Arthritis and joint pain
Arthritis and joint pain
Arthritis is the term for a group of conditions that affect the body’s joints and can cause pain and a change in joint function. There are many different types of arthritis. Osteopathic treatment may help with symptom management in arthritis.
How arthritis affects the joints and body
Each type impacts the body in different ways, but what they do have in common is they create pain and stiffness in one or more joints. Arthritis does not just occur in older people, it can affect children as well as adults. Arthritis can be inflammatory such as in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. Some types also have effects on surrounding tissues such as in fibromyalgia and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis (OA), a degenerative form of arthritis, which affects 80% of the population over the age of 65.1
Osteoarthritis
OA typically presents with painful and stiff joints especially after rest, that slowly decrease in pain with light movement. The pain may also be decreased by applying heat over the joint.
A diagnosis of OA is made based on the clinical picture and on X-ray of the affected joint. Interestingly, the severity of osteoarthritis on X-ray does not always correlate with the amount of pain. Studies have shown as low as 15% of people with knee OA diagnosed on X-ray had knee pain.2
People are often concerned that a diagnosis of osteoarthritis automatically means a joint replacement surgery will be required. However, surgery is only considered if the patient’s pain is high and their functional capacity is significantly impacted. Osteoarthritis is irreversible; therefore, symptom management is the best course of action.
How may Osteopathy help in treating arthritis and joint pain?
Osteopathy may help with arthritis symptom management by improving joint range of motion and reducing muscle tension surrounding the affected joint, which helps it feel more comfortable. We also aim to address the effects of an altered gait and improve biomechanics which are impacted when arthritis is in the joints of the lower limb.
At Pivotal Osteopathy we teach our patients self-management strategies in addition to providing hands-on Osteopathic treatment. These are specific to your circumstances and may include things such as activity modification, mobility and strength exercises, so you have a range of tools to help stay active and manage flare-ups in what can often be a debilitating condition.
References: 1. Arthritis Foundation, Arthritis By The Numbers Report, arthritis.org; 2. Bedson J, Croft PR. The discordance between clinical and radiographic knee osteoarthritis: a systematic search of the literature. BMC Musculoskeletal Disord. 2008;9:116.
Call and speak to us today about how we may be able to help you.
