What is Arthritis?
Osteoarthritis, or ‘wear & tear’, is when the rubbery cartilage in our joints becomes damaged and no longer allows for frictionless movement. This is most often caused by excess pressure or stress on the joint over a prolonged period but can also happen following an injury. Other factors such as genetics, lifestyle and increasing age play a role in the occurrence and severity of the condition. Arthritis is commonly diagnosed with an X-ray, but there is little correlation between pain & long-term prognosis with what is seen on the X-rays.
Can you prevent Arthritis?
Keeping active, maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding excessive high impacts or prolonged stresses on your joints is the best way to minimize your risk of developing arthritis. Additionally, eating a healthy, well balanced diet, staying adequately hydrated, keeping your muscles and joints functioning well through conservative care such as massage & chiropractic treatments help your body to repair any small injuries itself.
As always, if you think you might need some advice or help in keeping your body in top condition, drop us a line!
How to treat & manage Arthritis?
While preventing Arthritis is always going to be the best strategy, once it has occurred, it can still be managed so you can remain active and for most people, free of significant pain. While surgery is commonly prescribed for moderate to severe arthritis, in all but the most extreme cases it doesn’t offer any better results than conservative care and has many additional risks.
Managed conservative care plans including rehabilitative exercises, lifestyle modifications massage & chiropractic treatments can help prevent any further progression and keep pain and disability to a minimum.
