How many times have you heard “There’s nothing we can do but you’ve got arthritis.” If you haven’t heard it yourself, I bet you know someone who has. Osteoarthritis also known as degenerative joint disease is one of the oldest and most common types of arthritis. It is characterized by the breakdown of the joint’s cartilage. This is the part of the joint that cushions the ends of bones, causing bones to rub against each other, causing pain and loss of movement. Most commonly affecting middle-aged and older people, osteoarthritis can range from very mild to very severe. It affects hands and weight-bearing joints such as knees, hips, feet and the back.
Many factors can cause osteoarthritis. Age is a risk factor. However, past research has revealed that osteoarthritis is not an inevitable part of the aging process. There are many reasons for osteoarthritis. Some of these causes are obesity, joint injuries and genetics. Obesity may sometimes lead to osteoarthritis of the knees. Joint injuries can be due to many different things. Some of these include sports, work related activity and accidents. Genetics also has a role in the cause of osteoarthritis. This is especially particular in the hands. Sometimes, people may be born with faulty cartilage or with minor defects in the way that joints all shape as a unit.
What if you were told arthritis has a sensible explanation that most doctor’s office and scientists have completely overlooked in the past? It may even be possible to slow down the series of arthritis and ease the pain. During the aging process, it is probable for defects to cause early cartilage breakdown in the joint. This can lead to inflammation, discharge of enzymes, and more cartilage damage.
There are many statistics that relate to this. First of all, osteoarthritis affects over twenty million Americans. It is reported that eighty percent of people with osteoarthritis account some form of restraint in movement or every day activities. They are mostly over the age of 45. Men are affected less than women. Osteoarthritis is to blame for more than seven million visits to the doctor annually.
As many as half the people who have osteoarthritis do not know what type of arthritis they have and cannot make informed decisions about their care because treatment options vary among the more than 100 forms of arthritis. Musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis cost the U.S. economy nearly $65 billion per year in direct expenses and lost wages and production.
Now we’re going to discuss the real cause of osteoarthritis and a logical solution. What happens to the wheels on your car if their out of alignment? They obviously wear out. And they not only wear out, they wear out faster than they would if the front end was in correct alignment. So what do you do when your car is not in proper alignment? You bring your car in and the mechanic lines it up properly. As soon as he or she properly lines it up, the abnormal stress on your tires is stopped and your tires stop wearing out abnormally. This allows the car to function properly.
The same is true with your spine and the other joints of your body. The delicate joints in your spine can misalign causing them to either move unnaturally or get stuck and not move at all. Either way, this causes abnormal stress and strain. This is just like the tires on your car when the front end is out of alignment, your joints wear out. This is osteoarthritis or degenerative arthritis!
There is research done on this subject. A medical doctor named Tapio Vidman did extensive arthritis research. He found that when he caused a joint to malfunction, microscopic damage was detected within 24 hours. Permanent degenerative changes took place within 3 weeks.
In conclusion, when your joints misalign and get stuck, arthritic changes begin to occur immediately. Permanent and irreversible damage may be present within just three weeks. There are some things to consider when thinking about fixing this problem. You have to take a look at what you did when the front end of your car was out of alignment. You went to someone who specializes in detecting and correcting misaligned front ends on cars, you need to do the same for your spine and joints when there is a problem.
You must know this. Your mechanic didn’t put something in your gas tank or oil to try to chemically realign your wheels. That wouldn’t make sense. He simply realigned the wheels. The same is true with your body. What makes you think taking a drug or rubbing on a lotion will realign your joints? It won’t. Sure, powerful painkillers may mask the problem for a while, but what happens when they wear off?
The most important thing to understand is that if your joints are misaligned, they will continue to degenerate and cause more pain. Chiropractic fixes misaligned joints. By positioning your joints to function correctly, you will live a life with less pain.
It makes sense that routine chiropractic care will also slow down and halt much of the degenerative process and arthritis. A person suffering should not wait until they have joint pain to come in for chiropractic care. Joints should be checked out right away. This can save lots of pain and suffering in the future.
Want to find out more about arthritis cures, then visit Arthritis Health Center site on how to choose the best arthritis treatment for your needs.
