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Ease Your Arthritic Pain Thru Chiropractic Spine Decompression
“Can chiropractic in San Diego help arthritis pain?” Although most medical doctors will say arthritis can not be reverse, studies have shown that it can. There are two different conditions known as “arthritis”. By definition, “arthritis” is inflammation of the joints. First, there’s osteoarthritis, sometimes referred to as “wear and tear” arthritis. This includes DJD or Degenerative Disc Disease. Then, there’s several variations of rheumatoid arthritis.
Osteoarthritis is the wearing away of the joint. It usually shows up as we age or after years of excessive use or wear on a joint. DJD or osteoarthritis in the spine, is usually caused by misalignments of one or more vertebrae. If your car is out of alignment, these parts will wear out quicker than the rest of the car. Your spine is no different. If you have misalignments in your spine, the discs and bones surrounding that joint will develop arthritis faster than other areas of your body. On x-ray, the typical changes will include: joint space narrowing, subchondral sclerosis (increased bony formation around the joint), subchondral cyst formation, and osteophytes. The body reacts this way in order to stabilize your spine. Over time, this process will cause fusion. Usually, the problem is not noticed until the disc is completely degenerated or the bone spurs (or osteophytes) are pressing on the nerves, causing pain.
The typical medical approach to dealing with this type of arthritis is self-medication with over-the-counter painkillers or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like Tylenol, Advil, etc. If not resolved, you can end up on steroids or prescription painkillers that can lead to addiction. The eventual medical solution is surgery, sometimes very risky surgery with long-term consequences.
The other kind of arthritis, called rheumatoid arthritis, is an inflammatory autoimmune condition that causes pain, swelling and disfiguration, usually easily seen in the hands. As with most autoimmune conditions, the cause is unknown. Yet, treatments start with over-the-counter painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, then prescription painkillers, then immunosuppressant drugs. The mandatory warnings on these drugs warn you of infection, disease and even death. These drugs are often very addictive.
There are two ways chiropractic can help those with arthritis: biomechanically and neurologically. If you do, indeed, have spinal misalignments (subluxations) that can cause the discs to wear down more rapidly, we can help correct those misalignments with gentle, specific adjustments. As your body stays in its proper alignment, pressure is taken off the nerves and your nervous system. When that happens, your symptoms tend to clear up. If you maintain that proper alignment of the spine, there will be less nerve pressure therefore less likely for your symptoms to come back. Biomechanically, chiropractic care can increase your mobility and flexibility because of a proper aligned spine allowing more movements. Neurologically , chiropractic adjustments can help take stress off your nervous system, allowing your body to rest, relax, and heal naturally.
Discover the newest information about spinal decompression therapy. Visit New Century Spine Centers website to learn about spinal decompression treatment to get rid of back pain.
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Filed under chiropractor by on Dec 7th, 2011. 
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