Arthritis Prevention and Treatment with Chiropractic Care

Arthritis, or osteoarthritis (OA), is a disease process that typically affects people over 50 years of age.

This is primarily because it is a result of degeneration of cartilage and other crucial connective tissue in affected joints.

A certain amount of wear on the joint is normal with everyday activity and aging, however too much wear can leave you with debilitating pain, limited tolerance for normal daily activities and an overall poor quality of life.

Luckily, with an understanding of body mechanics and alignment, prevention and management of arthritis are possible.

Risk factors of osteoarthritis

Some of the most common reasons for claiming disability after 50 year of age is OA of the knees or hips. Additionally, shoulder and finger are common problem areas due to the repetitive use they sustain.

Factors that increase your risk of OA include:

• Repetitive movements and overuse of a joint
• Past injuries
• Poor biomechanics with body movements that unevenly wear the joints
• Sedentary or inactive lifestyle
• Metabolic diseases like Diabetes, heart disease, and obesity
• Wear on the joints from being overweight

Traditional medical management of OA

Typically, symptoms of arthritis typically present as stiffness and/or pain in the joint. As it progresses it starts to affect quality of life and normal daily function.

At this point, medical advice is then warranted. Traditionally, an X-ray is taken to determine the severity of joint damage and determine a treatment approach.

The most common treatment options for OA in the U.S. are long term pain medication use and pain modalities. Then, when the pain becomes severe a total joint replacement is recommended.

Lifestyle modifications can make a huge difference in OA treatment. Chiropractic care, physical therapy, massage therapy, weight loss, and dietary modifications all have great potential for managing OA while avoiding more invasive options.

Like any type of injury or pain, OA is best if prevented or managed in early stages. Unfortunately, often people aren’t motivated to seek out treatment until their pain and joint function are severely limited.

If you are experiencing symptoms or want to prevent issues in the future, consider scheduling an appointment with a joint alignment expert.

Chiropractic care and arthritis

For our joints to retain balance and minimize wear with activity and aging, the body needs to be in optimal alignment. This alignment all comes down to the spine.

If the spine is misaligned, it can lead to some major issues with nerve energy for adequate body and joint coordination. Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) is a research-oriented, elite approach to treating the body that gets to this common root issue of spine misalignment.

Good spine alignment allows the spinal cord, brain, and peripheral nerves to work in sync. This allows the body to sequence movement patterns correctly.

When this system gets out of sync, eventually connective tissue somewhere in the body will start to break down. Blocked nerve energy leads to poor coordination which can leave joints feeling stiff and uncoordinated.

Whether you realize spine alignment is an issue or not, addressing this core issue can positively impact your risk of OA or significantly improve your ability to manage it. Addressing spine misalignment often requires the trained eye of a CBP practitioner.

Dr. Samantha Coleman in Virginia Beach Chiropractic Clinic is an expert in spine alignment. Her CBP credentials make her the best of the best for addressing all your needs for your spine health. Get in touch with your today to discuss your options for potentially preventing or managing OA.

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