If you suffer from back pain that is caused by arthritis, you are looking for ways to experience relief. There are many different medications that may help with arthritis pain relief. However, these medications may not work all the time, and they can come with severe side effects. Instead of dealing with that, you can always choose to go to a chiropractor.
How Can A Chiropractor Help?
Chiropractors do not just do popping necks and cracking backs. In fact, there are over 150 techniques that are gentle and can help take the edge off of your pain. When you have arthritis, special care will need to be taken, and your chiropractor will see to this. Your soft tissue may be manipulated to help relieve any tenderness and muscle spasms that you have. You may also be introduced to traction or exercises to help increase your range of motion. In fact, when you go to your chiropractor, it will be more like going to physical therapy.
Is Chiropractic Care Safe?
When you have back pain caused by arthritis, you may ask yourself whether or not it is safe for you to see a chiropractor. It is one of the safest ways to treat certain kinds of arthritis. If you have ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, or rheumatoid arthritis, your chiropractor will need to take special care of you.
Inflammation can cause issues, and chiropractic care can make the issue worst. If the swelling cannot be controlled, the adjustment should not be tried. Does this mean that you should not get any treatment from the chiropractor? No, there are several other treatment options that you can receive even if your joints are swollen.
Here are some of the treatment options you can do:
- Electrotherapy. Electrotherapy does not hurt as it is only small electrical pulses. This treatment helps to alleviate muscle pain and stimulate nerves.
- Cold laser. This treatment option uses a laser that does not produce heat. The laser penetrates into the tissue helping to reduce inflammation.
- Ultrasound. When you think about an ultrasound, you might think of seeing a photo of a baby while it is in the uterus. Ultrasound is also good because it produces sound waves that create a massaging effect. This therapy can help to reduce stiffness, pain, and swelling.
- Infrared sauna. This treatment method uses a warm compress that helps to warm up your joints. This can help to treat swelling and help to diminish pain.
Your First Chiropractic Appointment
When you go in for your first appointment, the chiropractor will go through your medical history with you. He or she will take a look at all of your joints and spine. You may also have x-rays done at this time. Doing all this will allow the chiropractor to come up with a treatment plan to help alleviate your arthritis back pain. Once a treatment plan has been developed, your chiropractor will lay the plan out in front of you.
The plan will include various adjustments, treatments like listed above, and they will also make other lifestyle recommendations. For example, being overweight can increase your back pain, even with arthritis being the main cause. When you are overweight, it places pressure on your back, which can aggravate arthritis. The chiropractor can come up with a weight loss plan that will help you to lose weight. The weight loss plan will include eating healthy foods and exercising regularly. In addition to helping you with your diet and exercise routine, your chiropractor can also help you to see what supplements you need to be taking.
There are various supplements out on the market that can help rid your body of inflammation. Inflammation is a big part of arthritis, and if you do what you can to avoid it, it can help you to alleviate the pain. Taking supplements that are rich in antioxidants can also benefit your body greatly. If you suffer from back pain and you see no relief in sight, please consider visiting a chiropractor today.
At Integrative Chiropractic Center, we offer all the latest techniques and treatment options to help you alleviate your arthritis driven back pain. No one should have to suffer in pain, so give us a call today at 205-637-1363 so that we can begin your treatment.
