Will This Help My Arthritis? Article of the week May 14 to 18, 2018
A question I commonly get asked in the office is whether or not the chiropractic care that we provide will benefit arthritis. To answer this question, it is important to understand what arthritis is and what causes it.
There are many different kinds of arthritis but the most common type by far is osteoarthritis which is simply the wearing or degeneration of the cartilage that creates space between two bones. As the cartilage wears and thins, the bones creep closer together and the edges of the bones can become irregular and bone spurs can also start to form. Weight bearing joints including the knees, hips and spine are the most common joints where osteoarthritis will appear.
While other forms of arthritis can be caused by an autoimmune reaction (your body's own immune system attacking and damaging the cartilage), osteoarthritis is caused by mechanical stress. The 3 most common things related to the cause of osteoarthritis are being overweight, having a specific injury (car accident or sports injury that damaged a joint), or long-standing subluxation that puts chronic stress on a specific joint.
Subluxation simply means something is out of alignment. If your hips or pelvis are out of alignment, it can cause one leg to be shorter and cause damage in the knee or hip joint and make you an eventual candidate for a replacement. If your spine is out of alignment, it can cause damage and degeneration in the discs and joints of the spine. Too many people believe that arthritis is an inevitable part of getting old. You can prevent, manage and slow the progression of arthritis simply by making sure you are properly aligned.
The big picture of spinal arthritis has to do with the nervous system. Remember, the main purpose of your spine is to protect your spinal cord. Damage to the spine causes pressure, tension and choking on not only the nerves but the spinal cord itself. This becomes a whole-body issue because these nerves control the entire body. The health of your entire body is directly related to the health of your spine.
Looking after you spine on an ongoing basis equates to optimizing the function of your nerve system, and in turn optimizing the function and healing of your entire body.
Yours in Health,
Dr. Tim
Grace Chiropractic – 1-3230 Monarch Drive – 705-323-9100 – http://gracechiropractic.ca