Chiropractic and Arthritis
Arthritis is the most common joint condition in the world. It is typically a painful condition that causes joint inflammation. This can often result in loss of mobility and decreased muscle function and strength. The reduction in function can often lead to an inability to perform daily duties.
There are two prevalent types of arthritis;
Osteoarthritis (OA)
Was historically commonly called “wear and tear” and generally associated with aging. It is a disease of the joint, including bone, cartilage, ligaments, fat and the tissues (the synovium). The common causes are related to musculoskeletal imbalances, overuse of joints and environmental factors, to name a few.
Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)
Which is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis. It is a form of auto-immune disease that attacks the synovial linings of certain types of joints, throughout the body.
The trillions of bacteria in your gut, skin and mouth (the microbiome) regulates cells throughout the body and the body’s immune response. When the microbiome gets out of balance, due to many factors – poor diet, antibiotics, stress etc, they may no longer be able to regulate a normal immune response. This is one of the main contributing factors causing Rheumatoid arthritis and other auto-immune related inflammatory conditions.
Here at Spine we talk alot about subluxations (misalignments) within the body, which can cause compensations to occur. These compensations may sometimes cause mechanical stress to be placed on bones and joints rather than our muscles, causing extra weight bearing on certain joints. This extra weight bearing may cause inflammation and degeneration of the joints, which may cause us pain and limit function.
Your practitioner, at every adjustment, performs a full body check to address any subluxations, which may be causing uneven wear and inflammation throughout the body. Through your adjustments these subluxations are corrected, which can improve function of these affected joints – increasing mobility, decreasing muscle tension and inflammation and improving uneven weight bearing.
Inflammation caused by misalignments could occur anywhere in the body. This includes the digestive system as well as joints. Subluxations can also affect the communication between the organs and tissue within the digestive system, which may cause digestive troubles and affect the body’s ability to absorb nutrients – thus affecting our microbiome.
For anyone that is suffering from arthritis you may want to consider undertaking Chiropractic care as part of your treatment plan.
While arthritis may not be cured by Chiropractic, the symptoms and progression may be affected as well as the contributing factors leading to arthritis.
Speak to your practitioner to discuss further how ABC can help.
References
- https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/about-arthritis/understanding-arthritis/what-is-arthritis
- https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/treatment/complementary-therapies/physical-therapies/chiropractic-care-for-arthritis
- Paige NM, Miake-Lye IM, Booth MS, Beroes JM, Mardian AS, Dougherty P, Branson R, Tang B, Morton SC, Shekelle PG. Association of Spinal Manipulative Therapy With Clinical Benefit and Harm for Acute Low Back Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA. 2017 Apr 11;317(14):1451-1460. doi: 10.1001/jama.2017.3086.
- Poulsen E, Hartvigsen J, Christensen HW, Roos EM, Vach W, Overgaard S. Patient education with or without manual therapy compared to a control group in patients with osteoarthritis of the hip. A proof-of-principle three-arm parallel group randomized clinical trial. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2013 Oct;21(10):1494-503. doi: 10.1016/j.joca.2013.06.009. Epub 2013 Jun 21. PMID: 23792189.