Posts Tagged ‘arthritis’
Santa Clara Chiropractor: “No Pain, No Gain?” Not When It Comes to Getting Older
November 17th, 2010 | 
Author: If you’re over 40 you know that as we age our body responds differently than it did when we were younger. It just doesn’t seem right that our body seems to become less “cooperative,” while our mind appears to improve and become more “inventive.” We’re stiff when we get out of bed; many of the activities we do during the day make us sore in the evening; and, if we’re not cautious, even something as simple as turning too hastily or reaching down to pick up a dropped piece of paper, can cause our back or some other muscle group to go into spasm. The good news is that there is help available that is not only beneficial in slowing down the aging process of the body, but can aid us in avoiding some of those problems completely.
Take arthritis for instance. In point of fact, with the exception of pharmaceuticals, allopathic medicine fails to take care of this age-related challenge. Why? It is because most medical practitioners focus only on the symptoms of arthritis. Chiropractic management, on the other hand, not only helps to relieve the pain of arthritis, without drugs and their side effects, but it finds the root of the problem and corrects it. Chiropractors, like your Santa Clara Chiropractor, have been treating individuals suffering from pain caused by arthritis, and other age-related challenges, for over a hundred years.
Repetitive stresses, years of poor gait and improper posture, and inadequate movement produce degeneration of various joints over time and create the arthritic changes the body goes through as you get older. Chiropractic adjustments restore motion back into your joints and ease any vertebral misalignments that may be creating irritation and restriction. In addition to causing arthritic changes in the spine and increasing pain, did you know that misaligned vertebra can also lower your resistance and immunity? It’s an irrefutable fact, and this may be one of the reasons why it may seem that as you get older you develop more health problems and that it often takes longer for you to feel better again. Studies have shown that older individuals who are under chiropractic care stay healthier. In fact, you could say that, as you get older, chiropractic treatment is good for what ails you!
Chiropractors are highly proficient when it comes to the health of the musculoskeletal system, from the small, growing frame of an infant to the full-grown body of an aging adult. Your chiropractor understands the aging process and has special observational and diagnostic skills that aid in detecting spinal misalignments and joint problems. In fact, a chiropractic examination can often reveal certain age-related changes before they’ve had a chance to create noticeable pain. Furthermore, your Santa Clara Chiropractor can evaluate your posture and observe your gait to determine if there are any incorrect patterns that might cause more arthritic changes in the future.
So, if you have been feeling your age lately, and you’d like to feel a whole lot better, see your Santa Clara Chiropractor today!
Dallas Chiropractor Discusses How Knee Pain Can Be Helped And Then Avoided In The Future
Your Dallas Chiropractor knows that knee problems can cause extreme pain and can sometimes be debilitating. There are a number of reasons why an individual experiences knee pain. And, it’s important to know that everyone, at any age, is at risk. Knee problems can occur due to trauma sustained from a fall, an auto accident, a sports injury, or some other acute, traumatic event. However, generally speaking, the knee challenges that most of us experience, particularly as we age, are considered “non-trauma knee problems.” In other words, most knee problems are not due to a sudden injury to the knee, but instead occur because of chronic dysfunction and wear and tear on the knee due to excessive weight, poor gait, and other stresses on the knee joint and surrounding tissue that, over time, have developed into “noticeable” to “excruciating” knee pain.
It may surprise you to know that chiropractors like me, your chiropractor in Dallas, treat almost as many patients with knee pain as we do patients with back problems. However, I’m convinced that we, chiropractors, would have far less patients with knee problems if more men and women came in sooner for back care. That’s right! Keeping your back in alignment can help prevent knee pain!
How is that possible? The answer is that the musculoskeletal system of the body operates in a corrective, “chain-reaction” manner. Which is to say that when one area of the musculoskeletal system isn’t functioning correctly, the rest of the body shifts and tilts in order to compensate for the problem. For instance, pain in the patella (kneecap), also known as Patella Femoral Syndrome (Knee Cap Pain) is frequently due to imbalances in the quadriceps muscles of the thigh that connect to and move the patella. These imbalances frequently start in the lower back, most often in the sacroiliac joint. It’s similar to the old song, “…the knee bones connected to the thigh bone…”. From our head to our toes, we are one, whole, organic structure. Therefore, chronic challenges are never separated. So, now you know that your back can affect your knees, but it’s not always the culprit! A case in point, reduced foot function in response to foot pain generally causes painful knee problems as well. In addition, poor knee tracking due to inappropropriate gait patterns, such as pronation (walking like a duck with toes pointed out rather than straight ahead), can cause wear and tear on the knee joints and extreme pain over time. And, finally, excess body weight and, not to bum out the ladies, but the wearing of high heels on a regular basis frequently causes knee problems over time.
The good news is that chiropractic management can restore proper muscle balance, restore appropriate movement to the patella and other knee joints, and correct subluxations of the sacroiliac joints or bones of the foot. Don’t rush into having knee replacement surgery until your tried conservative chiropractic treatment!
But, you should never disregard knee pain, or “play through” knee pain, or continue walking in those lovely Jimmy Choo heels when your knees are aching. Pain is the body’s way of letting you know that something is wrong. If knee problems are not address, the tissues of the knee joint, particularly the cartilage, will continue to degenerate. And, changes, such as bone spurs, can occur if the bones begin to rub on one another.
Musculoskeletal problems, such as knee pain and degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis), generally increase with age. But remember, no matter what your age is today, right this minute you are younger than you will ever be again. See your Dallas Chiropractor today…for tomorrow’s sake!
San Diego Chiropractor Advises: Don’t Let a Few Added Pounds Put Your Joints on Overload
As a San Diego Chiropractor, I counsel many individuals who come to my clinic who want to lose weight. I know how hard it can be, and I also know how important it is to lose those extra pounds. Have you been trying to persuade yourself that an extra pound or two doesn’t matter? Over the years, those pounds can add up to a substantial number of health problems from heart and pulmonary diseases and diabetes to back problems and joint degeneration. Surplus poundage puts harmful stress on organs, like the heart, not to mention on joints in the low back, hips, and knees. Sadly,more than half (62%) of American adults are overweight or obese, according to recent studies. That is an extremely compelling percentage and an enormous problem (no pun intended).
It is likely no surprise to you to learn that the human body was not intended to schlepp around additional poundage in the form of body fat. A mere excess of 20 or 30 pounds can, in point of fact, overload and encumber the musculoskeletal system. Added weight in the belly, for example, makes it necessary for the body to compensate (counterbalance the weight) by tilting the pelvis forward. This shift produces compression in the joints of the low back. Joint compression inhibits nerve activity and causes painful inflammation. Nearly all people that have a heavy midsectionsuffer from low back pain caused by a compressed sciatic nerve or spinal misalignments that impinge nerves as a result of weight-bearing stresses. If not addresses, misaligned vertebra in most cases develop into new arthritic changes in the spine over time, as well as continue to irritate the degenerative changes that have already taken place.
Here are the ways in which chiropractic treatment can help. Perhaps, it should go without saying that a moderate body weight is essential in order for the musculoskeletal system to act and respond in the way it is meant to. Chiropractic treatment can not only help to decrease pain created by excess weight compensation, but it can aid in weight reduction. Here’s how. Chiropractic adjustments relieve nerve restrictions in the spine and help to get motion back into the joints of the musculoskeletal system, such as in the low back, hips, and knees. And, obviously exercise and physical activity are a lot easier, and healthier for the body, when the the joints have good mobility and the spine is aligned. Not only will exercise help with weight reduction, but it can actually slow the pace of degenerative changes as we age.
Healthcare professionals, like your chiropractor, can talk to you about your diet and exercise choices. In addition to treating individuals suffering from back pain and joint inflammation, chiropractors offer qualified guidance regarding the particular lifestyle changes that can help an individual to stay healthier, more vigorous, and more active through the years. Arthritis and immobility due to aging don’t have to be unavoidable. The human body was designed for a lifetime of pain-free movement.
So, if you’ve been thinking that a few extra pounds won’t hurt, think again! As your chiropractor in San Diego, and someone who cares deeply about your overall health, I’d like to help you to make healthier choices. Make an appointment today!
Posted in weight loss | 
Tags: arthritis, back pain, chiropractic, chiropractor, excess weight, joint inflammation, weight loss | 
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San Jose Chiropractor Offers Alternative Therapies for Arthritis Pain Relief
When it comes to back pain and pain in other regions of the body because of arthritic changes, there are a number of treatment options from which to make your choice, including going to a San Jose chiropractor However, a large number of individuals who are experiencing painful arthritis and back pain still assume that they must go to a medical doctor in order to find a cure for their problem. But, it may surprise you to learn that very few medical doctors are able to help individuals reduce the difficulties of back pain due to arthritis. Rather than being trained to find and treat the origin of the pain you are feeling, medical doctors mainly treat only your symptoms, and more often than not, through medication. And, though particular medications may alleviate the symptoms of arthritis, there is much more that you can do not only for pain relief, but to actually slow down arthritic changes in your body.
One of the actions you can take to help your arthritis and back pain is to go to see a San Jose chiropractor. Chiropractors are doctors who concentrate exclusively on therapies relating to the muscular and skeletal system, and arthritis is a joint problem. Chiropractic care has assisted many people in slowing the process of arthritis by getting their joints moving. Movement is essential for joint health. A good chiropractor is extraordinarily competent in treating back pain, even when it is caused by arthritis
You feel a bit concerned about what to expect if you’ve never been to a chiropractor before. Here’s what you can expect. You will be given the opportunity to discuss your medical history, which will likely include a family history of arthritis. The chiropractor will ask about your current lifestyle and may offer certain changes that will be beneficial for decreasing the inflammation due to arthritis. And, finally, you will receive a detailed examination. After the examination is complete, the chiropractor will let you know if chiropractic treatment can help your back pain, as well as relieve your painful arthritic symptoms. After that you will be told about the particular treatment you will require.
A chiropractic adjustment relieves pain gently and naturally, and it is a painless process. And, the best aspect of going to a chiropractor for your back pain and arthritis is that you can feel confident that the origin of your pain is being addressed, and that the ease you experience is not covering up the symptom of pain, but truly taking care of the origin of your affliction.