One of the most debilitating conditions is sure to be arthritis. This condition is a painful condition that causes a large variety of symptoms, especially in the early stages where you might not even notice the warning signs of arthritis.
The early signs of arthritis include symptoms of fatigue or malaise, redness stiff neck, pain while sitting down, decrease range of motion, difficulty walking and painful joints. These symptoms are often overlooked and need to be paid attention to. Your chiropractor will be able to advise on these symptoms.
There are mainly 2 types of arthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and Osteoarthritis (OA).
Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disorder. It occurs when your body’s tissues are mistakenly attacked by your immune system.
Rheumatoid arthritis affects your joints on both sides of the body, for example, both knees, both hands or both wrists. Because of Rheumatoid arthritis affecting both sides of your body, it makes it easily distinguishable from other types of arthritis.
Early warning signs of Rheumatoid Arthritis include:
Fatigue – A person with Rheumatoid Arthritis experiences an extreme lack of energy. The person will feel exhausted and tired all the time.
Slight fever- Fewer and feeling unwell are associated with the symptoms of Rheumatoid arthritis.
Weight loss- Although there can be many other underlying causes for weight loss, in the early stages of Rheumatoid Arthritis there will be a lot of inflammation and weight loss can be a side effect of inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis can also decrease your appetite.
Stiffness- Morning stiffness is a wide-spread problem in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Difficulty getting out of bed, difficulty walking, painful ankles, knees and feet are all some of the symptoms that might be experienced.
Joint tenderness- One of the other symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis is a tenderness of joints. Joint tenderness might be felt as well as a warmth that lasts for more than an hour.
Joint swelling – Rheumatoid arthritis causes painful swelling which may lead to permanent joint damage. Inflammation can also appear throughout the body and not just in the joints. And, although there are several new medications available that have improved treatment options, severe Rheumatoid arthritis can still cause physical disabilities.
Rheumatoid arthritis tends to affect your smaller joints first. Particularly the joints that your fingers to your hands and the toes to your feet.
At Centurion Chiropractor, Dr Jacques Bezuidenhout can indeed assist with chiropractic treatment. A chiropractor will apply adjustments that help restore joint restrictions or misalignments. This can either be done by joint manipulations or by means of chiropractic adjustments.
Chiropractic care is a great way to manage and relieve pain caused by arthritis. By making these adjustments, the chiropractor will reduce inflammation and improve the function of both the affected joint and nervous system.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is just a debilitating as rheumatoid arthritis. But there is a difference. Osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease is the most common, long-lasting joint condition, in other words, a chronic condition. The most common cause of Osteoarthritis is ageing joints injury and obesity.
Early symptoms of Osteoarthritis include:
Joint pain – All the affected joints might hurt during or after movement. This can be a debilitating pain making moving or walking extremely painful.
Tenderness – Discomfort felt when the joint is in use. For example, your feet if you step on your foot that is affected by Osteoarthritis, the joint will be under pressure causing tenderness. Tenderness can also include visible swelling in the area of the joint, but this is more common in severe stages in advanced stages of Osteoarthritis.
Loss of flexibility – Over time, you might experience a loss of flexibility in the affected joint although this is a very gradual process.
Bone spurs – Bone spurs or osteophytes are caused by local inflammation or tendonitis. Bone spurs will develop in the area of inflammation or injury close to the normal cartilage or tendons. The main cause of bone spurs is the joint damage associated with Osteoarthritis. Bone spurs often go undetected for years and may cause o symptoms during this time.
Swelling – Osteoarthritis can cause swelling on the joints that carried the most weight over time like the feet, hips, knees, hips and the most importantly the spine.
There are certain foods to avoid when you have been diagnosed Osteoarthritis for example processed foods, sugar, red meat and fried foods, refines carbohydrates, cheese and high-fat dairy and alcohol.
Treatment options include the services of like a chiropractor. Chiropractic can assist in relieving the pressure of the spinal vertebra that rubs against each other due to the overall loss of cartilage known as Osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a joint dysfunction and it may respond well to mobilization such as chiropractic care or osteopathic manipulation.
Chiropractors such as Dr Jacques Bezuidenhout from Centurion Chiropractor have years of experience in assisting patients with Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis. He can assist with joint pain and stiffness for optimal movement.
Make your appointment with Centurion Chiropractor today for your consultation and to discuss the possibilities for treatment options.
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