What is Arthritis?
Arthritis is a very common ailment and despite this, many people misunderstand what exactly it entails. It is when one or more joints of a person are inflamed, leading to pain and stiffness on the joints of the body. This is not only painful but also discomforting.
There are some symptoms that may alert someone of this ailment and they include, swelling, joint pain, and stiffness. This will notably decrease the range of motion of the joint and it worsens, as one grows older. Arthritis is the leading cause of disability amongst the people of America because it has over 100 distinctive types and severities.
What is Chiropractic Care and What to Expect from a Chiropractor?
Chiropractic care uses the theory that our nervous system will work most efficiently if our bones in the spine are correctly aligned. This will ensure that all the systems of our bodies including the muscles and joints benefit. Chiropractic care can therefore be defined as manual therapy where the practitioner will use their hands alongside other special instruments to give one the treatment. Chiropractic does not prescribe medication nor do they perform surgeries but they are skilled and offer up to 150 different techniques that will help alleviate a patient’s pain.
High-velocity low-amplitude spinal manipulation therapy is one of the forms of chiropractic care. It involves the chiropractor pushing the joint of the patient usually in the spine, past the normal range of motion in one or quick forceful pushes. Joint mobilization is the second method in this type of treatment. It involves working the joint gently through the normal range of motion as the chiropractor looks for places of restricted movement. There is also stretching and massaging, and heat and cold therapy. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is a device that will send a minor electrical pulse that will stimulate the muscles and nerves. Lastly, we have the ultrasound and the low-level laser.
How Chiropractic Care Helps Those with Arthritis
Chiropractic care gives patients that have arthritis a safe, non-invasive, and non-addictive method of pain relief. A good alternative to opioid prescriptions and over-the-counter pain medicines. Chiropractic adjustments made will help reduce the inflammation effectively, improving the affected joint and the nervous system. This is mainly achieved through increasing agility of a joint and improving spinal health. The improvements seen include those in the range of motion, flexibility, and activity. Pain, discomfort, and inflammation are also decreased.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis and it happens to be the most common type seen in patients. Our joints are padded by cartilage that brings about a cushioning effect. Osteoarthritis will then occur when this cartilage on the joints wears down. It is painful and swelling also occurs because the bones rub against each other. Chiropractic care is therefore a means of treating this type of arthritis.
Over time after depletion of the cartilage, the joint may be damaged due to its state of misalignment. Chiropractic care will help eliminate the misalignments, preventing arthritis from becoming worse. This type of treatment is effective in pain relief and inflammation but it is limited because chiropractic care cannot restore the cartilage that had been already worn down.
Rheumatoid Arthritis and Psoriatic Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis are two other common types of arthritis. Joint diseases mostly occur when the immune system of our bodies attacks healthy tissues. The most efficient way of dealing with this ailment involves medication that will be able to work on the immune system to prevent the attack. It is important for the patient to work with both the physician and a chiropractor to ensure a quick recovery.
A precaution with chiropractic care done to a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis is that manipulation should not be done to the joints on areas where the disease is active. Chiropractic care will help the immune system to perform more efficiently.
Chiropractic care is a very important form of treatment because, unlike opioids, it helps to relieve pain without the long-term effect of addiction. Aside from pain relief, it reduces inflammation, increases the range of motion of the joints, and increases activity. It can hence be effective for dealing with arthritis pain.