Your joints allow two bones to move in cooperation with each other. At the ends of these bones is a layer of cartilage. This is a firm but soft piece of connective tissue that allows bones to move smoothly past each other. It is very annoying when this does not go as smoothly as you wish.
In osteoarthritis, the cartilage is thinner than it should be. It then does its job less well. Besides the fact that this can become inflamed, with osteoarthritis, you will mainly suffer from pain, stiffness and difficulty moving in the joints. It can occur in just one joint, or it can occur in several in your body. Either way, osteoarthritis is a very annoying condition. The condition commonly occurs in the knees, hips, joints in the back and neck, fingers and big toe.
How does osteoarthritis develop?
Much research has been done on the origin of osteoarthritis, but there is no single clear cause. However, there are several factors that combine to contribute to the occurrence of osteoarthritis.
First, osteoarthritis may be genetic. It is noted that the condition is more common in some families than others. If the cause of your osteoarthritis is genetic, it often shows up in multiple joints at a younger age. Another cause may be past trauma or injury. Such damage to cartilage can cause osteoarthritis later in life. In addition, gender is also an important factor, as osteoarthritis is two to three times more common in women than in men.
In addition to these factors, osteoarthritis can occur due to various strenuous activities on the joints throughout your life. Consider heavy physical work, obesity and lots of intense exercise.
The reason for pain in osteoarthritis
Once cartilage is damaged, pain results from movement in the joint and sometimes from inflammation. Nerves in the joint may also be affected by the lack of cartilage. The symptoms can also occur in the tendons of muscles. With osteoarthritis, muscle weakness often occurs as patients become less active. This can irritate the tendons around the joint.
The symptoms that may occur
Because of the many different causes of osteoarthritis, it just depends on which symptoms you may be experiencing. One symptom that is common is pain. This can be either short or long. It can be short pain if you have been sitting still for a long time and then start moving. At such times, starting the movement may hurt, but then it ebbs away. Unfortunately, the pain can also occur with any kind of movement or strain without abating. It often then gets worse during the day or when you start making more and heavier movements.
In addition to pain, stiffness often develops in the joint. Like the pain, this can be “starting stiffness,” where the symptoms are present only when starting movements. This may even be only in the morning, while the rest of the day you are not bothered by anything. Furthermore, it is common for the joints to creak a little while moving. This is not harmful, but can be disruptive.
How does the chiropractor help with osteoarthritis?
Your chiropractor can diagnose your condition with knowledge of your symptoms combined with physical examination. Once it is clear if you do indeed have osteoarthritis, an appropriate care plan will be looked at with you. The care you will receive will mainly consist of joint corrections that will allow them to move more smoothly again with less pain and symptoms.
