This article first ran on Today’s Woman on June 5th, 2014
Did you know that by the age of 50, 85 percent of the population begins to show evidence of disk degeneration? I am 54 and I am already showing signs of disk degeneration. It is no secret that as we age our bodies go through changes. Bones tend to become less dense. Certain bones are weakened more than others such as the femur at the hip, and the vertebrae-bones of the spine. The kind of activities we do in our occupation also influences the risks of back pain- such as sitting for long hours at a computer. Stress can also have an impact, as the muscles tend to tighten especially when one is stressed, which leads to back pain. While there are several treatments for back pain, when the pain hits many people- myself included find ourselves reaching for old-fashioned liniment, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory gels, analgesics, and hot and cold presses. Then I was introduced to MuscleCare by Dr. Chris Oswald.
Chris Oswald is a Chiropractic doctor who owns and operates one of Canada’s leading chiropractic clinics in downtown Toronto, Ontario. Since 1988 he has helped over 10,000 patients treat muscle, joint, and back pain on a daily bases. Over the past 25 years, Dr. Chris has been specializing in neuro-musculoskeletal injuries, pain, and inflammatory conditions.
Dr. Chris recognized that many of the current products on the market to treat muscle, joint, and back pain were sub-par, therefore he branched out and developed 25 products each designed to help minimize pain. In September 2010, his line MuscleCare was awarded Best New Product by ECRM. MuscleCare Roll-on and Ointment are effective in treating a wide variety of muscle and joint conditions, such as acute & chronic lower back pain, bursitis, disc herniation ( also known as slip disc), shoulder pain, neck pain and stiffness, as well as ankle, wrist pain and knee pain and arthritis.
Having tried many products on the market with minim or no relief I was skeptical to try something new. Normally I use Ice cold analgesic or hot blue ice analgesic rub, which heats up and then cools down. Nonetheless, I decided to give Dr. Chris’s product line a try.
I first applied MuscleCare Roll-on to my right leg. Aside from disk degeneration, I also have hypothyroidism, which means my thyroid gland isn’t producing enough thyroid hormones that my body needs. This slows down and causes fluid retention. Despite a non-salt diet, and drinking plenty of fluids and medication, my legs tend to swell and pain more during the summer, as the body tends to be less efficient at removing fluid when the temperature is higher.
Expecting MuscleCare Roll-on care to heat up, I was presently surprised that the product had more of a cooling effect. It went to work right away allowing me to get a good night’s sleep. Believe it or not, I was pain-free all the next day. The great thing about the no-mess applicator is you don’t get it on your hands. I found the product to be nongreasy, did not irritate my skin, and is not offensive in fragrance. My husband can’t use the strong menthol gels like hot blue ice analgesic rub that I normally use so MuscleCare Roll-on was also effective in revealing his leg pain – which is caused by poor circulation.
Since first trying it on my leg, I have also used it on my back. While it won’t cure disk degeneration it is sufficient in helping with pain and would highly recommend it combined with other treatments in the treatment of degenerative disc disease.
For further information about Professional Therapy Muscle Care and other ergonomic products please visit https://getmusclecare.com/ and https://www.drchrisoswald.com/
