Highlands Ranch Chiropractor helps Arthritis

One of the most confused terms in the medical world is Arthritis. What is it? What does it look like? How do I know if I have it? Will I always be in pain? What can I do to get rid of it? Today I will try to clear up a few misconceptions the general public have about arthritis. I will discuss what is called “osteoarthritis” or “old-age arthritis”; the arthritis that causes achy, painful joints as you age.

Arthritis is when a joint becomes degenerated. It can start with simple inflammation, but will eventually move into wearing down cartilage and even forming bone spurs or calcifications. We have all hear people say that they are “bone on bone.” This is referring to severe cases of arthritis. It can happen to any joint, but some of the most common are your hip joints, shoulder joints, knees, and most likely your spine or vertebral joints. It usually happens when you are older, but it can be seen on x-ray in your 20s, 30s, and obviously all the way up. So why do some people get arthritis and others do not.

Arthritis seems to attack joints that have lost their flexibility. When the body notices that a joint isn’t moving properly or is stagnant, it will start to form arthritis around that joint to keep it immobile. That is why movement (exercise) is so important to keep arthritis away. You are much more prone to arthritic joints if you sit all day such as a desk job or worse yet, on your couch all day. The human body needs movement; it actually thrives on movement and exercise. It doesn’t have to be intense exercise. Simple walking will help keep arthritis out of your knees and hip joints.

How do you know if you have arthritis? The first symptom is usually just stiff joints in the morning. You will feel pretty inflexible when you get out of bed, but after you get moving around it goes away. After the arthritis progresses, you may be stiff or even painful throughout most of the day. After another few years, you just seem to be in pain all the time. To verify arthritis from a medical perspective, we must be able to see it. This is why many chiropractors take x-rays or MRI’s. So we can see exactly which joints have arthritis and how severe it is. This will dictate our course of action as far as how many chiropractic treatments you will need before you start to feel better and more flexible.

To get rid of the arthritic symptoms, there are a few key things you can do to start feeling better and staying better. The most important strategy to reduce arthritic symptoms is to stay aligned. See your chiropractor on a regular basis in order to keep joint mobility. The 2nd thing to do is start a regular exercise program. You will need to do both cardiovascular exercises as well as weight training. Also add in core exercises once or twice a week such as yoga or pilates.

Arthritis will probably affect us all at some point. It is a matter of what extent you let it get to. By being proactive in your health and exercise routines, you can greatly diminish the symptoms of arthritis. Keep your joints loose and fluid through chiropractic and exercise, and you will be able to stay active and pain free throughout your entire life.

By Nick Caras