16/04/2021
Osteopathy and Arthritis
Pain and cost notwithstanding, one of the most dismaying aspects of arthritis is the fact that there is no established cure. In some instances, the cause of arthritis is known: an injury to the joints, the result of an infection such as Lyme disease, the by-product of medication, etc.
In other cases, physicians can only hypothesize about the causal factors. Age is often cited as a leading cause of arthritis. Almost half the cases of arthritis involve osteoarthritis, an age-related condition. To date, however, no one has been able to identify why an individual’s joints wear out. Other noted causes of arthritis include food allergies, heredity, nervous system malfunction, and an attack on the body’s immune system by unidentified microbes
How can Osteopathy help?
Osteopathic medicine can produce incredible results in the treatment of most forms of arthritis. By using a variety of manual techniques, the aim is to help restore function, decrease pain and improve movement. Exercise prescription plays a big role in both the treatment and the prevention of arthritis. We encourage our patients to participate in exercise twice a day if possible and exercise is targeted to improving flexibility, aerobic capacity as well as strength training to increase muscle fitness.
