You Can Combat Osteoarthritis

Did you know you can combat osteoarthritis?

Often regarded as a “normal” process of aging, it can result in the development of debilitating musculoskeletal pain, loss of function, and quality of life! It is the most common form of arthritis affecting 32.5 million adults in the United States.

According to research, 50% of the population will experience spinal related pain due to arthritis, and from 2005 to 2030 the number of older people in the U.S. with musculoskeletal joint pain will have doubled from 21.4 million to 41.1 million.

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), treatment for osteoarthritis in U.S hospitals accounted for $16.5 billion. Making it the second most costly health condition in 2013. Plenty of evidence suggests chiropractic is the best first option for the non-invasive treatment of spinal-related pain.

Due to various reasons such as injury, inactivity, and/or repetitive stresses, wear and tear on the spine can occur resulting in mechanical dysfunction. This dysfunction changes the load placed on the spine, and when this load is abnormal, cartilage breaks down resulting in adaptations of bone to withstand this change.

This is referred to as Wolff’s Law.

Cartilage is necessary to protect the joint and allow for smooth movement. It is also important for shock absorption within the joints, such as when walking, running, and jumping. Too much load results in the breakdown of cartilage and formation of new bone (i.e., osteoarthritis), too little load and bone breaks down (e.g., osteoporosis). With less cartilage to protect, bones rub together, joints get inflamed with the outcome being joint pain and stiffness.

Maintaining proper alignment helps prevent these mechanical issues from developing, therefore decreasing the risk of developing debilitating pain. Of course, other factors are in play if the prevention of arthritis is the goal.

Lifestyle factors such as nutrition, exercise, stress management, and reducing exposure to toxins also factor into the equation. We will explore these other factors in future posts, but for the purposes of this article, we will just be covering the risk factors associated with lifestyle habits and the development of arthritis.

Some, but not all, risk factors include:

• Being overweight
• Previous injury
• History of repetitive movements (i.e., athletes, factory workers, office/desk workers, etc.)
• Poor posture (i.e., cell phone usage, sleep position, etc.)
• Sedentary lifestyle

Chiropractors are uniquely equipped to address mechanical issues of the spine.

Due to the risk factors stated above, joints become hypomobile, or move less than they should.

As a result, adhesions and scar tissue form decreasing mobility even more.

According to A.D.A.M., Inc., “adhesions are bands of scar-like tissue that form between two surfaces (e.g., joints) of the body and cause them to stick together.” They can form almost anywhere in the body and take time to develop.

Therefore, if a joint loses function over a long period of time without mechanics being restored, it will result in inflammation, pain, and ultimately osteoarthritis.

Spinal adjustments separate the joint surfaces, which results in the breaking up of intra-articular adhesions and the restoration of proper joint mechanics.

However, the degree of improvement depends on the extent of degeneration already present. Through the use of chiropractic adjustment, spinal misalignments are corrected, mechanics are restored, and given time to heal, pain can be relieved, as well as prevented with regular maintenance of the spine.

Ultimately, this results in improved quality of life and function, but it can potentially reduce the cost-related strain associated with this disease.