Contact Our Sports Injury Doctor Near LAX Today

The most commonly known cartilage injury is the torn meniscus, or the large cartilage pad in your knee. However, we humans have cartilage all through our bodies. Damaged cartilage can be linked to spinal pain, as well as your hips, ankles, hands and elbows. If you have chronic pain, you

may be suffering from cartilage damage that's causing arthritis inflammation.
Which Cartilage is Causing the Problem?
There are actually three types of cartilage in your body. Elastic cartilage, also called yellow cartilage, is the stuff that makes up the tip of your nose and your ears. Fibrocartilage is the toughest form of cartilage. It doesn't have a lot of flexibility, but it supports the weight of your body. Fibrocartilage is in your spine, inside your hips and in your pelvis. Articular or hyaline cartilage is inside your ribcage and inside the smaller joints, such as the wrist.

The Diagnostic Process
To properly diagnose damaged cartilage with the help of a specialist in sports medicine near LAX, you should dress to work out, even if you don't feel that you can. While your specialist is checking you out, they may ask you to move as though you're working out while they check

• your range of motion
• where, in the range of motion, your pain occurs
• whether or not the joint locks up on you

One of the challenges with a cartilage injury is that the diagnostic testing tools aren't always easy to read. An MRI can show cartilage damage if the amount of tissue missing or torn is large enough, but your pain may not have an obvious reason. An arthroscopic treatment of the damage can be undertaken as a diagnostic tool, but again, your physician may not know what they're facing until they open the joint.

Non-Surgical Treatments for Damaged Cartilage
Because cartilage damage can lead to osteoarthritis, also known as "wear and tear" arthritis, your sports doctor near LAX can help you create a treatment plan that will avoid invasive treatments. To get some relief while avoiding therapies such as surgeries, you may be encouraged to wear a brace, change your exercise routine, or alter your diet. Your LAX sports injury doctor can guide you toward behavioral changes that can reduce your pain and get you back on your feet, literally.

On-Going Treatments
If your cartilage damage is in the hips or spine, you may need to contact our chiropractor near LAX who can help you manage disc pain. An expert in sports medicine for athletes near LAX may be able to help you fight the signs of fibrocartilage or disc damage.

Discs in the spine can be bulging or herniated. A properly positioned disc will line up in the spinal column and protect bones and nerves from coming together. When the disc moves or is ruptured, the disc material can press on a nerve and cause

• numbness
• tingling
• weakness
• pain

An improperly aligned or damaged disc can also allow the bones of the spine to get too close together and cause pinching pain of the large nerves that run from the spin to the extremities. When these nerves are impinged, muscle spasms in the tissues of the low back can occur and cause terrible pain. Working with a specialist in sports medicine for athletes near LAX is a good start to getting relief from these irritated nerves.

To Get Moving Again
If you've always been active but are suffering from cartilage pain, a sports doctor near LAX can help by giving you an assessment of the source of your pain. Once you know what is going on with your nerves and the current condition of the cartilage in your joints and spine, you may need to talk to an expert in sports medicine near LAX to review your limitations, future options, and any therapeutic course to take. 

To avoid any further injuries, particularly to your spine, contact our chiropractor near LAX and get on a series of treatments to promote proper alignment. It's important to remember that a diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the spine or any other part of the body simply means that you need to be a bit kinder to your joints. Unless disc or cartilage damage has completely frozen a joint or section of spine, there are activities you can continue.

Slippery Slope
One of the big challenges of cartilage pain is that we often push past it or modify our motions to compensate for it. A slight meniscus tear can cause you to switch from running to walking. Over time, you may experience subtle changes to your walking gait, which can change your hip alignment. As the inflammation from the damaged meniscus gets worse, changes in your hip alignment can cause damage to your low back, which can lead to a bulging disc.

Your LAX sports injury doctor can review your gait, your stride and how you carry and balance your weight between your feet. Any imbalances in your stance can be an indicator that your body has shifted in an effort to reduce your pain. Once this is known, it can be corrected with exercise until you're properly realigned.

Cartilage wear and tear is often simply a feature of aging. However, the pain of cartilage damage doesn't have to be debilitating. Proper monitoring by your chiropractic team and sports doctor can get you moving again in healthy alignment. If you have any indications of cartilage damage, such as pain after being still for a time, contact your chiropractor for an assessment.