscles, just do a google search on the muscle(s) around that joint (eg. elbow muscles) and then click on ‘images’ to see exactly where they are.  Then you can palpate the muscle(s) looking for tender areas.  Those are the areas to massage.  When you start building up the joint faster than you are wearing it down, the pain will resolve.  I give examples below.

If you have specific joint pain consult with the Organ/Muscle Correspondence chart for more clues regarding the underlying cause of that joint pain.  You can also use GNM and Dr Hamer’s findings to identify the kinds of shocks or stressors that may be contributing to your joint imbalances.

Many have found that MSM (#4059-4) is helpful for joint pain as well as stiffness.  Take 2B, 2D and reduce with symptoms.  MSM has also proven beneficial for acid reflux and allergies so if you have all of these start off with 3B, 3D and reduce with symptoms.  AND then look for and address the underlying cause.

Finally many painful conditions are relieved using an electro-medicine device called a pulsed EMF, or PEMF.  Severely worn or broken bones respond well to a special application of a Brain Tuner.

Specific and Common Joint Pain Scenarios

 

Knee Pain – ‘Bone on bone’

This is the primary joint where tests will show ‘bone on bone’.  From a medical perspective this is a hopeless case where surgery is the only answer.

When all you own is a hammer, every problem starts looking like a nail.

So what is happening here and what else can be done? Why isn’t the natural cushion rebuilding itself?  Make sure to read how muscles cause joint problems point#1, then consider the scenario

Red arrows show the tension that muscles are placing on the knee joint.

in the picture.  Muscles that cross the knee joint are tight and forcing the joint together so there is slim-to-none chance to get in there and rebuild any tissue.  THEREFORE to address the underlying problem work on relaxing the tension in all muscles crossing the knee.  These are likely the cause of your knee problem in the first place.  Use a vibration massager on the outsides of the thighs (along the pants side seam), and on all muscles above and below the knee.  As these relax the compression will ease up.  The organs associated with the muscles crossing the knee are the small intestine, adrenals, gall bladder and large intestine.  So check out those docs to get closer to the origin of the problem and farther from the scalpel.

I’ll also report what my clients taught me here,  much knee misery is associated with the thyroid.  This appears to be the case IF this is the only joint that has major pain.  In fact, so reliable is this relationship that several of my clients can tell when their thyroid has become unbalanced by recurring symptoms in their knees!   Check the Endocrine document to see if you have other symptoms that point to imbalanced thyroid function and possibly the liver-affected thyroid (which would mean the gall bladder has also been affected by liver function).    If you are already on a thyroid med, read up on the thyroid functions that you are missing out on by taking a man-made substitute in the Endocrine document.  Know that no man-made medication will do everything for your body that your own thyroid does for you.  It is best to nourish it into proper function.  If none of the thyroid symptoms seem to ring true to your situation, then take 7-Keto (#2922-4) 2B  along with Super Algae (#1056-5) 2B 2D reducing to ½ this after 2 weeks.  This will aide liver conversion of thyroid hormones. 

Slipped Disc / Ruptured Disc

Chart from Touch for Health showing the left sacrospinalis group (in blue).

Now why has the disc gone out of place?  Because it wants to be ornery?  Because God wants to ‘git ya’?  No.  Discs are squeezed or pressured or manipulated out of place.  They are happy to do their job where they belong.  A major player in the development of disc problems is a tight Sacrospinalis muscle group.  The Sacrospinalis is a large muscle group that attaches to the skull and runs down the spine on both sides, attaching to all the vertebra down to the bottom of the sacrum.   When this huge muscle group is tight, all the discs are in compression (squeezed between the vertebrae) and you can lose height.  Add certain kinds of movement to this scenario and the discs can become ‘compressed’  or pushed out of place or rupture.  Simple physics.  If this is the etiology of your disc problem, your pubic bone will be tender to palpation.  (For the location of the pubic bone see page 1 of the Abdominal Massage)  To address the underlying cause and keep this problem away you must focus on the health of your bladder.  My client data show most people with this problem have underlying (or not-so-underlying) bladder problems.  Consult with the Kidney/Bladder page for more clues.  Then do these things.

1.  First, take Urinary Maintenance (#2884-4) 4B, 4D for the 1st bottle 2B, 2D second bottle.  After this you may want to alternate with other urinary formulas, or continue on this as a multi, doing just 1-2/day.
2. At the same time nightly do the Abdominal Massage focusing primarily on steps #2 and #3.  Initially you will want to do the whole program but after 3-4 weeks, just do steps #2 & #3 every night.
3. If you are taking pain medication for this OR are in a great deal of pain, take Grapine HP (#1699-3) 3B, 3D and reduce with symptoms.
4. Topically get great relief from rubbing Distress Remedy (#8778-3) onto the area.  This is helpful for the associated nerve pain.  How often you apply it is more important than the amounts you apply.
5. If the tests show, or you suspect nerve damage, consult that document for associated remedies.
6. To help with the pain, support your production of anti-inflammatories as described in 2B in the pain document.

 

Lower Back and/or Hip Pain. 

Tight muscles that cross the hip joint are the cause of hip pain leading to hip-replacement.

The origin of this pain is usually the bowel so to address the underlying cause, you need to figure what digestive remedies you need.  Bowel function affects many muscles that cross the hip and the SI joint. When these muscles stiffen and remain tense, the joints that these muscles cross wear down and become inflamed. In advanced stages the diagnosis is necrosis of the bones in the area. Addressing the musculature is THE way to get relief while addressing the underlying digestive cause.

1. Begin immediately with the Abdominal Massage to reduce the impingement of the bowel on the local blood supply.  You will only need to do the ‘beginner’ section but give due diligence to steps #2 and #3.  You MUST do this every night until the pain is greatly diminished.  If you also have acid reflux issues, continue past the beginner section to the advanced part of the Abdominal Massage, and this will also resolve.
2. There are also many muscles that cross the hip which become tense and shorten and pull theThe band of muscles on the side of the thigh (shown as light grey here) are responsible for most hip and knee pain. Once softened by massage, this pain will subside.hip out of normal wear.  The Chapman reflexes for the bowel are along the sides of the thighs  (see diagram to right) and they are massaged with the heel of the hand firmly.  (A vibration massager may be easier.) These are located where the side seam of the pants would be, and, with hip/lower back pain these are normally VERY tender when the hip is worn out.  People get a wonderful relaxation of their pain with regular application of this simple massage.  So doing both the Abdominal Massage and the Chapman reflexes for a week bring folks nice relief – and it’s CHEAP!!!
3. Visit Digestive Path Defects and try to identify which of the underlying imbalances you experience and take the recommended herbs in that section.  If you don’t feel any apply, consult with the ‘cleanse’ section at the end of that discussion and begin a cleanse…or make an appointment.
4. Read Blood Supply Issues 2a on impingement.  This discussion will help you understand the ‘why’ of the pain.  But the herbs recommended there likely won’t address the hip pain UNLESS you also have other issues related to circulation. If this has been a longstanding problem, take the recommended herbs – they are cheap compared to hip replacement (and good circulation means good health).  And whose hip design is better than the Creator’s, right?

 

Shoulder Pain

This is primarily caused by liver/gall bladder dysfunction, and secondarily by stomach dysfunction and on rare but important cases, heart dysfunction or thyroid dysfunction.  Read these short docs for clues as to which contributor may be the most significant in your case.  These, my friends, are the underlying causes of whatever type of ‘-itis’ you have been diagnosed with in your shoulder.  So if you have had digestive problems especially with fats, and bouts of acid reflux, your shoulder problems were beginning to develop long before you felt discomfort there.  Indicators of liver/gall bladder problems are in that document but include fat digestion difficulties, allergies, tendon/ligament or eye problems and craving for tart foods like mustard, relish, etc. and bouts of anger.   So, do this.  Palpate the Chapman reflexes for Liver and Gall Bladder congestion (palpate means press in gently and slowly to see what you feel.)  If it is tender between those ribs, you have a liver contribution to your shoulder pain. Liver issues can be far more serious than shoulder problems but to move toward resolving them both I’d recommend

1. The Gentle Liver Cleanse.
2. Massaging the associated  Chapman’s reflexes that are tender until they are no longer tender
3. Find a massage therapist THAT can release the facia THAT stiffened the muscle THAT crossed the joint THAT wore out the bone THAT created the pain THAT Jack felt (sorry, couldn’t resist).  However you will have to visit them forever to get relief IF you do not address the underlying cause why the muscles became shortened or inelastic in the first place.

When stomach issues contribute to shoulder pain there is usually long-standing worry issues – the kind that knot your stomach and stifle your appetite and may even affect your neck.  These people sometimes have problems in and around their mouth (e.g. ulcers), crave sweets, and may have been thumb-suckers as babies, and, if longstanding, have difficulty building muscle mass – i.e. can’t gain weight.  So, do this.  Palpate your abdomen right below your sternum (that means press in gently and slowly to see what you feel.)  If it is tender and/or you feel knots, you have a stomach contribution to your shoulder pain.  Again, stomach problems are much more serious than shoulder issues so I recommend the following:

1. Abdominal Massage – but you will need to do both the beginning and the advanced parts, but it’s still cheap!
2. Good herbs for a stressed and knotted stomach are included in the Capsicum & Garlic with Parsley (#832-3) combo.  Take 2 before each meal.  This will assist in healing any ulcers, normalize the population of H.Pylori and provide needed potassium for digestion.  Catnip (#180-4) is great for the worrier.
3. Same as 2. and 3. for shoulder pain above.

When heart issues cause shoulder pain the problem is felt more in the back of the shoulder.  Actually thyroid problems cause this kind of shoulder problem too.  Again, visit those documents to see if the other indicators apply to your overall health and then follow the recommendations there. 

Foot Pain (in the morning)

This is from #1 in the pain document (which suggests simple remedies). Foot pain in the morning always points to the circulation through the kidney especially if stiffness is an issue.  Chinese Kidney Activator (#1872-5) has helped several of my clients with this and they know to take it when they need it.  If this does not resolve it, add Feverfew HP(#288-1) 

Plantar Fasciitis

The arrows indicate the muscle involved with heel pain.

Massaging the back of the calf all the way down to the heel will bring relief  (A vibration massager may be easier.).  There are usually sore trigger points that need to be worked out along the muscles and tendons that reside there.  These muscles are associated with the adrenals and other imbalances associated with them are discussed in the Endocrine document.   Rub Lavender Oil (#3907-8) onto the heel.  That will stop the pain almost immediately!  Target Endurance (#2809-8) will help as it is an adrenal formula containing capsicum (so take it with the meal) 4B, 4D reducing w/symptoms.  But don’t forget the massage – it is cheap. 

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

This is very EASY AND CHEAP to resolve and actually has a similar etiology to Dupuytren’s contracture, namely a shortening of the tendons going into the hand.  It is not a surgery/injection deficiency.

Joint pain in the arm is caused by muscle tension

Do this.  Palpate the fore arm just below the elbow of the involved side to see if you can identify any tight guitar string-like bands that are tender.  These can be on the top or bottom side of the upper forearm.  Note these and massage them 2-3X a day (A vibration massager may be easier.).  As the tenderness decreases so will the symptoms of Carpal Tunnel or Dupuytren’s contracture.  Proper supplementation will keep it from coming back.  According to traditional Chinese Medicine, the tendons are governed by the liver and Dupuytren’s contracture has many liver-related correlations.  Other indicators of underlying liver imbalances are found in that document and a beginning step would be the Gentle Liver Cleanse. 

Hernia

…is a tearing of the abdominal wall or other membranous inner skin of the body whose function is generally to hold things in place.
So why would that happen?  Usually in the case of the common abdominal tear there is too much outward pressure from a full slow bowel which has been longstanding.  Bearing down to have a bowel movement creates the additional outward pressure (as does bearing down to lift something heavy).  Palpating the abdomen will reveal hardness.  Consult with the Digestive Path Defects document to address the root of the problem.  Once that problem starts correcting and the abdomen is softening, then introduce the Abdominal Massage for the cheapest possible fix.  HOWEVER, exercise caution to use slow gentle strokes and sufficient oil.  And take the following to rebuild what has torn.

• 5-W (#1120-5) 3B, 3D (yes the pre-delivery female herbal – to strengthen abdominal wall, and no guys, this will not give you female characteristics.)
• Comb Potassium (#1673-3) 3B, 3D to aide digestion and relieve the abdomen of water
• Collatrim capsules (#3065-4) 4B, 4D for repair materials

Remember from here forward to keep the abdomen soft to palpation and don’t ‘bear down’ to move the bowels. 

RSD/CRPS (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome) 

These people, at some time in their life when they were both stressed and not in the best of intestinal health, have a trauma to their tissue somewhere, likely as a result of an accident or possibly surgery.  In the aftermath, they cannot turn off the pain.  So the 3 major imbalances that contribute to this disease are

1. Low grade (or not-so-low grade) intestinal inflammation, often caused by stress or NSAIDs (pain relievers), usually resulting in some degree of ulceration or what has been termed ‘leaky gut syndrome’.  For a more complete discussion see Digestive Path Defects 2A and 2B.  Use of NSAIDs prior to the incident makes a person far more vulnerable.  Often these people have weak or painful quadriceps muscles (front of the thigh) – they cannot easily get up from a deep knee bend or easily do a sit-up.
2. Adrenal exhaustion from stress or other endocrine dysfunction requiring the adrenals do double duty.  See 2B (in the pain document) for the results of this.  Often these people don’t sleep well and crave sugar.
3. Pharmaceuticals (which make it worse.)  NEVER cold turkey a med.  Find a doc to work WITH you.

This can be reversed but it is a PROCESS to address the series of imbalances that allowed the development.
Analogy Time:  After a big Thanksgiving family dinner, I walk into the kitchen, see the mess we’ve made, and have to figure out where to begin re-establishing order.  It cannot be done all at once.

1. The first step may be to clear the counters with whatever can go into the dishwasher.  This is easiest so we clear the counters of as much as we can and see what is left.  Similarly with RSD to correct the first imbalance above, we must clear the intestines of ulcerations and resolve the ‘leaky gut’ with soothing herbs and nervines not only to see what is left, but to STOP ADDING TO THE PROBLEM.   To rebalance the problem in #1 above do Licorice Root (#420-6) 3B, 3D, Intestinal Soothe and Build (#1106-2) 4B, help the mucosa and Catnip (#180-4) 3B, 3D for the intestinal nerves.  An indicator of progress is less painful quads, or, an easier time ‘rising from the knee bend’.
2. Next, in the kitchen we need to preserve what can be used again, restocking the ‘fridge or freezer with yummy leftovers.  With RSD to correct the 2nd imbalance above, we MUST re-supply the adrenals so they can make your yummy anti-inflammatories.  Follow the recommendations in the pain document 2. B. b. right down to the DHEA.
3. The third thing to do in the kitchen is to throw out the trash, to correct the 3rd imbalance above, if you catch my drift.  Supportive anti-inflammatories might be High Potency Grapine (#1699-3) 3B, 3D reducing with symptoms.

These imbalances would likely require several appointments to find the most effective herbal combos to quickly resolve the underlying causes.  It is doable. 

Sore Muscles from Exercise

I’m not sure how it works but Safflowers (#600-2) must be able to clear the body of the kinds of acids produced during exercise.  What people report is that if you take 2 Safflowers before you work out or do any strenuous sports or work activity, you will not get sore at all!  What a Godsend, huh?  It is reported to help with joint soreness and arthritis as well as gout.

(I’m still working on this but thought I’d put up as much as I’ve done.) 

Pharmaceutical Phactoids – In the unlikely event that your doc failed to warn you that…

Common painkillers raise heart risk 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Popular painkillers such as aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen can raise blood pressure and thus the risk of heart disease among men, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.  Men who took such drugs for most days in a week were about one-third more likely to be diagnosed with high blood pressure than men not taking them, the researchers found.

Their findings, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, reinforce a study published in 2002 that these commonly used drugs raise blood pressure in women.  “This is a potentially preventable cause of high blood pressure,” Dr. John Forman of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, who led the study, said in a statement.  Millions of people take the painkillers as pills every day to treat headaches, arthritis, muscle pulls and other aches and pains.  [OR because the doc said Baby Aspirin would help their heart!!!  Do they read about their double blind placebo controlled studies!!!!  Sheesh]

Tendon Rupture, a Little-Known Side Effect of Antibiotics

Here’s one more for the long list of tales about how the drugs we take to heal us can end up causing harm: The FDA has announced that it will now require a boxed warning (its strongest warning on a label) about the risk of tendonitis and tendon rupture associated with use of fluoroquinolone antibiotics — such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro) — along with mandated distribution of a newly detailed medication guide to be dispensed by pharmacies with the drug.

Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro and Proquin XR), gemifloxacin (Factive), levofloxacin (Levaquin), moxifloxacin (Avelox), norfloxacin (Noroxin), and ofloxacin (Floxin) are commonly prescribed for upper respiratory, gastrointestinal and urinary tract infections (UTIs).

FDA-approved labeling for these drugs mention the risk of tendonitis, but clearly public awareness is not widespread as the FDA continues to receive reports of tendon-related adverse events related to them. The FDA has received more than 400 reports of tendon rupture plus more than 1,200 of tendon problems, and, it’s possible this represents only the tip of the iceberg since it’s suspected that just a small fraction of cases are reported to the FDA.

Although anyone who takes fluoroquinolone drugs is at risk, the likelihood of having tendon problems is higher if you are over 60, taking  steroids (corticosteroids), or are a kidney, heart or lung transplant recipient.

Symptoms of tendonitis include pain, swelling, inflammation and tearing, all found most commonly in the Achilles tendon, shoulder or hand. Ruptures can occur without warning (some patients report feeling a snap or pop soon after starting treatment), but more typically patients feel pain or inflammation for days or weeks before the tendon actually ruptures. Another symptom is easy bruising right after an injury in a tendon area. These problems can occur during or after taking fluoroquinolones — even months later, according to the FDA.

If you develop tenderness or other such problems, avoid exercising or overuse of the area. Any such symptoms should be immediately reported to your doctor in conjunction with your request to be switched to another antibiotic of a different class. Most serious problems may be avoided if you pay attention to the first signs of trouble.

Source(s):  Sidney Wolfe, MD, Director of The Health Research Group at Public Citizen and editor of www.worstpills.org, in Washington, DC.

©Pat Block ND 2007