By Dr. Kelly Herta, DC

Do you avoid activities due to joint pain? Do you always catch yourself saying “I must be getting old, since my joints hurt”? If this sounds all too familiar, you may have arthritis. Osteoarthritis or Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) is the most common form of arthritis. It is a joint disease caused by the breakdown of the joint cartilage. Cartilage is the shock absorber in between the joints that protect you from the break down of bone with movement.

Too many times, I hear “I’m just getting old” or “it’s the natural aging process.” Although this may be somewhat true depending on your activity level, the body is designed to prevent this type of breakdown over time. But, due to repetitive trauma over our lifetime and poor body mechanics many of us end up with some type of arthritis.

The signs and symptoms of arthritis may include:

• Joint pain
• Stiffness in the morning
• Joint swelling
• Crackling of joints with movement (crepitus)
• Limited range of motion
• Muscle weakness

Increased risk factors for arthritis include:

• Increasing age
• Obesity
• Injury to a joint
• Repetitive stress of a joint

So, you may be asking yourself can I really do anything to avoid arthritis? While it may be impossible to avoid arthritis completely; the following measures may reduce your risk of developing arthritis: These include, protecting injured joints, exercising, losing weight, avoiding excessive repetitive motions, increasing your flexibility, as well as keeping your body properly aligned through Chiropractic.

If you already are suffering from arthritis, it has been found that a combination of conventional therapy as well as complementary and alternative medicine may be the most effective. Alternative medical therapies such as Chiropractic care has become well known for its benefits in the treatment of arthritis.

Chiropractic care increases joint mobility which in turn restores normal movement of the spine and surrounding joints. This improved movement relaxes the muscles and improves joint coordination and thus reduces the pain. As a result, the improved coordination also serves to reduce the stress on the surrounding joints. So, if you or a loved one may be suffering from arthritis why not give chiropractic care a chance. Chiropractic is a safe and effective way to reduce your arthritis pain.

For more information, contact Dr. Kelly Herta, DC at Aligned Health Chiropractic & Wellness Center. Located at 27875 Smyth Dr. # 100, or call (661)295-5200.

Read more articles from Dr. Herta’s Body Wellness series by clicking here.