Fort Myers Arthritis Pain Relief Center
Arthritis Pain Relief in Fort Myers
Most arthritic conditions can significantly benefit from Chiropractic care. Chiropractic aims at reducing pain and stiffness and helping avoid arthritis’s more damaging effects.
What Is Arthritis?
Arthritis refers to a condition wherein inflammation of the joints occurs and may affect the hands, knees, hips, and spine.
The most common type of arthritis is Osteoarthritis. It’s often linked to the wear and tear of joint cartilage that develops as we age.
Another kind of arthritis is Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), an immune system disorder that may lead to the swelling of joints.
Common symptoms of Arthritis
Arthritis can gradually develop without our knowledge. The common symptoms that an affected person may experience are:
- Pain in the affected joint while doing a particular movement or right after any physical activity
- Tenderness on the affected joint, especially when touched or pressure applied
- Unexplained joint stiffness in the morning upon waking up or during periods of inactivity or idleness
- Loss of motion (inability to move the affected joint on full range motion)
- Bone spurs may occur and appear in bumps on the affected joint
- Grating sensation can be felt every time the affected joint is moved
What Causes Arthritis?
As mentioned above, the main cause of osteoarthritis is due to the wear and tear of protective bone cartilage when we enter the elderly phase in life. This happens because unstable joints, which have been damaged for a long period of time, begin to adapt to the instability. Over time, the muscles and tendons weaken, and mobility becomes inhibited. This may also lead to deformities, such as knobby fingers.
There are also other factors that may increase your chance of acquiring this disorder such as:
- Age – as we grow old our immune system deteriorates leading to osteoarthritis
- Gender – women in general are more prone to joint problems like osteoarthritis than men
- Injuries – individuals who are engaged in physical sports are more susceptible to wear and tear of the joints
- Occupation – any job that requires repetitive joint movement could stress the joints
- Obesity – individuals who are overweight are most likely to develop joint dysfunction because any excess in weight adds pressure to the hips and knees
- Joint Irritants ¬– These include allergies, a high-fat diet, leaky gut. Read more about joint irritants
Treatments for Arthritis
There are various treatments that may be given to individuals with arthritis and depending on the severity of one’s symptoms, pain level or discomfort.
Regenerative Medicine
Regenerative medicine offers a promising treatment option for arthritis by leveraging the body’s own healing abilities. Through approaches like cell therapy, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and amniotic membrane injections, regenerative medicine aims to regenerate damaged joint tissue, reduce inflammation, and alleviate pain. These therapies stimulate tissue repair, promote the growth of new, healthy tissue, and provide an alternative to invasive surgical procedures. Regenerative medicine holds great potential for improving the quality of life for individuals with arthritis and offering long-lasting relief from joint pain and improved joint function.
PRP Therapy
PRP (platelet-rich plasma) therapy has emerged as a promising treatment option for arthritis. This non-invasive procedure involves extracting a small amount of the patient’s blood, processing it to concentrate the platelets, and then injecting the platelet-rich plasma into the affected joint. PRP contains growth factors and proteins that stimulate tissue healing and regeneration. When injected into the arthritic joint, PRP promotes the repair of damaged tissues, reduces inflammation, and alleviates pain. This therapy can potentially slow down the progression of arthritis, improve joint function, and enhance the overall quality of life for individuals suffering from this condition.
The Standard Medical Approach
The standard medical approach is to prescribe anti-inflammatories and nothing else. However, they don’t address the cause of the inflammation, the wear and tear on the joint. Furthermore, the long-term use of anti-inflammatories have been shown to impair the healing rate of cartilage and comes with serious side effects.
Chiropractic care
Instability and misalignments in the affected joints can cause them to wear down more quickly. Chiropractors are trained to detect and correct instable and misalignments joints with gentle, specific manipulations. The treatments help your joints to stay in their proper alignment, which in turn takes pressure off the nerves, and restores proper motion between the bones. This reduces your bodies need to lay down new bone to stabilize your joint. The advantage of this procedure is to decrease the pain and restore full mobilization to the patient the natural way without risk or complications.
Exercise
Exercise helps to maintain the proper alignment achieved through chiropractic manipulations. By strengthening the muscles surrounding the joint, you become stronger and help keep the joints from becoming instable again.
Nutrition
Promote healing of bone and cartilage and ease arthritic pain by including specific nutrients into your diet. These include Amino Acids and minerals such as Magnesium, Manganese, and Iron, to name a few. Read more about Joint Pain Relief Supplements and Nutritional Evaluations.
Laser Therapy
A non-invasive treatment option for osteoarthritis, laser therapy is a light source that generates pure light of a single wavelength. Arthritis symptoms improve through the photochemical reactions produced from laser therapy. A study has shown that rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with laser therapy had 70% reduction in pain compared to the placebo group. There was also substantial improvement in joint stiffness in the morning and hand flexibility.
Massage Therapy
Patients may notice improvement in circulation, reduction of pain and tension in the affected joints when indulged in regular massage therapy sessions performed by licensed massage therapists.
Fort Myers Arthritis Pain Relief
Arthritis is an alarming disorder that can unknowingly affect anyone. It may progress from mild to moderate into a severe case that could lead to one’s disabling pain or inability to live a normal life.
If your osteoarthritis is hindering your productive lifestyle, this is the perfect time to try chiropractic care. This treatment is proven to work naturally within your system and restore normal function.
Tired of finding the right treatment for your arthritis?
Experience how it feels to move with less pain and restrictions with chiropractic care.
If you’re looking for a Fort Myers Chiropractor, Dr. Jason B. Kaster can help you to effectively manage your arthritis. Visit us! Schedule your chiropractic appointment today at our Fort Myers office.