Causes of Arthritis & Degeneration and How to Prevent it?
Posted by Jason Bongi on Thu, Jul 15, 2010 @ 08:27 AM
Retired Army Brigadier Gen. Becky Halstead States Importance of Chiropractic Care
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Chiropractic Care helps many people maintain and sustain their physical activity levels while at work or at play. United States Army recognizes the benefit of Chiropractic Care for their troops stationed in Iraq & Afghanistan.
Carrying over 60lbs of heavy gear & equipment on their backs, US Troops are finding relief with Chiropractic treatments while on tour. The added weight & stress that the spine is subjected to can be a precursor to early Arthritis & Degeneration.
I'm often asked "How does one develop Arthritis & Degeneration?" There are couple factors I believe people get arthritis which leads to degeneration today.
1.) First is "Joint Motion". Every joint in our body is designed to move through out a range of motion which is specific to that joint. When there is a reduction in that movement, a signal is sent to the brain noting such a decrease. Every joint has receptors in them that measure Joint motion (Mechanoreception), Joint Pressure (Baroreception) and Joint Position (Proprioception). When the signal is not acted upon correctly from the brain to the body, over time the body believes that maybe the joint should not be moving at all and it begins to narrow the space between the joint. This causes a deformity in the joint such as bony nodules, spurs and pain.
2.) Second is "Joint Balance". Our joints should have uniform balance and space throughout. If one end of the joint approximates closer to itself, it can cause a wedging effect. That will increase the stress that is placed on that end of the joint plate, accelerating the arthritis & degeneration process.
- How can this be prevented? Simple. Most importantly, maintain joint mobility.
- Regular exercise is the first place to start. Exercise gets the body moving. It increases blood flow, muscle contraction, and helps "lubricate" your joints.
- Chiropractic Adjustments- Chiropractic is founded on the principle of Joint Motion. When there is a lack of motion in the joint, we find the area(s) of restriction and simply apply a gentle force/pressure to restore it back to normal. For most joints, the range of motion that is restricted or fixated is just millimeters off its normal position. However, it's that tiny bit of restriction that causes the signal over time to process & develop into what we see in the pictures above.