There’s a variety of reasons people develop pain and discomfort. Often, and probably too often, your family doctor or orthopedist will chalk it up to arthritis. That is true in some case, but not as many as most people think. Or, even if there is arthritis present, that is only one factor. Unfortunately, there isn’t too much you can do about arthritis (maybe glucosamine, chondroitin, healthy diet, herbal anti-inflammatories, etc). However, there is something you can do about many of the other factors that may be involved. NEVER be resigned to the fact that your pain or discomfort is “just arthritis”.

I can count on my fingers the number of people in the 5 years that I’ve practices that didn’t have significant improvement with care that were previously told their pain was due to arthritis and nothing could be done. After we addressed what we could, they often have either a total resolution of their symptoms or at the very least a significant reduction in their pain levels.

Also, PAIN IS NOT A NORMAL PART OF THE AGING PROCESS. Don’t just tell yourself, “I’m just getting old, pain is to be expected.” As I tell a lot of people about various health problems, it may be common, but it is definitely NOT normal. It’s like saying that it’s normal to get heart disease and diabetes. It’s common (way too common), but it doesn’t mean it is normal.

So, what can cause pain that can be addressed through chiropractic care?

Usually, it’s due to tight muscles and joints. Over time, and with injuries, muscle tightness and scar tissue or adhesions can develop. This causes muscle to shorten and joints to become “jammed” together. Arthritis may be present at a given joint, but if the muscles are tight and the joints are jammed together, it can add to the problem and cause symptoms to become more severe. Or, this situation can cause arthritis to occur in the first place. A joint that has more pressure on it and not move as much will tend to develop arthritis more than a relaxed and properly moving joint (click here for related research).

Another cause of pain can be from muscle weakness. Just like a joint that is too tight and has too much pressure on it will develop problems more quickly, a joint that moves too much can become irritated and develop problems. Or, if the area is weak, it may become damaged through a sudden force that overloads the muscles, joints, and ligaments. This can certainly cause an area with arthritis to become aggravated and cause more pain than there normally would be.

Whatever the scenario may be, if your pain is caused or made worse by the above situations, you may experience relief with chiropractic care. Joint manipulation and muscle therapy can help loosen up tight muscles and joints. A home strengthening and stretching program can also reduce tightness while improving muscle strength.

If you’re having pain from arthritis, or if you’re unsure of the cause, you should seriously consider seeing me for an evaluation. If chiropractic care is appropriate for your condition, we will start care and you’ll see how effective it can be in getting rid of or significantly reducing your pain and discomfort. If you have back pain, neck pain, or other joint and muscle pain and live or work in Orwigsburg, Pottsville, Schuylkill Haven, Hamburg, or other parts of norther Berks or southern Schuylkill County, you’re minutes away from my office. Call 366-2613 to set up an appointment, or click here for more information.