To live meaningfully, one must be able to move freely, maintain a fit physique, enjoy life, and not become a burden to others even in old age. However, as age increases, the likelihood of joint degeneration also rises. In Taiwan, the incidence is 20-30% at age 50 and as high as 70% above age 70. Arthritis has become the third most common outpatient disease.
The causes of joint degeneration are complex, such as natural aging, or factors like obesity, frequent heavy lifting, constant bending, squatting, repetitive motions, prolonged inactivity, or excessive exercise, which increase joint stress. Other causes include joint injuries, postmenopausal osteoporosis, or diseases like gout, autoimmune disorders, and genetic conditions that lead to arthritis. Without proper treatment, these can accelerate joint degeneration.
This article provides a simple, cost-effective, and efficient maintenance method, hoping to eliminate arthritis at its early stages, plan ahead, and prevent joint aging and wear.
Muscle tension is an external factor in joint degeneration
All joints in the body can degenerate, especially those that bear more weight and are frequently used, such as the cervical spine, lumbar spine, hip joints, and knee joints. To avoid joint degeneration, it is essential to understand the structure and mechanics of joints and identify the true causes of wear to prevent it.The areas around all joints are the attachment points of major muscles and the convergence points of muscle tension. When muscles are tense, joint pressure also increases significantly. Figure 1 is a simplified model of the relationship between bones and muscles in the human body. The movement of bones is caused by the contraction of muscles attached to them. For a muscle to move a bone, its origin must be attached to another bone, and its endpoint must be attached to the bone it intends to move, thus spanning the joint between the two bones. All limb movements involve both extension and contraction, so the extension and contraction of a bone are controlled by two opposing muscles. The movements of all bones in the body generally follow this pattern.
Under normal circumstances, the tension of the two muscles responsible for bone movement is just right—not too tight or too loose. However, in certain situations, muscle tension can increase significantly, such as after intense exercise, labor, maintaining a posture for too long, or accidental injury. If muscle tension is not properly released, joint pressure remains high for an extended period (Figure 2), leading to greater wear during joint movement, premature degeneration, and in severe cases, arthritis.
Cupping to relax muscles and joints
The simplest, most cost-effective, and efficient way to prevent joint wear caused by muscle stiffness is self-cupping to relax the muscles around the joints. When you feel stiff muscles and joints after exercise or labor, cupping immediately can not only relieve discomfort but also remove the seeds of joint degeneration. The details of cupping for different body parts will be described in subsequent sections.The general principle of cupping: Because the tension of muscles transmit outward, do not only cup the sore muscles and joints, but also relax the surrounding muscle groups above and below. Once the surrounding muscle groups are relaxed, the joints will also relax, and naturally, there will be no abnormal wear and tear.
Degeneration of internal organ function is an internal factor in joint degeneration
The muscles, tendons, and bones are consumptive tissues and do not produce nutrients and energy themselves. The oxygen and nutrients required by all tissues in the body depend on the supply from the internal organs. Once the function of the internal organs declines, all tissues in the body will not receive sufficient energy and nutrients, and will also degenerate, including the tendons and bones. As one ages and youth fades, the digestive power of the stomach, intestines, liver, and gallbladder is not as strong as in youth, lung capacity is not as good as in younger days, and the heart is not as powerful as before, so the degeneration of tendons and bones is inevitable. Even for young adults, if they do not control their diet and lifestyle, excessively deplete their essential qi, it will also prevent the tendons and bones from receiving sufficient nourishment from qi and blood, leading to premature degeneration. After long years of observation and practice, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has concluded that the decline in liver function is more noticeably reflected in the degeneration of tendons, including the gums; while the decline in kidney function is more noticeably reflected in the degeneration of bones, including teeth. Properly enhancing liver and kidney function can delay the aging and degeneration of tendons and bones, and resist aging. However, the degeneration of aging is systemic, and the decline of individual zang-fu organs is only a matter of degree. Therefore, comprehensive consideration must be taken in nurturing and maintaining health.TCM has many herbs that enhance the function of zang-fu organs. These herbs have mild medicinal properties and no side effects. Based on years of clinical experience, the author has found that the effects are very significant and rapid. Those who originally suffered from back and knee pain, inability to sit or stand for long periods, even loose teeth, frequent urination, or fistula disease, have seen significant improvement after taking Chinese medicinals a few times. If TCM treatment is adopted at the onset of the disease, it is generally possible to recover quickly.
Summary
Diseases generally progress from shallow to deep, from small to large. As long as you feel tightness or slight pain in your shoulders, neck, back, waist, wrists, fingers, knees, or ankles, immediately use cupping to relax. This will alleviate joint pressure and prevent wear and tear, naturally avoiding the chance of degenerative arthritis. If you can also take some Chinese medicinals that enhance the function of zang-fu organs and strengthen tendons and bones to maintain your body, you can ensure that your joints will not degenerate even at 100 years old.
