According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 50 million adults are diagnosed annually with some form of chronic joint pain due to arthritis, gout, lupus, or fibromyalgia. Many of us have been conditioned to believe that with age comes aches and pains.

But joint pain does NOT have to be inevitable. In fact, some joint pain is a result of lifestyle choices, such as poor diet and lack of exercise.

This, of course, means you can effectively make certain lifestyle changes that can reduce joint pain and improve function. Here are some ideas to get you started down a path of less pain and stiffness:

Maintain a Healthy Weight

According to The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), obesity is one of the most common diseases that affect bone and joint health. Losing weight not only relieves pressure on your joints, but it can also reduce joint degeneration.

Get Regular Exercise

Obviously, exercise can help you lose weight, but there are other benefits to moving your body. Regular exercise increases strength and flexibility, which is important for joint health. Now, depending on the severity of your joint pain, certain exercises may be off the table. For severe pain, consider walking, biking, and swimming as these exercises are gentle on your joints.

Eat a Healthy Diet

There are two phases to eating a healthy diet:

• Phase 1 – Eliminate processed foods that are high in refined sugars and trans fats. These cause inflammation throughout the body that causes joints to be stiff and painful.
• Phase 2 – Eat more foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help to reduce inflammation in the body. These foods include fatty fish, chia seeds, and walnuts.

Quit Smoking

Smoking prohibits your body from healing itself and also reduces blood flow. This makes it hard for your joints to recover from injuries and inflammation. Not only will quitting smoking help joint pain, but it will also improve your overall health as well.

Seek Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic is often used as a complement to conventional treatments for joint pain. Chiropractic adjustments can reduce the restrictions or misalignments in your spine and other joints. One study found that adjustments helped normalize inflammation for individuals suffering from low back pain.

Joint pain can also sometimes come from poor posture and spinal alignment, and chiropractors can help you solve that issue as well.

If you suffer from joint pain and would like to explore chiropractic care, please call our office. We’ll be more than happy to discuss how adjustment might finally bring you some relief.

 

SOURCES:

• https://uthealthaustin.org/blog/lifestyle-changes-to-reduce-joint-pain
• https://maxliving.com/healthy-articles/chiropractic-and-joint-pain
• https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/chiropractic-care-for-pain-relief

July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month. It’s hard to fathom that young children live with a disease commonly associated with elderly people. But, according to the Arthritis Foundation, roughly 300,000 children in the United States suffer from arthritis, making it one of the most common childhood diseases in this country.

Causes of Juvenile Arthritis

Typically, the term arthritis refers to inflammation of the joints. Juvenile arthritis (JA), however, can also refer to inflammation of the eyes, skin, and gastrointestinal (digestive) tract. This childhood disease has a wide variety of forms and researchers are doing their best to better understand the causes and best treatment plans.

Most types of JA are autoimmune or auto-inflammatory diseases, which means the child’s immune system attacks the body’s own healthy cells and tissues. The exact causes of JA are currently unknown. Researchers believe certain genes may play a role in the development of the disease when they are activated by a virus, bacteria, or other external triggers.

Diagnosis

JA will usually begin to present itself with pain and a limited range of motion. Some children may experience odd rashes, swelling of the joints, or new issues with their eyes. A doctor will first take a medical history, then they will want to run some blood tests to check for inflammatory markers that would suggest arthritis as a possible cause of these symptoms. Many pediatricians, upon suspecting JA, will refer the parents to a rheumatologist, a doctor who specializes in treating arthritis.

Treatments

Currently, there are no cures for juvenile arthritis. The good news is, with early detection and the right treatment plan, remission of the disease is possible.

Some of the most common treatments for JA include:

• Medication to combat inflammation. These may include corticosteroids and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
• Surgery
• Physical therapy
• Healthy eating – an anti-inflammatory diet such as the Mediterranean diet is often used to decrease inflammation.
• Hot and cold treatments

Chiropractic has also been shown to have tremendous benefits in treating people of all ages with arthritis. If your loved one is suffering from juvenile arthritis and you would like us to develop a personalized care plan, please give us a call or stop by our office. No child should have to suffer from pain, and we go above and beyond to ensure your child gets the best treatments available.

SOURCES:

• https://curearthritis.org/juvenile-arthritis-awareness-month/
• https://www.arthritis.org/diseases/juvenile-arthritis