If you’re one of the 10 plus million people living with some type of arthritis in the UK, you’ll know just how painful life can be! Can a chiropractor help with your arthritis?
Yes, they can…
Whilst a chiropractor can’t ‘cure’ arthritis, they can certainly help you holistically manage arthritic pain! In this post, we dive into all things arthritic – from the different types of arthritis seen by chiropractors, to what causes it, and importantly, what a chiropractor can do for arthritis.
‘Arthritis’ per se is a medical term used to describe inflammation and swelling in and around a joint, or joints. There are around 100 different types of inflammatory joint conditions collectively referred to as ‘arthritis’.
Some types of arthritis primarily affect the joint itself, whilst others cause additional swelling and inflammation in the tissues around the joint. Almost all cause some degree of joint pain and stiffness.
Osteoarthritis (OA), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Gout are the 3 most common types of arthritis.
Almost 9 million Brits currently have some type of OA, just under half a million have RA and 1.2 million have Gout. It’s probably not surprising, therefore, that OA and RA in particular also top the list of arthritic conditions seen by chiropractors.
However, it’s worth noting that Psoriatic Arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis are also reasonably common in the UK. And that chiropractic care can help manage pain from these types of arthritic conditions as well.
This is the most common type of arthritis. It results from wear and tear to the joint and intensifies as the joint attempts to repair itself. The most common symptoms of osteoarthritis are joint pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility.
Autoimmune diseases can cause arthritis when they attack joint tissues, often resulting in severe joint pain, inflammation, and degenerative changes in the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common example of this type of arthritis.
When we think of gout, famous sufferers like King Henry VIII, and other well-known lavish life stylers typically come to mind! Gout though can also affect the less well known!
Gout is commonly associated with long-term excessive drinking (of the alcoholic variety), but may also be triggered by stress, drugs, and some types of illnesses.
It usually manifests as a sudden, very severe pain in the foot, or big toe, but can affect the ankle, knee, wrist, and elbow joints. If not treated, gout can lead to joint and kidney damage.
This is another autoimmune related arthritis. It occurs in around 10 – 30% of people with psoriasis, an inflammatory autoimmune skin condition. Psoriatic arthritis causes joint inflammation, generally in the finger and toe joints, along with discoloured nails.
AS is also considered an autoimmune related arthritis that affects the spine and sacroiliac joints. It causes severe, chronic pain and stiffness in these joints.
Arthritic pain is related to swelling and inflammation in and around the affected joint. However, what causes that swelling and inflammation depends on the type of arthritis it is. It may be cartilage degeneration; immune system caused inflammation; or lifestyle related. For instance:
Current thinking is that OA pain develops as the body attempts to repair damage caused by wear and tear on the tissues in and around the joint. Notably, the ‘wear and tear’ degrades the protective cartilage around the ends of the bones.
In response, the body attempts to compensate for the loss of cartilage by increasing synovial fluid production and laying down more bone and fibrous tissue.
These processes can lead to the development of abnormal structures in and around the joint, which cause inflammation, and interfere with normal joint movement, resulting in more inflammation and pain.
Pain related to autoimmune associated arthritis (rheumatoid, psoriatic etc) is caused by inflammatory responses that are set off as the immune system attacks joint tissues. For example:
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): In RA the immune system attacks the synovial membrane (the protective lining within the joint). The resulting inflammation (synovitis) causes the membrane to thicken and form a fibrovascular layer (pannus) that invades and erodes the protective cartilage and bone in the joint. This results in severe joint pain, swelling, and the visible joint damage associated with RA.
Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA): Although psoriasis itself is a skin disorder, the same immune cells that attack the skin cells can also attack joints and the points around joints where ligaments and tendons attach to the bone (entheses). This causes inflammation in the synovial membrane and at the entheses (enthesitis), resulting in pain and swelling, and eventual joint damage.
Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS): Most people with AS (~90%) have a defective version of the HLA-B gene called HLA-B27 (although not everyone with HLA-B27 develops AS!) HLA-B27 affects how the immune system recognises the body’s own cells, although exactly how it does this isn’t clear.
With AS, the immune system tends to attack the entheses (anchor points for tendons and ligaments) in and around the spine and sacroiliac joints. The resulting inflammation (enthesitis) causes pain and stiffness. Sometimes the synovial membrane also becomes inflamed.
Gout is caused by a build-up of uric acid crystals in a joint, generally because the body is producing more uric acid than the kidneys can cope with. The crystals create inflammation in the joint.
Gout typically affects joints in the foot, usually, the big toe, resulting in severe inflammatory pain, swelling, and redness in the affected joint. However, it can also affect the ankle, knee, elbow, wrist, and finger joints.
Chiropractors use comprehensive diagnostic tools to assess a patient’s condition and identify the location of misalignments and joint problems. These tools will pick up arthritic changes in joints so yes – a chiropractor can generally tell if you have arthritis, but you’d need some imaging to know for certain.
Chiropractors can often help manage the pain associated with arthritis by:
Spinal and joint manipulation can help improve joint alignment and reduce pressure on arthritic joints. This can assist with pain relief and improve mobility.
Holistic natural pain management techniques are often used to manage arthritic pain. Heat therapy for example can help relieve arthritic pain and stiffness by making the muscles and connective tissue in joints more flexible.
Heat also stimulates synovial fluid production to help lubricate arthritic joints, and dilates blood vessels to improve blood flow (and nutrients and oxygen) to the joint.
Conversely, cold therapy is helpful for painful arthritic flare-ups (as happens with gout) because it constricts blood vessels to reduce blood flow and lower inflammation. It also restricts synovial fluid production – too much can contribute to swelling and inflammation.
Other natural arthritic pain management therapies include massage, ultrasound, magnet therapy, acupuncture, and so on.
Some chiropractors teach patients how to move safely and more efficiently in order to minimise pain, and protect their joints. This may include:
Lifestyle is a very important component of successful arthritic pain management. For this reason, chiropractors often provide guidance around exercise, weight management strategies, and anti-inflammatory diets.
Chiropractors, as holistic health care practitioners, are ideally placed to make recommendations and provide education around natural ways to manage arthritis and support good joint health.
They can also offer joint manipulation therapies to help realign joints to support better nerve and muscle function and reduce the pressure on arthritic joints. So why not talk to a chiropractor about help with arthritis.
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