Joint Arthritis in Bethesda

Joint arthritis is the most common cause of joint pain complaints in the United States. The two most common causes of joint arthritis are known as osteoarthritis, which is the breakdown of the cartilage that covers the joints, and rheumatoid arthritis, which is an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s own immune system begins attacking the lining of the joints.

Most common treatments for joint arthritis involve pain medication, steroid injections, and in some cases, invasive surgery. At least some of these treatments can be avoided or postponed with a regular visit to your friendly neighborhood chiropractor.

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What causes joint arthritis?

As mentioned, there are two common causes of joint arthritis.

Osteoarthritis is a condition that becomes very common in older patients, though athletes are also vulnerable to the cartilage thinning that accompanies this disorder. It’s is often referred to as ‘wear and tear’ arthritis because most of the symptoms are consistent with the normal wear that the joints suffer after decades of use.

Rheumatoid arthritis, on the other hand, is caused by an autoimmune disorder. This means the body’s own immune system gets confused and starts attacking its own cells. In this case, the immune system attacks the lining of the joints, leading to inflammation, pain and can even cause partial or full loss of mobility in the affected joints.

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What can a chiropractor do for my joint arthritis?

Instead of relying on invasive injections or suffering through the side effects of pain medication, chiropractors have a host of tools at their disposal that can be used to alleviate the pain and discomfort associated with arthritis.

Ultrasound therapy can be used to reduce swelling and stiffness. Yes, this is the same technology that is used for imaging, simply with a different application. The sound waves actually act as a type of internal massage, which can help to relieve pain.

Trigger point therapy can actually be classified as a type of acupressure, and uses gentle pressure applied to specific areas where pain is the most intense to help relive that same pain.

Cold laser therapy uses a no-heat laser to penetrate into tissues that cannot be easily reached by other treatments. This has been shown to reduce inflammation, but does not produce results in all cases.

Chiropractic realignments can also help alleviate some of the pressure on arthritis afflicted joints.

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What about physical therapy? How will that help?

Physical therapy for arthritis sufferers will consist almost exclusively of exercise and other physical activities designed to help improve flexibility, range of motion, and overall strength.

Your physical therapist will work with you to discover your current limitations and from there he or she will be able to craft a customized exercise regimen designed to challenge those limitations without causing you further pain or discomfort.

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Conclusions

Joint arthritis, especially the discomfort caused by osteoarthritis, is becoming more and more common. Thankfully, a quick trip to the chiropractor and some easy to do exercises at home can do quite a lot to help alleviate the pain and swelling caused by these degenerative conditions.