Degeneration of the joints in the body begins without your
knowing – it happens to all of us. The general wear and tear of a
lifetime results in joints laying down extra bone in an attempt to support a
damaged area. In general, our bodies compensate for this and we feel
little or no pain, but the slight loss of proper movement in a worn joint may
cause nerve irritation and inflammation leading to pain.
Arthritis, spondylitis or rheumatics are names normally given to the pain and
stiffness resulting from wear and tear to your joints. They can occur in any
joint of your body, including your spinal vertebrae, but chiropractic treatment
may often relieve the pain.
There are some types of arthritis - such as rheumatoid arthritis - that also
involve periods of inflammation and destruction of the joints causing severe
pain. Although chiropractors cannot treat the cause of this kind of arthritis,
they may be able to help to relieve the disability that results from it once
the inflammatory phase is over.
