Arthritis

Arthritis covers a group of conditions with one thing in common: joint pain, stiffness and lost movement. The type matters more than the label, because osteoarthritis and the inflammatory arthritides behave differently and are handled differently here.

Chiropractic care does not treat the disease and will not reverse joint changes. What it is used for is the musculoskeletal consequence of living with one, the stiffness, the restricted range, and the muscular load that builds around a joint that has stopped moving properly. That runs alongside the medical management of the condition, never instead of it.

The types, and why the difference matters

• Osteoarthritis, the wear-related form, most often in the spine, hips, knees and hands. The commonest presentation seen here.
• Rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune condition affecting the joint lining. Medically managed; the musculoskeletal symptoms are what care here addresses.
• Psoriatic arthritis, joint inflammation associated with psoriasis.
• Ankylosing spondylitis, primarily spinal, with progressive stiffening.

Inflammatory forms call for lower-force technique, and sometimes for leaving a region alone during a flare. This is the reason the assessment asks for your diagnosis, your medications and who is managing you.

What the assessment covers

• A history, which joints, how long, what a bad day looks like, and what your medical management currently involves
• Joint-by-joint movement testing, and how the surrounding muscles are coping
• How you move overall, because a stiff hip changes what the knee and the lower back have to do
• Any imaging or specialist reports you already have. Bring them
• An explanation of what was found, and an honest account of what care here can and cannot contribute

What treatment involves

• Mobilisation, slow, graded movement to work into stiff joints without loading them hard
• Lower-force adjusting where it is appropriate to the joint and the day
• Massage and soft tissue therapy for the muscular tension that accumulates around a guarded joint
• Rehabilitation exercises, strengthening the muscles that support the joint, so more of the load goes through muscle
• Practical advice on movement, pacing and load through the week

Technique is matched to how the joint is presenting. If it is flared, the approach is lighter; on a better day it can be more direct.

Movement, and why it is part of the plan

Joints that stay stiff tend to become harder to move, and the muscles around them weaken, which puts more load back through the joint. Keeping a joint moving within a comfortable range, and keeping the surrounding muscle strong enough to share the work, is the practical target of most of what happens here. It is not a claim about changing the underlying condition, it is about what you can comfortably do in a day.

Related

Where a single joint is the problem, there is more detail on hip pain, knee pain, shoulder pain and lower back pain. Joint pain covers the multi-joint picture, and care for seniors covers lower-force care more generally. Fees and every item code are on the fees page.