Spinal Arthritis and Chiropractic

Arthritis: There Is Help!

As we get older, it is not uncommon to develop aches and pains, arthritis, that will affect our lifestyle. I’m sure you would agree; It would be wonderful if we could say healthy and active as we age. Well, there is a way!

Chiropractic is an excellent part of a healthy lifestyle, helping to maintain your spinal health and prevent spinal degeneration or arthritis.

Your spine is extremely strong, but yet very flexible. It is made up of spinal bones called vertebra that are separated by tough discs that act as cushions and allow the vertebra to easily move without pain.

These spinal bones are held together by strong fibrous bands of tissue called ligaments. Over the spinal bones and the ligaments, there are hundreds of muscles that maintain our posture and allow us to freely move.

The Process Of Spinal Arthritis

Unfortunately, as we get older, our spins are subject to years of small to major injuries as well repetitive wear and tear of the joints, disc and ligaments. When these tissues are irritated, they develop scar tissue that causes the joints to become rigid and we lose our flexibility. These once flexible discs will begin to dry out and shrink, causing the spinal joints not to move as smoothly as they once did.

Due to many years of this process or untreated posture, some of these spinal bones and their joints can become restricted (fixated) or completely immobile, the beginning stage of spinal arthritis. The once healthy ligaments that hold the spinal joints together can begin to calcify or harden and, in some cases, cause the spinal bones to fuse! his immobility or fusion will then reduce the mobility or flexibility of your spin and begin to develop areas of chronic pain.

When you have spinal joints that become stuck, the body compensates by allowing the joints above and below the fixated ones to become excessively mobile to compensate. This will then cause these joints to also become inflamed.

The end result of this process is joints that suffer excessive wear and tear and begin to break down and develop spinal arthritis. In addition, you can develop pressure or irritation of the nerves that exit from your spine and travel to other parts of your body.

Chiropractic Helps

The good news is: Chiropractic care can help keep your spine flexible as you get older aid in preventing spinal degeneration!

Your chiropractic physician will examine and determine what areas of your spine are becoming immobile or fixated, and then adjust them.

The chiropractic adjustment increases the mobility of the spinal joint by stretching joint capsules and loosening the scar tissue. The adjustment also affects specific nerves in the spinal joints that affects the pain signals and helps the muscles to relax.

Keeping your spine healthy and flexible through your life is the best think you can do to help prevent pain and disability from spinal degeneration in you later years.

If you have experienced injury, feeling the aches and pains of life or your back is stiff, especially in the morning; do something about it now! Call our office today at (314) 731-4383 or CLICK TO CALL NOW and see how we can help