Even though chiropractic care is best known for addressing pain in the back and neck, it’s also used to treat different kinds of pain. An often overlooked condition that chiropractors can help with is arthritis. 

Arthritis is a condition that affects joint health, causing pain, swelling, and limited mobility in the affected area — typically worsening with age. 

Common Arthritis Symptoms:

  • Pain and tenderness
  • Stiffness, especially in the morning
  • Swelling, inflammation, and redness
  • Weakness or buckling of the joint
  • Decreased range of motion in the joint

If you think you may have arthritis, you’re not alone. 22.7% of adults in the U.S. are diagnosed with some form of arthritis. From osteoarthritis to rheumatoid arthritis, symptoms can seriously affect your quality of life. Arthritis can even prevent you from doing what you love, forcing you to give up work, hobbies, and life-long passions. 

Before you turn to more medications to alleviate the pain, there’s another less-invasive treatment to consider: chiropractic care. 

Chiropractic Treatment for Arthritis

Chiropractors might be best known for making spinal adjustments, but they can make extremity joint adjustments too. Studies show that chiropractic care is an effective way to treat joint pain and reduce inflammation in people with arthritis. 

Types of Arthritis 

Arthritis isn’t a singular disease. There are more than 100 different types, with each person developing unique symptoms. Here are two of the most common forms of the condition: 

  • Osteoarthritis. As the most common kind of arthritis, this condition affects the flexible joint cartilage 
  • Rheumatoid arthritis. This chronic autoimmune disorder affects the joints 

Both forms of the condition can benefit from routine chiropractic care. Pain management strategies combined with non-invasive chiropractic treatment can help you relieve discomfort without relying long-term on painkillers. 

Methods of Chiropractic Treatment 

For many patients, the first line of defense in arthritis treatment is medication. While medications can work to relieve pain, they may come with other health risks. By visiting a chiropractor, you can manage these symptoms naturally through a holistic treatment plan. 

Every person’s experience with arthritis is different, with their own pain points and challenges. A chiropractor can help develop a plan that addresses all parts of the body, relieving arthritis pain while also improving overall mobility, strength, and endurance.

Chiropractors use several techniques to work through pain and inflammation caused by arthritis, including: 

  • Extremity joint mobilization. By gently working joints in your hands, wrists, feet, knees, and ankles through a natural range of movement, they can pinpoint areas where movement is restricted and recommend treatment to improve mobility. 
  • Chiropractic adjustments. With this treatment, a chiropractor can reduce misalignments in areas where the joints are restricted. Beyond the affected areas, these adjustments can improve your overall health and lower inflammation in the body.

Other Forms of Arthritis Treatment 

Chiropractors can offer other treatment methods to use in conjunction with traditional chiropractic adjustment and joint mobilization. These include: 

  • Stretching and massage therapy 
  • Heat and/or cold therapy 
  • Custom foot orthotics
  • Fascial stretch therapy 
  • Physical therapy exercises 

When used alongside other forms of treatment, these methods can further relieve pain and make it easier to walk on or move the affected joints. 

Common Questions on Arthritis and Chiropractic Care

Arthritis pain and discomfort can disrupt the way you live — interrupting sleep, making it hard to walk or move, and even stopping you from doing what you love most. Seeking treatment from a chiropractor is the first step toward relief. 

If you’re considering reaching out to a chiropractor, you might still have a few questions. Here are some commonly asked questions about chiropractic treatment for arthritis. 

Is Chiropractic Care Safe for Arthritis?

When inflamed and painful joints are on the line, you might be wondering: Is it safe to get chiropractic care? The short answer is yes, seeking chiropractic relief is safe.  

The kind of chiropractic care you get, however, can depend on the type of arthritis. For people with osteoarthritis, going to a chiropractor is one of the safest means of treatment. For people with inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, it’s still safe to go to a chiropractor — but your chiropractor may have to be more careful with the techniques they apply. 

If you have a flare-up of active inflammation, a chiropractor won’t make adjustments on the joints with active swelling. Even if they never touch the inflamed joint, however, they can still treat the surrounding tissue and muscle to relieve tightness, spasms, and overall pain. 

That’s why it’s so important to seek out an experienced, holistic chiropractor who can determine the best path forward for you and your experience with arthritis pain.

Can a Chiropractor Help With Arthritis in the Lower Back?

One of the main services chiropractors provide is spinal manipulation, which includes gently realigning the spine and resetting the joints. This can help relieve pain and tension in the lower back, but it also provides benefits beyond pain relief. 

Spinal adjustments can:

  • Improve overall joint health 
  • Increase mobility 
  • Loosen tight muscles 
  • Lower the risk of spine and joint degeneration 
  • Improve blood flow and organ function 
  • Boost energy and sense of well-being 

How Often Does an Arthritic Person Need To See a Chiropractor? 

Many patients feel relief from the worst of their arthritis symptoms after the first visit. However, regular visits tend to be the most effective in relieving pain and healing the body over time. 

The frequency of these visits will vary from person to person. The best way to decide how often you need appointments is to talk with your chiropractor about moving forward with your long-term treatment. 

Arthritic Care at Reinhardt Chiropractic

With an inflammatory condition like arthritis, the best way to treat your symptoms is to attack it from all sides. That means working with a chiropractor to develop a holistic plan of treatment, from spinal adjustments to physical therapy. Chiropractic care won’t just help you manage your pain day to day — it can even slow the progression of your arthritis over time. 

If arthritis is affecting your life, don’t let it hold you back any longer. Learn more about our arthritis treatment options or contact us to schedule an appointment today.