Arthritis Care
Patients with arthritis are typically looking for relief from pain and improved mobility. If you are seeking relief from arthritis symptoms, we may be able to help you, just like hundreds of others who have been under our care.

The goal of treating your arthritis is to increase joint mobility, improve and promote joint tissue healing, reduce inflammation and ultimately reduce pain.

There are different forms of arthritis and some variety to the treatments that may be most appropriate and helpful.

Learn more about arthritis and how our treatments may help. Our goal is your goal!

Conservative Chiropractic treatements can have profound effects on decreasing your symptoms, improving function and promoting healing.

The Means to Heal and Take Control of Osteoarthritis!

Here is a simple description of the way chiropractic management helps to treat arthritis. You may also click here or go to the tab, "A Visual Description" to the right.

All the joints in your body require optimal movement that allows for good circulation of the joint fluid that bathes the tissues of each joint. The cartilage on the ends of bones, the ligaments that hold the bones together - to form the joint, and the discs between vertebrae and knees do not have a normal blood vessel supply. When good thorough movement is lost or reduced in joints because of a host of causes like injuries and overuse, the circulation of the joint fluid into those joint tissues becomes compromised.

As subtle as it may seem, the lessening of the circulation of the joint tissues leads to degeneration of the tissues and bones, which is osteoarthritis. It's just like if something very large and heavy were squashing you and you had a very hard time breathing and even pumping blood. The joint tissues are literally being starved and slowly decay as joints lose optimal and healthful circulation.

Most of us don't realize there is a change in the movement of our joints. You can still bend over, turn to look around, raise your arm or bend your leg to step. Most arthritic changes are very subtle. And even though you feel your joint is moving, it has likely lost some degree of really thorough, vital movement. Additionally, nearby joints will compensate for others that have lost some of the range of movement such as in your spine.

Think of it like this, when you were 10 years old, do you recall having the stiffness or the 'slow-to-get-going' feeling that you do as an adult? That is the evidence of that subtle loss of joint movment. More obvious changes are noticable after more drastic injuries and traumas such as auto accidents and even surgeries.

Along with the tightness, injury and loss of circulation of the joint tissues comes the body's response; to heal it. In order to do that it invokes an inflammatory response which is your body's way of healing anything just like when you cut your finger. It swells up, turns red and it HURTS, as your body goes through the process of tissue repair.

Now the important steps to take are to promote the proper healing and restoring good movement so the joint does not continue to degenerate, but instead heals. If the improper choice of only managing the pain with meds is made, then the joint is left to continue degenerating without restoring the proper movement and function. The pain meds will just cover up the pain as the degeneration continues and arthritis sets in even more.

Therefore, the key to reducing the pain, slowing or even stopping the degenerative changes and restoring joint mobility is by restoring the normal joint function and movement. Restoring joint movement and function is the ultimate power of chiropractic care. Proper diagnosis, identification and treatment of the appropriate areas are the hallmark of good chiropractic management. Following the restoration of joint function is the application of appropriate physical therapy to continue strengthing, balancing and supporting stable body mechanics and joint health.

Other important means to promote healing and joint health are through nutritional support such as an anti-inflammatory type of diet along with important supplements such as Glucosamine and Chondroitan Sulfate. Please follow this link to find out more about the importance of good nutrition for joint health.

Great evidence for chiropractic management is provided from the excellent in-depth "Decade 2000-2010 Task Force Study on Neck Pain and Associated Disorders", which ultimately describes that of all the many forms of treatment for neck and back pain, manipulation and mobilization of joints provides the best outcomes and long term results.

If you would like more information, contact Dr. Wilson and don't hesitate to find out what other patients have said about our care!

Facts That You Should Know!

Osteoarthritis (OA), also called degenerative joint disease is the most common form of arthritis. It comes about from the breakdown of the cartilage of joint surfaces. When the joints lose their healthful fluid cushion from the supple cartilage tissue, the bones become closer together where they begin to rub against each other. This causes the tissues to become inflammed and very painful to move.

Understand that ALL mammals have arthritis (dogs, cats, whales, mice, horses, squirrels, etc.). Also know that most all humans typically develop evidence of arthritis around late teenage years! Several factors promote how much or how involved arthritis symptoms may develop. Past injuries, current physical stressors, lifestyle habits such as nutritional health, toxin exposure and quality of exercise are common factors that may contribute to how involved a person's arthritis may be.

When your medical doctor or other health care provider suggests that your only choice is medications, understand that they are not only misinformed, but are most likely unaware of the kind of results chiropractic patients recieve from restoring joint function and joint tissue health. Also be aware that the most commonly recommended over the counter pain med, Ibuprofen, has been shown to prevent your body from growing new cartilage tissue!

Proper joint function is critical to the health and longevity of the tissues as well as the neurological influence of the way muscles function in supporting and moving the joints. All this imbalance will ultimatley cause pain and tension, and often on a long term or 'chronic' basis.

Chiropractic treatments can help to restore the normal movement, alignment and function of all joints which reduces pain, restores mobility and brings about nervous system health and harmony of the whole body system.
Restoring joint function accelerates tissue healing thereby reporting less pain signals to the brain, and slowing the progression of degeneration.