Decay and Degeneration
Chiropractic can’t stop you from getting old, but it might stop you from feeling like it!
Like tooth decay, degeneration of your joints begins without you knowing it and it has a slow and steady progress. Gradual wear and tear results in laying down extra layers of bone around the joints, in an attempt of the body to support injured areas. This process is the result of either a single injury or small injuries caused by repetitive strenuous activities. Wear and tear may not be obvious at first as we don’t feel pain. However, slight loss of proper movement in a worn joint will gradually cause more wear and tear, eventually leading to inflammation and pain.
Arthritis and pain
Arthritis or rheumatism are lay terms used to describe wear and tear to your joints. The medical terms that you will come across are degenerative joint disease or osteoarthritis. These terms all refer to the same degenerative process and it can occur in several joints at the same time. Osteoarthritis is a disease that results in restriction of normal joint motion and pain, but differs from other more serious forms of arthritis, like rheumatoid arthritis, which causes fast joint destruction and deformity. Chiropractic can help at the early stages of degenerative joint disease, by improving movement in the joints and thus relieving pain. Other joint problems caused by repetitive trauma, that chiropractors can help include:
- Periarthritis of the shoulders
- Tennis elbow
- Knee pain
- Repetitive strain injuries (RSI), like for example the ones that occur in the hands from using computer keyboards for long periods.
- Different forms of tenonditis
Putting a stop to it
Degeneration of your joints cannot be reversed. Chiropractic, by applying appropriate corrective manipulations, can improve muscle and joint function thus reduce any inflammation and pain. Chiropractors have sufficient training and experience to evaluate the extend of arthritis and its consequences on the function of the musculoskeletal system. Except from specific treatment, you may also be given advice about appropriate exercise, your posture and weight and about how to properly perform certain movements that could be affecting your joints. Chiropractic enhances your bodies function and helps you to have a better quality of life.
What about just taking painkillers?
Many, especially elderly patients have the need to take special medications to relieve arthritic pains. Chiropractic treatment can in some cases help to reduce the use of painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs.
How can chiropractic help joints that are already degenerated?
Degenerated joints are sometimes the result of the surrounding joints not doing their fair share of work, so that the load is not managed equally. Consequently they lead the first ones to premature decay. Chiropractic treatment restores normal joint function, relieving joints from overload thus preventing their premature decay or reducing its degree.
Can Chiropractic be applied in people with osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a disorder of bone metabolism that results in bones with low bone density, making them more fragile. This is particularly common in women in menopause and generally in elderly people. During its early stages, there is no pain and the possibility of fracture is small. Chiropractors are able to modify treatment in order to cater for osteoporosis, but if it is very advanced, it may not allow him to do any treatment at all. However, maintaining flexible joints and restoring muscle tone, improves movement, minimizes the risk of falling and allows you to exercise easier.
Articles from chiropractic.gr
(Permission granted from British Chiropractic Association, BCA)
