Arthritis is inflammation in the joints, which causes pain and stiffness. Arthritis affects millions of people and can be caused by injury, overuse, genetics, and disease. Risk of arthritis increases with age and is accompanied by symptoms such as:
- Pain
- Stiffness
- Swelling in joints
- A feeling of instability
- Limited range of motion
Unfortunately, 1 in 5 adults in the United States has arthritis, and the risk is higher in women. The reason the risk increases with age is due to certain lifestyle factors such as smoking, obesity, lack of physical activity, or repetitive overuse of joints due to career or sports.
There are various ways to treat arthritis. The traditional medical route includes steroids, which may thin your bones and cause weight gain, or physical therapy, which will only work with the muscles surrounding the affected joint.
Chiropractic care is a pain-free, effective way to relieve pain and inflammation by improving joint mobility. By releasing pressure on the affected area, your joint regains mobility, and you’ll experience reduced stiffness and greater range of motion. Chiropractic care also improves nerve flow to areas of pain, which will help in your healing process.
Get A $49 Complete Arthritis Care Consultation
A Comprehensive Workup to Address All Health Concerns
How Our Arthritis Care Plan Works
1. Thorough
Exam
We will perform an in-depth consultation, palpate your spine for misalignments, and document your posture. Nerve scans will tell us exactly where pressure on your nervous system is causing muscle tension and affecting organ function. A chiropractor will also do a stress test and, if necessary, take digital x-rays.
2. Receive A
Plan Of Action
The chiropractor will review your test results and have you come back the next day to review their findings. They will give you their best recommendations on where to begin correcting your problem and the most cost effective way to take care of your health challenges. Each body is different and needs individualized care.
3. Get Back
To Living Life
At Priestley Family Chiropractic, each chiropractor believes you should be able to live your life the way you choose, without physical limitations or fears of injury. When your nervous system is functioning at its best you feel better, have more energy, sleep better, concentrate properly, and are an overall better person.
How We Treat Arthritis in Newport Beach, CA
Comprehensive Consultation and Exam
At Priestley Family Chiropractic, before we can assess your arthritis, we must perform a thorough consultation and neurological exam. The consultation gives our doctors the opportunity to really listen and understand your specific problems and how they have affected your life. We can also capture key bits of information about your condition that help us find out what is causing it.
The examination includes:
- Thorough spinal and nervous system evaluation, including assessment of joint health
- Spinal palpation, assessing for subluxation
- Posture analysis using bilarter scales to evaluate weight distribution
- Nerve scans to detect interference that may affect proper function of your organs, glands, and joints
- Heart Rate Variability test to assess how your body is handling stress
Depending on those findings, we do digital X-rays to locate subluxations and arthritis, determine how long they have been there, and assess what phase of degeneration your spine is in and how much, if any, degeneration is in your joints.
Specific Chiropractic Care in Newport Beach, CA
The leading causes of arthritis are wear and tear on joints, age, and being overweight. While not all types of arthritis are preventable, specific changes to lifestyle can decrease your risk.
Subluxations, which are misalignments of the spine, play a role in the progression of arthritis. If your spine is out of alignment, your joints weaken and are under more stress due to instability. Specific chiropractic adjustments correct subluxations, and our patients experience reduced pain and more joint mobility.
Traditional medicine typically looks like NSAIDS, steroid injections, and physical therapy. Chiropractic care focuses on finding the root cause to allow your body to function properly. Pain injections and medications mask the symptoms and provide relief for a short while, but they also have side effects such as the risk of infection or even nerve and cartilage damage. Without feeling pain, you could be doing more damage to the areas that are affected.
Common Types of Arthritis We Treat in Newport Beach, CA
Osteoarthritis
There are more than 100 types of arthritis; however, osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis we see in Newport Beach, CA. This is due to wear and tear of joints caused by the breakdown of your cartilage due to age, genes, being overweight, or injuries.
Common symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain, stiffness, and reduced range of motion in the affected area. Our patients report that these symptoms get worse with movement, which results in the worst pain experienced at the end of the day. Osteoarthritis can develop from mild to severe symptoms, so it is best to catch it early and begin care.
Although there is no cure for osteoarthritis, chiropractic helps by improving function and relieving pain. By restoring proper alignment to your spine, your joint mobility and range of motion will increase, while also reducing pain and stiffness.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a type of arthritis in which your body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues and joints. It is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in your joints and leads to pain, swelling, and stiffness. Early detection is key in reducing symptoms and managing pain. The first symptoms are typically joint pain, fatigue, and morning stiffness that can last more than 30 minutes.
Although the cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown, certain factors may contribute, such as genetics, stress, hormonal changes (such as pregnancy or menopause), and environmental factors (such as smoking and pollution). Chiropractic care helps manage symptoms by relieving pain and stiffness. Specific, gentle chiropractic adjustments restore joint mechanics and mobility.
Gout
Gout is common in males and usually manifests suddenly with an intense flare-up that can last for a week or two. Symptoms include sudden pain, swelling, and redness in the affected area. It is caused by a buildup of uric acid in your blood, which then forms crystals in your joints. Gout typically forms in the joint of your big toe but can also affect your ankles, knees, elbows, wrists, and fingers. Certain lifestyle changes are necessary to help with gout, such as increasing exercise to maintain a healthy weight, staying properly hydrated, and reducing high-purine foods to manage uric acid levels. Along with these lifestyle changes, chiropractic care helps to relieve pain and improve joint function. This is vital when repeated gout attacks increase stiffness and can reduce your range of motion.
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA)
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis is another type of autoimmune disease; however, this one commonly affects children. There are varying degrees of JIA, which are classified by the number of joints affected and the presence of certain antibodies. Common symptoms include joint pain, swelling, warmth, stiffness, and reduced range of motion.
The exact cause of JIA is unknown, but genetics, environmental factors, and immune system factors may play a role. Because kids are still developing, if JIA is left untreated it can affect their growth, lead to long-term pain, uneven limbs, and even death in very severe systemic cases.
The main goals of addressing JIA are to slow down joint damage and manage pain. Neurologic-focused chiropractic care is vital in addressing JIA by focusing on joint misalignments and improving the overall function of your child.
Here, at Priestley Family Chiropractic, we specialize in pediatric cases and helping your child with specific, gentle, and neurologically-focused chiropractic adjustments.
Check Out Our Location Near You
3 Corporate Plaza Dr #200 Newport Beach, CA 92660
Frequently Asked Questions
Is chiropractic care good for arthritis?
Yes, chiropractic care is helpful in improving joint mobility. Improved mobility reduces pain, increases mobility, and aids in slowing the progression of joint deterioration.
Does chiropractic make arthritis worse?
No, chiropractic care actually alleviates many symptoms, such as pain and decreased range of motion. By gently adjusting your spine with a specific adjustment, many patients report improvement in their symptoms.
Can a chiropractor help with inflammation?
Yes, chiropractors help with inflammation by reducing muscle tension and increasing space in the spine and joints. This allows your nerves to heal and improve blood flow where it is needed.
Get A $49 Complete Arthritis Care Consultation
A Comprehensive Workup to Address All Health Concerns