Degenerative Arthritis / Disc Degeneration
Degenerative arthritis of the spine is one of the most common
disorders that occurs, limiting function in persons over 50 years
of age. Approximately 300,000 persons over 65 years of age are
limited in their activities because of it. If everyone lives long
enough, so it has been said, everyone will get degenerative arthritis.
Degenerative arthritis, however, does not have to mean a hopeless
and ongoing painful condition.
While degenerative arthritis of the spine cannot be cured, the
pain that accompanies it can often be improved with chiropractic
treatment. Older Americans have learned this and have a very high
rate of usage of chiropractic services. Researchers at the University
of Iowa School of Medicine in a study of spinal pain of the 65
and over population, found that 75 percent had sought chiropractic
treatment. In male subjects, more had seen chiropractors than
medical doctors.
Chiropractic treatment seems to be effective for two reasons.
The first is its ability to correct the spinal joint misalignments
that are often the cause of pain. Degenerative arthritis weakens
the spinal soft tissues that maintain joint alignment, causing
frequent misalignments in these persons. The other reason chiropractic
treatment is often helpful in degenerative arthritis is that it
is effective in regulating spinal pain. In a study in the American
Journal of Physical Medicine, researchers reported a 140
percent improvement in spinal pain tolerance following chiropractic
manipulation. In
a related study, chiropractic manipulation was also found to elevate
circulating levels of endorphins, a powerful pain blocker released
by the brain.
For many suffering from degenerative arthritis of the spine,
chiropractic treatment can provide relief. No one should "just
have to live with it" until he/she has tried chiropractic.
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