How many times have you heard “There’s nothing we can do but you’ve got arthritis.” If you haven’t heard it yourself, I bet you know someone who has. Osteoarthritis also known as degenerative joint disease is one of the oldest and most common types of arthritis. It is characterized by the breakdown of the joint’s cartilage. This is the part of the joint that cushions the ends of bones, causing bones to rub against each other, causing pain and loss of movement. Most commonly affecting middle-aged and older people, osteoarthritis can range from very mild to very severe. It affects hands and weight-bearing joints such as knees, hips, feet and the back.
Osteoarthritis can be caused by many factors. Although age is a risk factor, past research has shown that osteoarthritis is not an inevitable part of the aging process. There are many causes of osteoarthritis. These include obesity, joint injuries and genetics. Obesity can possibly lead to osteoarthritis of the knees. Joint injuries can be due to several things. These include sports, work related activity and accidents. Genetics also plays a role in the development of osteoarthritis. This is particular in the hands. Sometimes, people may be born with defective cartilage or with slight defects in the way that joints all fit together.
What if you were told arthritis has a sensible explanation that most doctor’s office and scientists have completely overlooked in the past? It may even be possible to slow down the series of arthritis and ease the pain. During the aging process, it is probable for defects to cause early cartilage breakdown in the joint. This can lead to inflammation, discharge of enzymes, and more cartilage damage.
There are many statistics that relate to this. First of all, osteoarthritis affects over twenty million Americans. It is reported that eighty percent of people with osteoarthritis account some form of restraint in movement or every day activities. They are mostly over the age of 45. Men are affected less than women. Osteoarthritis is to blame for more than seven million visits to the doctor annually.
Musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis cost the United States economy nearly $65 billion per year in direct expenses and lost wages and production. There are different classifications of arthritis. It is estimated that as many as 50% of the people who have osteoarthritis do not know what type of arthritis they have. Therefore, it is impossible for them to make informed decisions about their care because treatment options vary among the over one hundred forms of arthritis.
Now we’re going to discuss the real cause of osteoarthritis and a logical solution. What happens to the wheels on your car if their out of alignment? They obviously wear out. And they not only wear out, they wear out faster than they would if the front end was in correct alignment. So what do you do when your car is not in proper alignment? You bring your car in and the mechanic lines it up properly. As soon as he or she properly lines it up, the abnormal stress on your tires is stopped and your tires stop wearing out abnormally. This allows the car to function properly.
The same is true with your spine and the other joints of your body. The delicate joints in your spine can misalign causing them to either move unnaturally or get stuck and not move at all. Either way, this causes abnormal stress and strain. This is just like the tires on your car when the front end is out of alignment, your joints wear out. This is osteoarthritis or degenerative arthritis!
There is plenty of research done on this subject. Tapio Vidman, a medical doctor did extensive arthritis research on the subject. He found that when a joint to malfunctioned, microscopic damage was detected within a one day period. Permanent degenerative changes took place within just three weeks.
In conclusion, when your joints misalign and get stuck, arthritic changes begin to occur immediately. Permanent and irreversible damage may be present within just three weeks. There are some things to consider when thinking about fixing this problem. You have to take a look at what you did when the front end of your car was out of alignment. You went to someone who specializes in detecting and correcting misaligned front ends on cars, you need to do the same for your spine and joints when there is a problem.
Your mechanic didn’t put something in your gas tank to try to chemically fix your wheels. That wouldn’t make sense and it would not work. It is important to understand a few things. They simply realign the wheels. The same is true when your body does not function. What makes you think taking drugs and medication will fix your malfunctioned joints? It just doesn’t work that way. Strong painkillers may mask the problem for a while, but eventually they wear off.
The most important thing to understand is that if your joints are misaligned, they will continue to degenerate and cause more pain. Chiropractic fixes misaligned joints. By positioning your joints to function correctly, you will live a life with less pain.
With what you’ve just read, doesn’t it make sense that routine chiropractic care will also slow down and halt much of the degenerative process and arthritis? You shouldn’t wait until you have joint pain to come in for chiropractic care. Getting your joints checked out right away can save you lots of pain and suffering in the future.
Learn more about chiropractic. Stop by arthritis health center site where you can find out all about arthritis treatment in San Diego.
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