What is Arthritis?
Do you get aches in the morning, but they become less painful as time goes on? Do your joints feel stiff or tight? If you answered yes, then this could be an early sign on arthritis. Arthritis is an extremely common condition that many people live with. It can be debilitating, but don’t utilizing chiropractic care for arthritis pain relief can greatly help improve your symptoms.
Arthritis is a general term that refers to joint pain or joint disease. Common symptoms include swelling, pain, stiffness, and decreased range of motion. Your chiropractor can help manage your pain and symptoms that come along with arthritis. They will work with you to help improve your range of motion, function of the joints, and strengthen your muscles around the arthritic joints. Contact your nearest MCR Chiropractic clinic today if you are experiencing symptoms of arthritis.
What Are the Symptoms of Arthritis?
The Arthritis Foundation states that over 50 million people are affected by arthritis and that it is the leading cause of disability across the United States. One of the most common forms of arthritis is osteoarthritis. This develops due to the cartilage around the joint wearing down, from either age or overuse. The result is pain in the joint, since there is no cushion between the joint surfaces now that the cartilage has worn down. This causes your joints to become achy and stuff. One of the main reasons that spinal osteoarthritis (OA), the thinning of the discs in the spine, develops is due to an imbalance in the body and how it moves. This balance is regulated by spine alignment—which is a major area of expertise for chiropractors. If your spine is out of alignment, your nerves become aggravated, which can lead to stiff joints and throw off your body’s balance.
Another common form of arthritis is rheumatoid (RA), which is also an autoimmune disease that is referred to as “inflammatory arthritis”. It’s more prevalent in females and affects joints on both sides of the body.
Overall, the most common reports of arthritis symptoms involve sore and stiff muscles upon waking, but tends to fade throughout the day. Other symptoms are sounds of popping or clicking of the joints when you move them, or being sensitive or painful to the touch.
What Causes Arthritis to Develop?
There are various ways that arthritis can develop. It can be caused by an injury to the joint or develop from a previous injury after it has healed. It can happen over time from labor intensive careers, from repetitive motions. Being overweight also puts you at a higher risk for developing OA. RA however develops as an autoimmune response, where your immune system sees your joints as a threat so your body attacks them. Factors such as hormone levels, your environment, and medical history can contribute to the development of RA.
How Can Chiropractic Care Help Arthritis?
Through adjustments or manipulations, chiropractic care can improve your alignment to increase mobility in your joints, decrease stresses to the joint, and prevent degeneration to stop arthritis in its tracks.
A chiropractor will identify your specific type of arthritis (there are over 100 different kinds!), determine its severity, and understand its impact on your life. Combining the latest therapeutic treatments with deep industry expertise, they’ll take a holistic look at your body, your life, and your goals to build a treatment plan tailored to your needs.
What Will my Treatment for Arthritis Look Like?
Spinal manipulations can help improve balance and reduce the risk of falling, which can be common amongst those with arthritis due to muscle weakness, lack of joint function, and minimized mobility. Since the spine is prone to degeneration, this means there could lack of alignment, decreased mobility, and arthritis. The main way to prevent osteoarthritis is to make sure vertebrae in the spine are aligned and moving properly. Chiropractors analyze the structure of your body to identify what’s causing your issues. If the structure of a certain joint in the spine isn’t right, it can cause arthritis. Chiropractors will realign the spine and body as a whole to maximize the function of the arthritic joint. They’ll also provide you with the tools to help improve your posture in order to take stress of your joints.
Using a combination of various techniques such as spinal alignment techniques, manual manipulations, mobility exercises, and stretching, your chiropractor will help improve your range of motion and mobility, flexibility, and strengthen your muscles which will put less strain on the surrounding joints.
It’s vital to keep moving when you have arthritis. Movements that will not only strengthen your muscles, but encourage alignment of the joints are great exercises for arthritis. Yoga, tai chi, and Pilates are just a few of the many ways you can exercise and remain active with arthritis. Your chiropractor will also assess your current health and ability and perform alignment exercises to encourage pain-free movement.
Let Chiropractic Care Help Relieve Your Arthritic Pain!
Chiropractic has greatly improved the symptoms of many people suffering with arthritis. According to one study published in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 12 chiropractic treatments (twice a week for six weeks) coupled with patient education were more impactful than a daily stretching program or patient education alone in treating hip osteoarthritis. Working with a chiropractor will help you fight the negative effects of arthritis so you can have no pain with a whole lot more gain. Give your local MCR Chiropractor a call or fill out a request form by clicking the button below
