Joint Pain and Arthritis
Joint Pain Treatment
Have you ever been told that your joint pain is “just arthritis” as if it’s inevitable? In clinic it’s often confusing when a client with debilitating symptoms has near normal imaging (e.g. X-Rays, CT or MRI) while the next client has serious problems on imaging and enjoys next to no symptoms. When a client seeks joint pain treatment, Osteopathic Practitioners delve into the history of present and past injuries to discover what the primary issue is and what are the compensations.
Common Joint Signs And Symptoms
Pain and swelling
Nerve inhibition causing muscle weakness
Muscle imbalances
Compensations in neighboring joints
Changes in posture and weightbearing
Arthritic changes can occur over time if the joint surfaces have been disturbed by the trauma
How can osteopathy help your shoulder joint pain?
Soft tissue techniques help realign your shoulder joint, releasing ligaments, fascia, joint capsule and muscles. A common tendency is for the ball to sit forwards and upwards in the socket. On raising your arm, the ball runs out of space to move in the socket causing pinching of tendons and gripping of neck muscles. This alters shoulder blade mechanics and creates neck pain. (see: OMT)
An important consideration in joint pain treatment is ensuring the neighboring joints like the collarbone, ribs, neck, elbow and wrist are moving well.
Releasing the ligaments that connect your upper lung to your lower neck can free up your shoulder girdle and reduce nerve symptoms of tingling in your hand. Stomach or liver tension can pull the shoulder forward through their fascial connections. (see: Visceral Manipulation)
Cranial techniques to open the pathway of the accessory nerve can help soften problematic muscles that act on the shoulder like Trapezius and Sternocleidomastoid. (see: Craniosacral Therapy)
An exercise program may be prescribed to reinforce optimal movement patterns, whilst stabilizing and strengthening muscles to address imbalances.
Arthritis
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint condition caused by breakdown of cartilage leading to pain and inflammation. It is a condition that affects the normal population as we age, or can occur prematurely in a joint injured earlier in life or subjected to repetitive loading or strain. Inflammatory arthritic conditions with an autoimmune component - like rheumatoid arthritis are characterized by periods of flares and remission and have painful multi-joint involvement. When the joints are in a non-inflammatory phase they can be treated in a similar way to osteoarthritis.
Arthritis symptoms:
Pain, stiffness and restricted movement
Warmth and swelling due to inflammation
Muscle wasting and weakness
Instability or deformity of the joint
Difficulty with activities of daily living
Depression
Client Testimonial
“ I had sleeping difficulties due to arthritic pain in my hips. I was a candidate for a hip replacement at the age of 43. After 2 sessions I discontinued my pain medications, my sleeping improved and I resumed downhill skiing and regular workouts..….my quality of life improved and I delayed a major joint replacement until better options were invented, tested and proven.”
-Kyle H.
How Can Osteopathy Help With Your Knee Joint Arthritis?
Osteopathic arthritis treatment uses structural techniques to help realign your knee joint reducing pain and improving flexibility. There is a tendency for your arthritic knee to cause muscle weakness and compensatory movement patterns in your hip, pelvis, ankle and beyond. We address this, as we understand that your body’s overall alignment can place excess stress on your knee, exacerbating cartilage damage, provoking arthritis symptoms. (see : OMT)
Visceral techniques address tensions causing referred pain in your knee. An example is mobilizing your kidney fascia with regard to the underling hip flexor muscle, affecting it’s connection to L2, L3 spinal segments in your lower back and your knee. (see: Visceral Manipulation)
Cranial techniques to help synchronize your autonomic nervous system and down-regulate the pain response. Increased activity in your sympathetic nervous system can affect blood and lymph flow to your joint irritating pain receptors and increasing your sensitivity to pain. Your sympathetic nervous system has an effect on inflammation and your immune response. (see: Craniosacral Therapy, How can osteopathy help with chronic pain)
Reinforcement of the importance of movement and maintaining a healthy body weight. Research shows that movement is essential to bring nutrients to the cartilage and waste products out of the joint helping manage arthritis symptoms.
Client Testimonial
“ I’ve got arthritis in my right knee and have had chronic low back pain for 5 years. I didn’t want to have surgery so I tried osteopathy. He relieved the pain in my back and even though I still have arthritis in my knee, he has helped me so much I have forgotten about it.”
-Marie S.