The word “Arthritis” is thrown around a lot, but what does that mean? Is it something you acquire? Is it something you’re stuck with? We’ll explain all here and give you the information you need to help arm you with knowledge about your body.
What is Arthritis?
Degeneration of a joint, any supportive structures like cartilage, and bone, leads to inflammation of that area forming “arthritis.” The inflammation is what puts pressure on surrounding blood vessels, nerves, joint capsules, and muscles that lead to discomfort. The joint can feel like it’s swollen or has a lot of pressure behind it from the inflammation building up around the joint.
Arthritis is most commonly found in joints because that’s where the most movement occurs. Overusing these joints or having injuries to these parts is what kickstarts the degeneration in the area, which leads to the inflammation forming chronically.
How did I get this?
As we age, our bones, joints, discs, cartilage, all start to wear down over time. This process is natural as our bodies can’t live forever. This reason is the reason why we age as well; our cells are unable to replicate at the level they were when we were in our peak.
Sometimes, however, this happens a little earlier in life, and these joints start to degenerate at a quicker rate. Injury and overuse are two common reasons why this may occur, meaning damage or using something too much or not giving it adequate rest.
Injury is self-explanatory, usually from falls, sports, or car accidents. These joints are not designed to handle these traumas impacting large amounts of force. These impacts permanently affect the joint space, and the damage can be chronic, but usually okay if appropriately managed.
Overuse can be a couple of different factors. Most people think repetitive actions like tennis elbow or something of the like, but what people don’t think of is posture. Having poor posture takes away the weight from the joints that ideally hold our body weight and shift them onto different areas. This posture causes the joints to bear the burden of extra weight all day when we are on our feet.
What can I do about it?
Although there isn’t much you can do about the structural damage; there are a plethora of things you can do to help combat arthritis. Having a low inflammation diet, properly resting and recovering after physical activities and getting adjusted can all help with the aches and pains of dealing with some localized arthritis.
Having an anti-inflammatory diet comes in two parts; avoiding foods that promote inflammation and adding foods that help reduce it. Inflammatory foods include red meats, sugar/high-fructose corn syrup, refined carbohydrates, and alcohol. Reducing your consumption of these foods will innately help with the production of the inflammatory products.
Things to add to your food include food like berries, garlic, oily fish (tuna/salmon), and cruciferous vegetables like kale, broccoli, and spinach. Some supplements/spices you can add that will also help foster this are ginger, turmeric, omega-3, and magnesium. These are always good to get in foods rather than supplementing them, but sometimes you need a little extra love.
People don’t think of themselves as machines, but in some ways, we are. When we are overworked or stressed, there needs to be some time for maintenance for the body to repair itself.
This self-repair is as simple as stretching after strenuous or repetitive activity, icing if an area is bothering you / after a particularly tough workout, and making sure you’re resting between these activities on a daily and weekly period.
Arthritis flourishes when things get worn down or are unable to move (subluxated) the way they want. Getting adjusted regularly makes sure everything can move and be in the optimal position to help prevent any extra degeneration from taking place. Making sure everything is ready to function optimally puts less stress on the system overall and makes it last long (kind of like a machine).
Here is a link talking about the same things!
While arthritis may be something that everyone will deal with, some sooner than others, it’s something that can be managed moderately well with some work on your end and ours! Here at Express Chiropractic and Wellness of Frisco, we do our best to help educate and keep you going doing the things that you need to do.
The first visit includes a consultation, an exam, an adjustment (if warranted), and a 10-minute appointment with our licensed massage therapist to help and work out any muscular imbalances that are part of the problem. With this certificate, you can even take 10 dollars off your first visit!
Degeneration may be natural, but arthritis is not! Come see us and let us help you on your journey through life and let you know it can be pain-free!