Arthritis? Joint Pain?
Osteopathy can help!
What is osteoarthritis? Arthritis is when – due to the wear and tear of life – the cartilage in the bodies joints begins to wear away. Often this is due to instability in the joint, or poor biomechanics causing the joints to grind together and degenerate.
The cartilage in the joints do not have a blood supply – which means there is no way for the cartilage to regenerate itself! Once the damage has been done – it is done for good! This is one reason why it is so important to stay on top of joint pain and to get help early on – waiting too long can cause permanent damage!
When the joint starts to rub away this also creates instability and can cause pain in and around the joint – it is also quite common for the joint capsule and soft tissue around the joint to become inflamed or go into spasm. The synovial membrane in the joint can get damaged and may stop producing the lubricating fluid inside the joints as abundantly as before. This can lead to the feeling of pain and stiffness in and around the joint.
Usually people will feel pain from arthritis first thing in the morning – and it usually gets better throughout the day. This is because the muscles have had time to warm up from movement and the fluids have started to lubricate the joints.
If the cartilage in the joint cannot be regenerated – what can you do to help with the joint pain?
Luckily, there are still many solutions. Anti-inflammatory supplements are very commonly used by those who suffer from arthritis they cause the inflammation in the surrounding tissue to decrease and helps to relieve the pain. Furthermore, strength training is a great way to not only add more stability to the joint preventing further degeneration – but over time it can also increase the space within the joint causing less rubbing from friction and less pain and degeneration.
Osteopathy is another great route for helping arthritis pain! Not only does hands on treatment cause a massive release of endorphins and natural painkillers in the body – but it also causes the soft tissue around the joint to relax. Osteopathy helps to keep fluids moving in and around the joint causing detoxification and healing of the surrounding areas – as well as to make sure that the joint itself is gliding well in its place.
Osteopathy can also help to realign the bones and structures around the joint to make sure everything is sitting correctly and that the biomechanics allow things to move fluidly and safely – instead of grinding and wearing away over time. Seeing a Manual Osteopath will help to keep a normal range of motion in the area so that things do not become to tight or restricted.
Many people with arthritis and joint pain find great relief by seeing a Manual Osteopath!
The word Osteopathy actually means:
– “Osteo” for “bones”
– “Pathy” meaning “responding to”
Manual Osteopaths are trained to respond to the bones and skeletal system to re-align and create changes in the mechanics of the body causing pain relief and healing. Manual Osteopaths are some of the best practitioners to see for the relief of joint pain!
