No doubt you have heard the word arthritis. This is one of those words that is used often, but rarely understood. You may generally know it’s not good, but lack the in depth understanding of what it entails.
Arthritis is a general term that refers to the following:
- Chronic inflammation, in or around a joint.
- Joint damage including cartilage breakdown, bone changes, or joint space narrowing.
- Visible changes often detected with the assistance of imaging such as X-rays.
- Pain in the joints affected, can be better or worse with movement.
- Stiffness/Swelling
There are well over 100 different types of arthritis. In this newsletter I will go over some of the most common types, and give you some meaningful advice on how to avoid it.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is by far the most common type of arthritis. This is often synonymous with “wear and tear” or “old age”. It is 100% correct to state that with age many things in the body begin to breakdown. Nothing mechanical lasts forever.
What is not correct however, is to say that you will have severe osteoarthritis no matter what you do
if you live long enough. I have looked at many X-rays of people in there 40’s that looked like what I
would expect a 70 or 80 year old’s X-ray to look like, and vice versa.
Some of the keys to preventing age related arthritis are movement, hydration, nutrition, sleep and recovery, avoiding severe injury, and naturally chiropractic care. Studies have shown that chiropractic care can help slow, or even stop the process of age related wear and tear AKA osteoarthritis. This is why it is critical to receive care after an injury like a car accident, even if it is minor. Injuries accelerate this type of arthritis.
Rheumatoid, Psoriatic, and other Inflammatory Arthritides
Rheumatoid and Psoriatic arthritis are two also very common arthritides. They are characterized
by inflammation and fall under the umbrella of autoimmune disorders. Auto immune refers to when the body mistakenly attacks its own tissues, resulting in dysfunction and damage. Type 1 diabetes, lupus, MS, psoriasis, these are all other autoimmune disorders. These types of arthritis typically occur earlier in life than osteoarthritis. Genetics can play a large role in these conditions, so it may be beneficial to look at your family health history.
The biggest things to be aware of for these types of arthritides is prevention and management. Since these are inflammation and immune system driven, living an overall healthy lifestyle is key. Ginger, turmeric, magnesium, and other antiinflammatory foods or supplements can make a big difference! However, due to the genetic component, you can do everything right and still deal with these
conditions. At that point, symptom management is the primary focus so that you can continue to be active and live as normally as possible. Chiropractic care affects the nervous, musculoskeletal and immune systems and is a large part of symptom management.
Other types of arthritis….
There are a bunch of other types of arthritis that you have most likely never heard about. Arthritis that happens after an infection (reactive arthritis), unexplained arthritis in kids (idiopathic juvenile arthritis), gout (arthritis caused by uric acid
crystals), etc. Regardless of the type of arthritis,
prevention is always better than trying to treat it after the fact. The good news is that arthritis does not automatically mean you won’t be able to do the activities you love.
The best thing you can do is stay active, eat a healthy diet, stay hydrated, come see us regularly for chiropractic care, watch your posture, and stay positive! The human body is amazing and we should never take ours for granted. There are millions of people born with worse problems that limit them in ways you will never have to experience. You have every reason to wake up grateful!
