Arthritis and Chiropractic

Arthritis Definition:

Arthritis is defined as, “inflammation of a joint, usually accompanied by pain, swelling and stiffness resulting from an autoimmune disease, infection, trauma, degenerative changes, metabolic disturbances, or other causes.”  It can occur at any age.  The two most common types of arthritis are rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.  The most common complaint with arthritis is pain, and treatment focuses primarily on pain relief.  Increasingly, many arthritis sufferers are turning to alternative medicine, and specifically to chiropractic for their pain relief.

Arthritis Research:

As recorded in the journal, “Annals of Internal Medicine”, 63% of arthritis sufferers seek out some form of alternative medicine.  31% of these sufferers visited a chiropractor, making it the most popular treatment option.  73% of the people who tried chiropractic for their arthritis pain relief experienced improvement in their condition.

Pain Relief:

Chiropractors treat arthritis in a number of ways including:

*spinal adjustments        *soft tissue therapy        *exercise rehab
*nutritional support           *electrical stimulation   *laser therapy
*massage therapy

The primary treatment is spinal adjustments or manipulations.  They help with arthritis pain relief by correcting subluxated joints.  Regular adjustments can also increase range of motion by keeping joints more mobile.