Arthritis and Chiropractic

Arthritis and Chiropractic Care

46 millions of people in North America suffer from various forms of arthritis. This number is expected to rise to 67 million by 2030. The most common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid. Osteoarthritis or OA, also known as degenerative joint disease, is the most common arthritis of all. Almost everyone over the age of 50 has a touch of it, however in many people there are no symptoms. Others may feel pain and some can be incapacitated by it. OA often results from an unbalanced spine and body structure that create stress on the joints. Your body grows extra bone material in the joints (“lipping” and “spurring”) to help deal with this stress.  Sometimes the growths compress nerves, causing pain and affecting internal organs. Arthritis can affect one joint or multiple joints in the body.

Rheumatoid or RA destroys joints, affects the heart, blood vessels, eyes, skin, muscles and other organs causing fatigue, weight loss and acute pain. It often appears suddenly around ages 30 to 40 and may disappear just as suddenly. No one knows what causes it. Many researchers believe RA is an autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack itself.

There are approximately 750,000 hospitalizations each year due to arthritis and another 35 million outpatient visits. Women and older adults are more commonly affected by arthritis. Many arthritis sufferers have subluxated (locked up) joints. If these are found in the spine, it can cause nerve interference and can produce the most common symptom of all forms of arthritis, pain.

Chiropractic is a natural pain relief for arthritis. It’s painless and releases tiny gas pockets from the joints. Chiropractic treatment helps the body to move more freely, which lessens the need for pain relief medication. If the joints do not move properly, there is a greater risk that arthritis will develop in the area that does not move. Through spinal manipulation, the patient will have greater ease of movement and decreased fluid build-up, which is common among arthritis sufferers. 73 percent of individuals with arthritis who sought out chiropractic treatment found that it was helpful. Other forms of chiropractic therapy include: nutritional therapy, exercise therapy, soft tissue therapy, and electrical stimulation therapy.

-Cory O’Lear-Zebroski, D.C

Articles used

1. http://www.chiropractorguide.com/basics/chiropractors-and-arthritis-pain-relief
2. http://www.altmd.com/Articles/Chiropractic-for-Arthritis
3. http://www.korenpublications.com/kp/product/arthritis---%22rheumatism%22