BEYOND THE FLARE: MANAGING RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Do you know the difference between rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis? Most people think it’s the same thing, which is not true. In this week’s blog, we will discuss what rheumatoid arthritis is and how patients can live a completely normal life with it.
What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune inflammatory condition that causes intense pain, tenderness, swollen and stiff joints. An autoimmune condition is when the body’s immune system attacks itself. Forty percent of individuals with RA don’t experience joint pain, but rather, they have body system and organ involvement such as skin, eyes, lungs, heart, kidneys, salivary glands, nerve tissue, bone marrow and blood vessels.
RA is more common in middle aged women; however, men can develop it, and it can occur earlier in life. RA can be hereditary and the chances of developing the disease increase in individuals who smoke or who are overweight.
Individuals with RA are more susceptible to osteoporosis, dry eyes and mouth, infections, abnormal body composition, carpal tunnel syndrome, heart problems, lung disease, and/or lymphoma. One common thing visibly seen in RA patients are rheumatoid nodules, which are firm bumps of tissue found commonly on the joints such as hands or elbow, but can be found anywhere in the body, including the heart and lungs.
There is no cure for RA, but there are several RA medications and steroids that help alleviate pain. Just like any other drug or injection, however, they only numb the problem rather than fix it. In more rare cases, surgery may be performed in severe cases.
What is the Difference Between Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Osteoarthritis (OA) is arthritis of the bone and joint that is done overtime through repetitive traumas, macrotraumas and wear-and-tear throughout life. RA can come on suddenly with no known cause and destroy the lining of the joints overtime. Both can’t be cured but they can be managed.
What Can We Do to Help?
RA can be a very difficult disease to manage because of how much pain inflammation it causes; however, patients can achieve remission. RA often comes in flare-ups. Patients may experience long periods of pain, followed by short-long periods of relief.
Exercise is great when the condition is in remission because it helps keep muscles, ligaments, joints and soft tissues strong.
Always use ice in an RA case. Remember, ice is used to help with the inflammatory stage of pain. RA is 100% inflammation, so refrain from using heat. To learn more about ice and heat application, refer to our blog, “Thermal Combat: Ice VS. Heat Confrontation.”
Chiropractic treatment for RA patients has always been debated by other medical professionals and they have advised their patients not to see chiropractors. They believe that spinal manipulation will exacerbate inflammation and cause more pain.
Our job as chiropractors is to remove nerve interference, and when nerve interference is removed with spinal manipulation, inflammation levels and pain clinically reduce based on hundreds of peer reviewed studies.
Aside from spinal manipulation, chiropractic facilities may offer other beneficial services such as electric muscle stimulation, ultrasound, massage, or acupuncture to help with inflammation.
At our office, we utilize a safe, high-velocity, low-amplitude adjustment using a chiropractic, drop piece mechanism. We also have used our horizontal therapy machine to help patients with many inflammatory conditions such plantar fasciitis, fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis.
If you or someone you know has rheumatoid arthritis, know that you can live a completely normal life. Modifications and adaptations just need to be made.
If you have any questions about rheumatoid arthritis, please call us at (724) 547-3377 and check out our website at www.laurelmountainchiro.com for more content.
Yours In Health,
Brian M. Steinert, DC
Larry E. Wilkins, DC