Arthritis Pain

Arthritis is an inflammation of a joint. When inflammation is present, it is characterized by heat, redness, swelling and pain in the affected joint. Most often this occurs when a joint is strained, injured or irritated. In some people this may cause no symptoms or only occasional mild stiffness or pain. In others, it may be quite severe, causing permanent and disabling joint damage. Forty million Americans, including 80% of persons over 50 suffer from osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis affecting older adults, often responds positively to chiropractic treatment.

Osteoarthritis, also called degenerative joint disease. Since it usually starts later in life, it is thought to be caused by too much wear and tear on the joints. Forty million Americans, including 80% of persons over 50 suffer from osteoarthritis. Often it affects the hands, especially in those who have used their hands a lot. However, it is most commonly found in the weight-bearing joints such as the knees, hips and the spine. In the case of the spine, osteoarthritis may be a sign that it is out of alignment or balance. Frequently, this may be the result of an old injury to the spine such as a car accident or a sports injury.

Standard medical management of arthritis is to treat the symptoms. Primarily, drugs including aspirin are prescribed to reduce the symptoms of pain, stiffness and inflammation. However drugs may produce side effects including stomach upset, headaches, and dizziness. In some cases, physical therapy such as heat treatments or paraffin baths are prescribed to relieve joint stiffness. When nothing else helps, sometimes surgery is recommended as a last resort. One thing is certain. While pain relievers like aspirin may temporarily ease discomfort, they also mask the symptoms. They do nothing to correct the source of the problem and may delay proper treatment. The cause of the problem must be addressed before lasting relief and good health can be restored.

There's a good reason why Chiropractic Doctors have a high level of patient satisfaction among arthritis suffers. The chiropractic approach is based on finding and correcting interferences to your body's own natural state of good health.

When spinal bones lose their normal position and motion, the disturbance to the spinal cord can affect delicate nerve tissue. The resulting interference with normal nerve flow starts a degenerative chain-reaction that can affect the health and function of every other system of the body.

Your chiropractor’s primary tool in treating is the use of manipulation or the spinal adjustment. By applying precisely directed force to a joint that is out of position or not moving properly, a more normal position and function is gradually restored. Once spinal alignment is improved through chiropractic adjustments, stress to the joints is reduced. With more normal joint mobility restored, most patient experience a great reduction in pain and stiffness, and a reduction in the speed of spinal degeneration from arthritis.