In the past, doctors considered arthritis a sign that patients needed to slow down and accept the aging process. Rarely did they suggest anything to patients beyond drugs and bed rest. While there is still no cure for arthritis, clinical research has shown that chiropractic care can provide alternative pain relief to arthritis patients. If you are one of the millions who deal with this debilitating disease, consider chiropractic treatments to reduce your suffering.
What are the Strengths of Chiropractic Care?
Chiropractic involves several manipulating techniques that focus on correcting the spine and improving the function of the musculoskeletal system. Chiropractic treatments provide relief to arthritic patients by maneuvering tightened joints and reducing tension. Often, arthritis-inflicted joints get so inflamed that they lock up, causing pain to the effected joint and surrounding nerves. With regular chiropractic adjustments, a patient with arthritis can experience better mobility and lessened pain.
One benefit of chiropractic care is that it does not involve drugs or any other type of therapy that might interfere with the regular methods prescribed by your doctor. Therefore, you can receive chiropractic care either as a main form of treatment or in addition to your doctor’s treatment plan.
Other Ways a Chiropractor Can Help
Some chiropractors in Belleville especially, also specialize in other effective forms of alternative medicine. These techniques can be combined with chiropractic adjustments to give the patient the optimal route to healing. Alternative techniques your chiropractor may offer include massage therapy, which improves blood flow through the muscles; electrical light therapy, which speeds up tissue healing; acupuncture, an ancient Chinese healing method; and nutritional therapy, to improve healing through diet.
Helps You Help Yourself
After your chiropractic visit, you may feel anywhere from a small amount of pain relief to complete relief. To take full advantage of your body’s natural healing capabilities, maintain healthy activities and exercises that help keep inflammation at bay. Gentle exercises involving a range of motion, such as dance, tai chi, or yoga, will stimulate joint flexibility. Aerobic activity, such as walking or swimming, builds muscle tone around inflamed joints and improves your mobility.
Many patients found that with a combined treatment and exercise program, they were able to reduce their anti-inflammatory medication. In some rare cases, patients found that they can stop taking medicine altogether. Severe arthritis conditions, such as rheumatoid (a chronic and progressive form of arthritis) and ankylosing spondylitis (progressive pain and stiffness in the pelvic area) may be much more difficult to find progress with, but may still offer some relief.
If you have visited your regular practitioner for treatment but you still suffer from the pain and stiffness of arthritis, you should call around to your local chiropractor offices. Find one that specializes in multiple types of treatment so that you can get the best healing methods for your time and money. From there, it’s as easy as showing up and enjoying the relaxing process. A skilled chiropractor will be able to assess the best forms of treatment for you and put you on the path to healing.
Nina Hiatt is a freelance writer and health geek. When she is not playing with her kids or working in her garden, she is balancing her spine and body at Bridge Street Chiropractic & Massage Therapy.