Ashburton Courier: June 10, 2021

NEWS
22 Ashburton Courier, June 10, 2021
www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz
Keep moving best for osteoarthritis
The most effective thing youcan
do for osteoarthritis is keep
moving, Professor Haxby Abbott
says.
Professor Abbott, formerly of
Lowcliffe, and thedirector of
the Centre for Musculoskeletal
Outcomes Research and works
from the University of Otago’s
Medical School, was addressing
members of Ashburton U3A at
its recentmeeting.
He is New Zealand’s highest
ranked expert in osteoarthritis.
His research programme
includes clinical trials,
outcomes research and cost
effectiveness modelling.
Osteoarthritis affects all of
the leg joint: joint tissues, with
localised loss of cartilage;
remodelling of adjacentbones:
inflammation and fibrosis, and
Haxby Abbott
muscle function change. It is a
metabolically active repair
process, involving mechanical
factors suchasinjury, obesity,
work and alignment, affecting
particularly knees andankles. If
muscle function is weakened,
our shock­absorbersdon’t work
well. Decline is not inevitable,
nor is joint replacement
surgery. Total diseasecan be
modified by drugs, and it can
resolve with time. Research
shows that two outofthree
patients were pain­free ayear
earlier. Some two out of threeof
those affected led to their early
retirement. Palliation includes
analgesia, and joint
replacement. Recreationally,
for example, young women are
more susceptible to misplaced
realignment of the pelvis and
knee when exercising, such as
the jumpand twisting on
landing. Young athletes are six
to eight times more likely to get
OA by their mid­thirties, if misalignment
with knees, pelvis,
and hip dropare taken into
account.
Organisations such as FIFA
follow an injury prevention
support system, in age groups.
Challenges for the future
include risingobesity. We can
change direction by asugar tax,
regulations, follow aless
sedentarylife style, more
exercise; all of which also helps
in controlling diabetes and
heart disease.
Influences of treatment
choices are threefold in
importance:recommendation
from your GP, health
professionals, and othertrusted
sources; the quality of evidence,
and the check whether there
will be asmall or large
improvement. The general
population gainsanincreased
quality of lifeaswellascost
benefits. Health gains can
include accumulating four more
weeks ayear of personal painfree
living. Estimations of cost
savings for the community show
marked increases overthe
lifetime of the adult population
of New Zealanders, from NZ$6
billion now to $19.8b.
For you, the first line is
education, exercise and weight
control. Secondly youcan use
pharmacological painrelief,
aids, and passivetreatments
given by atherapist. Massage,
and drugs suchastopical and
oral NSADs, can be effective.
Thirdly: surgery. Some other
practical solutions include
aquacise, heat, swimming,
cycling and walking. Thebest
advice is to keep moving.
Health
&
Wellbeing
Expertmusculoskeletal carefor your pain
On arriving in Ashburton, many
have asked, “Why Ashburton?” The
convoluted journey here encompassed
long term residency onthe ACC Expert
Panel thatformulatedthe NZ Guidelines
for the Management ofAcute Low Back
Pain, astint before the Parliamentary
Select Committee for the Health
Practitioners Competence Assurance
Bill, the contribution to the writing
and defence ofthe osteopathic 5year
double degree, and presently, longstanding
Sentinel Reader for Canada’s
McMaster University, Online Rating of
Evidencesystem.
At the University ofOtago, Department
of Anatomy, my research master and
doctoral degrees focused on the low
back and sacroiliac region, so often
implicated inchronic pain, age related
difficulties, intervertebral disc injuries,
developmental abnormalities, some
sports injuries and pregnancy related
pelvic pain. Today, this academic focus
accompanies long clinical experience
and expertise managing disc injuries,
age-related low back pain and sciatica,
neck pain and headache, together with
the gamut of chronic musculoskeletal
pains that are an affliction of
encroaching years and the endeavour of
remaining active.
Over the last 15 years of teaching
advanced clinical and functional
anatomy into the postgraduate
physiotherapyprogramme,the pleasure
of part-time lecturing forthe
Department of Anatomy was silverlined
by the reception of a teaching
excellence award from the School
of Physiotherapy atthe end of 2020,
together with my colleague, Associate
Professor Stephanie Woodley. Funnily
enough, back in the day, as postgrad
students ourselves, weshared an offce
with another postgrad student, John
Haxby Abbot who recently spoke at
the Ashburton U3A. Yes, those were our
days!
As young residents of Ashburton, my
wife Aeja and I are proud to furnish
this jewel of adistrict with aconsulting
osteopathic practice and to have an
opportunity to contribute, with local
health professionals, tohealth, comfort,
and knowledge in our new communitywww.countrypractice.nz
Dr Christopher McGrath
PhD(Otago), MSc, DO(UK)
Expertmusculoskeletal care
foryour pain
Consulting Osteopath
Ashburton
Appointments/contact through web site
0210222 6378
www.countrypractice.nz
2386383
2379958
Professional Dental
SERVICES
Affordable Dental Care
Dr Osvaldo Gonzalez
BSc Hnrs (Tas),
BDS, (Adel), MBA (Syd),
PGDipl (Otago),
MDS (Otago).
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 9-5pm
Saturday and after hours
by appointment
57 Oak Grove, Ashburton
03 550 7561
57oakgrovedental@gmail.com
ACC and
WINZ
quotes
Injury Prevention
HolisticHealth
• Relief from
back/spinalpain
• Improvedhealth and
injury prevention
• Move, heal,rest,
digestbetter
• ACC registered
03 308 9516
www.ashburtonchiropractic.co.nz
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Moore Street, Ashburton
2388113
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