What Happens if You Leave Arthritis Untreated?

Do you have pain from arthritis? If you do, you may already know that arthritis can cause pain, inflammation, stiffness, discomfort, and a host of other side effects which can degrade your quality of life. Without addressing it, you may feel obligated to rely on pain medication and surgery to treat your uncomfortable symptoms. Fortunately, surgery and pain medication aren’t your only options for treating arthritis. Chiropractic care can be immensely helpful in relieving pain, decreasing inflammation, and delaying invasive procedures like knee surgery. In addition to several helpful chiropractic interventions, decompression therapy may help extend the life of arthritic joints and make life more comfortable for those suffering from arthritis.

What is arthritis?

Arthritis is the inflammation and soreness of one or more joints. The most typical forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, which have similar symptoms. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the most common types of arthritis.

Osteoarthritis is a condition in which the cartilage breaks down, causing pain and stiffness in the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to attack the joints, resulting in inflammation, swelling, and pain.

Gout is inflammatory arthritis caused by high levels of uric acid in the blood. Gout is a form of arthritis that results from the formation of uric acid crystals in the joints. Other types of arthritis can be caused by infections or underlying illnesses such as psoriasis or lupus. Depending on the sort, treatments vary.

Arthritis is a term that refers to joint discomfort or disease, and there are more than 100 different types of arthritis and related disorders. It affects people of all ages, races, and genders, although it isn’t a condition that gets worse with age. Women are more likely to be afflicted by it, but it isn’t necessarily an illness of old age; some forms of arthritis occur in older people more frequently than in youngsters.

Symptoms vary in type and severity, from mild joint pain to difficulty performing everyday tasks. Some people’s symptoms stay the same for years while others experience increased swelling and pain over time. In severe cases, it can make it hard to walk or climb stairs.

Arthritis doesn’t just damage joints–it can also lead to permanent changes in other parts of the body, including the heart, eyes, lungs, kidneys, and skin. These changes may be visible, like knobby finger joints, or they might only show up on an X-ray.

What are the symptoms of arthritis?

Osteoarthritis is the most frequent form of arthritis, in which wear-and-tear damage to a joint’s cartilage — the hard, slick coating on the ends of bones where they join together — causes pain and restricted movement. Cartilage cushions the ends of the bones and permits almost frictionless joint motion, but enough harm can result in bone grinding directly on bone, resulting in discomfort and limited mobility.

Wear and tear can accumulate over many years or be accelerated by a joint injury or infection. Osteoarthritis also causes bone and connective tissue deterioration, affecting the way the bones fit together and keeping the joint intact. If cartilage in a joint is severely damaged, the surrounding tissues may become inflamed and swollen.

The most common symptoms of arthritis are pain, stiffness, swelling, redness, and decreased range of motion. If you’re feeling these symptoms, especially in the joints, you may have arthritis. You may also have already been diagnosed with arthritis, and are unsure what options are available for treating and caring for your joints.

Can chiropractic care help?

Chiropractic care may be beneficial in treating and alleviating the pain that arthritis causes. Routine chiropractic treatment is a safe, non-invasive, non-addictive alternative to prescription opioids or over-the-counter pain medications, which are frequently given to patients to help them manage their discomfort.

Chiropractors provide a non-invasive, non-addictive method of treatment known as a chiropractic adjustment. Chiropractic adjustments are used to reduce inflammation and restore function in both the afflicted joint and the nervous system by reducing joint restrictions or misalignments in the spine and other joints in the body. Your body’s ability to better manage symptoms caused by osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis is improved when your joints are more mobile.

Is decompression therapy part of chiropractic care?

Decompression therapy is a non-surgical treatment for neck or back pain caused by pressure in your spine. At Newport Center Family Chiropractic, Dr. Mike Digrado of Newport Beach, CA, uses advanced decompression therapy machines to offer holistic chiropractic treatment.

Dr. Mike Digrado uses traction to gradually stretch and relax your back during non-surgical spinal decompression. This stretching can aid in the relocation of your spinal joints, which can help to decrease pain, improve your mobility, and help to slow any degeneration that is occurring in the joints.

Decompression therapy comes in different forms. At Newport Center Family Chiropractic, Dr. Mike Digrado uses a harness that encompasses the hips, which is attached to a motorized table. This machine then slowly moves the lower part of your body in order to help relax your spine. This can produce an incredibly relaxing sensation and in addition to generating the flow of blood to the area, which can provide nutrients and oxygen to the joint.

Should I treat arthritis with decompression therapy?

At Newport Center Family Chiropractic, we believe that many degenerative diseases and disorders can be aided through the use of decompression therapy. Dr. Mike Digrado has seen hundreds of patients experience relief from pain, discomfort, and immobility with the help of chiropractic care. If you’re experiencing pain or discomfort due to arthritis and would like to see if decompression therapy and chiropractic care can help, book your appointment today. Please keep in mind that decompression therapy isn’t limited to just the spine and that chiropractic care can provide significant relief for arthritis symptoms when you receive regular treatment. We look forward to meeting you!