Have you ever wondered about the exact meaning of the word “arthritis”? Most people have a general idea of what the condition is and how widespread it is, but there’s a lot of misinformation out there about the term.
The first thing to know is that arthritis is not a disease or condition all by itself. Instead, it’s the result of other medical problems and can arise in people for all sorts of different reasons. Technically, the word comes from two Latin terms that mean “joint” and “inflammation.” This inflammation causes the pain associated with arthritis.
Actually, there’s a lot more to arthritis than simple pain. People who suffer from it experience stiffness, soreness, discomfort, and sometimes a limited range of motion. All these symptoms can range from mild to quite severe. It’s a fact that there are more than 200 different varieties of arthritis.
Some other key facts:
- People of any age can get arthritis
- The condition can affect anybody area
- The majority of sufferers are older people
- There are multiple causes of arthritis and names for specific kinds
- It’s not limited to bones and joints. In some instances, arthritis can harm tissue in the lungs and heart.
Even though there are so many kinds of arthritis, you’re probably somewhat familiar with the most common kind, osteoarthritis. It’s a painful, degenerative disease of the bones that can be the result of repeated joint-related trauma. Older people are prime candidates for the condition.
Here are a few of the other common types of arthritis:
- Rheumatoid: When your body’s immune system attacks one or more joints, you have rheumatoid arthritis.
- Psoriatic: One of the many forms of the disease that is autoimmune in nature.
- Ankylosing spondylitis: A form of arthritis in which the body’s immune system attacks itself.
- Septic: If your joint gets a viral or bacterial infection, you could end up with this form of arthritis.
It’s not always easy to diagnose arthritis without a thorough medical examination by a trained physician. Sometimes, you might have a pair of doctors managing your case if your chiropractor works alongside a rheumatologist to treat your arthritis. You might need MRIs, x-rays, blood tests, additional physical exams, and urine analysis in order to get an accurate diagnosis. The main thing to remember is that you need an exact diagnosis in order to get the most effective treatment for your particular type of arthritis.
What Your Chiropractor Can Do For Arthritis
Unfortunately, one of the most common conventional treatments for arthritis is medication. While prescription drugs can alleviate pain and inflammation, there is a big downside to this kind of therapy. For starters, many drugs come with long-term side effects like internal bleeding, damage to the tissue inside the stomach, and a slower healing process.
The goal of chiropractic medicine, for patients who have arthritis, is to decrease pain and inflammation without drugs or surgery. We chiropractors aim for natural healing. How do we do it? One of the main ways is with chiropractic adjustments and other forms of care unique to our style of medical treatment. The results speak for themselves because many patients experience significant benefits after treatment, including the following:
- Better range of motion
- Less discomfort and pain
- Significantly reduced inflammation
- A more active lifestyle
- Greater flexibility
- More physical endurance
- Better overall muscle tone
- Enhanced physical strength
- An aligned spine that prevents future arthritis problems
Your treatment and its benefits don’t stop there. Chiropractors often help create an exercise and nutrition plan so you can stay healthy for the long term. This is one of the keys to maintaining a balanced body and a healthy spine. While there is no cure for arthritis, but trained chiropractors can do a lot to reduce your symptoms and help your body avoid a future bout of the condition. In fact, chiropractic care has the potential to slow down arthritis and its progression.
What do chiropractors do to alleviate the symptoms and progression of arthritis? Here are a few of the methods commonly used:
- Spinal adjustments
- Ultrasound
- Cold and hot therapy
- Electronic stimulation of the muscle tissue
- Magnet therapy
- Physical rehab
- Massage therapy
What Happens On Your First Visit?
On that important first visit, expect a consultation with the doctor about your medical history and lifestyle. Then, your doctor will do an assessment that likely includes tests, x-rays if needed, and a thorough physical exam. X-rays might be needed if the chiropractor determines that there is evidence of disc degeneration in the spine, bone spurs, or other specific, serious symptoms. This is a whole-body treatment strategy that avoids the perils of opioids and other drugs that really do nothing but temporarily mask the pain. The general goal of chiropractic care is restoring your body to its full functionality.
Taking Action
If you think you might be suffering from symptoms of arthritis or just want to get a head start on maintaining your long-term health, it makes sense to visit a chiropractor at your earliest convenience. At Spinal Health and Wellness, Dr. Tim Ciolkosz can help you discover the most efficient way to deal with your arthritis pain.
Your Visit and Evaluation
On your first visit to our office, you’ll be able to consult with Dr. Ciolkosz. This no-cost service does several things. It lets us see whether you’re eligible for care in our office and gives us the chance to gather a complete history from you. After that, we’ll thoroughly examine your spine and extremities. At that point, we’ll decide whether you’re an appropriate candidate for care in our office or need to be referred out to a specialist.
If we treat you, it’s possible that the doctor will recommend x-rays in order to accurately diagnose your condition after the initial consultation is complete. For your convenience, we do on-site x-ray services on the day of your visit.
Insurance
At Spinal Health and Wellness, we accept most health insurance plans. For Aetna, Geisinger, Coventry, Medicare, Medicaid, and Highmark BCBS, we are in-network providers. Most insurance plans cover any x-rays we do on-site. For auto-accident treatment, we are an in-network provider for all forms of insurance. Our goal is to make healthcare affordable for you regardless of the kind of insurance you have. That’s why we offer flexible payment plans and competitive prices for all our services.
Feel free to phone us at 302-993-9113 and make an appointment at your convenience. We’re always happy to answer any questions you have about our services, insurance coverage, costs, and the kinds of treatment we offer.
