Osteoarthritis Specialist

What is osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that can damage any joint in the body, but most often affects knees, hips, hands, and the spine. It develops gradually as cartilage slowly erodes due to normal wear-and-tear on the joints.

Cartilage cushions and lubricates bones in the joint, creating a protective cover so bones can move freely. As cartilage deteriorates, exposed bones rub against each other, creating pain, stiffness, and loss of motion. Over time, inflammation and bone spurs develop.

When you have osteoarthritis, you’re likely to feel stiff when you first get up from sleeping or resting. Pain worsens when you move, but feels better when you rest. However, as the disease progresses, the pain may be constant.

Are you at risk for osteoarthritis?

The older you get, the more likely you are to get osteoarthritis, since it gradually develops over time from normal daily use of the joints. The following characteristics also give you a higher risk of developing osteoarthritis:

• Being overweight
• Suffering a previous injury to a joint
• Repetitive use of joints
• Family history of osteoarthritis
• Gout
• Muscle weakness
• Joint looseness
• Being a woman

You may not be able to prevent osteoarthritis once it begins or if you have a strong genetic tendency for the disease. But during regular chiropractic care, Dr. McMillin will detect problems that put unusual stress on your joints, and work with you to keep your joints healthy and help you stay active.

How does chiropractic treatment relieve osteoarthritis?

When you have osteoarthritis, it affects the way you move the rest of your body, putting unusual stress on the bones and muscles used as you avoid putting pressure on the painful joint. This throws your spine and skeletal system out of balance, which affects nerves that run through the spine and leads to other problems.

Chiropractic is uniquely beneficial for treating osteoarthritis because it takes a holistic approach. Dr. McMillin provides direct treatment to the damaged joint and delivers chiropractic treatment to the rest of your body to restore balance.

Many different therapies are available at ProActive Spine Care that will relieve the pain of osteoarthritis and restore joint function:

• Chiropractic manipulation and mobilization
• Soft tissue and trigger point therapy
• Cold laser therapy
• Functional rehabilitation
• Physical therapy
• Exercise training
• Nutrition counseling