Chiropractic can’t stop you getting old … but it might stop you feeling it!
Many patients have been told they have pain due to ‘arthritis’ and they will just have to ‘put up with it’ or ‘live with it’. It is true that most of us will get some wear and tear or osteoarthritis as they get older. However, do we need to just put up with the pain?
Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis, often abbreviated to ‘OA’) is usually due to damage to the cartilage and bone. These changes can, however, affect the surrounding muscles and ligaments. Generally our bodies can compensate for this and we can feel little or even no pain – even if the wear and tear is quite advanced. You might notice some stiffness in the affected joints especially in the morning, when the weather changes or after a period of inactivity.
Sometimes people have been told that they have ‘arthritis’ when in fact their pain is due to simple joint pain and there is no wear and tear. Even if OA is present there is a lot you can do to help the symptoms, prevent it getting worse or even prevent it coming on at all. OA occurs mainly in the older patient but is not always related to age and affects joints in younger individuals that have been subjected to injury or long term overuse.
Putting a stop to it
Degeneration of joints cannot be reversed. However the Chiropractor can help to relieve pain, improve the movement at the joints and relax any tension in the muscles. For example, we commonly see hip and knee pain from arthritis and chiropractic treatment can make a significant difference to pain and stiffness in these areas.
The Doctors of Chiropractic at this Centre will ask you questions about your pain, medical history, posture and lifestyle and carry out a fully and thorough examination to discover the cause of your pain. You will then be offered a diagnosis of your complaint.
Then your treatment will begin often with gentle, specific adjustments (the chiropractic word for manipulation) done by hand to free stiff joints and use other techniques to help the improve the function of the muscles. You will also be advised of specific exercises to strengthen weak muscles and stretch tight muscles to improve flexibility.