Relieving Arthritic Pain

Arthritis breaks down the cartilage in your joints. Cartilage is the slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones in a joint. Healthy cartilage absorbs the shock of movement. When you lose cartilage, your bones rub together. Over time, this rubbing can permanently damage the joint. Basically, the joint is wearing out.

Arthritis, or joint inflammation, includes more than 100 conditions, including gout, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and many more. It affects 20 million Americans or 1 in 13 people in the US. Rheumatoid arthritis affects over 2 million Americans.

Contrary to belief, arthritis can affect people of any age; not only those who are middle-age or elderly. Chiropractors mostly see patients with osteoarthritis.

Symptoms of arthritis:

Tender, warm, and swollen joints.
Pain and stiffness lasts for more than 30 minutes after a long rest.
Decreased ROM
Trauma - major trauma / mircotrauma, obesity or just getting old causes osteoarthritis. It can be diagnosed with X-rays, MRI or CT scans. Chiropractors alleviate the pain with spinal adjustments.

Consider the soft tissue component. Some arthritic pain can be treated with a simple technique called Graston. This technique utilizes specially designed stainless steel instruments to specifically detect and effectively treat areas exhibiting soft tissue fibrosis or chronic inflammation. Benefits to the patient include a greater range of motion, increased strength and reduce pain. In addition, chiropractic modalities such as joint mobilization, cold laser therapy, massage and electro-therapy may be used to aid in the treatment of painful and stiff joints. Therefore, the treatment depends on the patient and how severe the condition is. Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are great nutritional solutions to joint pains.

Exercise can occasionally help. It depends on the degree of arthritis. Someone with severe knee or hip arthritis should not be running. Swimming or non weight bearing exercises like biking is a good way to keep in shape without the joint impact of running or doing other aerobic exercises.

Regular chiropractic care prevents osteoarthritis. If you keep your spine in proper alignment it will not become arthritic. If you already have arthritis, regular chiropractic adjustments can halt the progression of arthritis.

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