About 1 in 4 adults in the United States will develop some type of arthritis in their lifetime. Arthritis causes pain, swelling, redness, stiffness and decreased range of motion in one or more joints. Unfortunately arthritis symptoms can prevent people from being physically active which may lead to cardiovascular disease and diabetes along with functional limitations. Yet, physical activity has been shown to be an important way to reduce overall pain, improve function and better manage the symptoms of various forms of arthritis.

The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Osteoarthritis occurs from wear-and-tear or from injury. The cartilage covering the ends of the bones around joints, break down and damage the connective tissues that attach muscle to bone. This can result in bone directly on bone inducing pain, decreased range of motion, inflammation and swelling.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disease where the immune system attacks the lining of the joint capsule or cushion between joints. Initiating inflammation and swelling. The progression of this disease may destroy both cartilage and bone within the joint.

Ankylosing spondylitis is chronic inflammation of the spine, most often located in the low back. The sacroiliac joints located between the base of the spine and pelvis become inflamed which may spread inflammation to other areas of the spinal column. There is a genetic component to this disease although not all who carry the mutated gene will develop symptoms. Symptoms may include low back pain, hip pain, joint pain, fatigue, breathing difficulty, unexplained weight loss, abdominal pain, skin rash and vision problems.

Gout is another form of arthritis which develops suddenly and is often severe. Gout regularly starts in the big toe but may occur in any joint. Gout progresses when the body has too much uric acid in the blood which then forms uric acid crystals causing extreme pain, inflammation, redness and swelling.

In addition, underlying diseases such as lupus or psoriasis may lead to other types of arthritis.

Causes

–family history

-repeated stress on joints, repetitive sports or jobs

-certain autoimmune diseases

-certain viral infections

Treatment

• Exercise: motion is lotion as they say. Regular physical activity can slow disease progression. Most people with arthritis experience increased pain when sedentary, movement appears to lessen pain. Choose exercises that are easy on the joints such as, biking swimming, strength training, Yoga, tai chi and stretching.
• Heat/Infrared Ozone Sauna: Heat increases muscle relaxation, increases blood flow to the area and decreases pain and stiffness. Infrared sauna penetrates more deeply into the body bringing oxygen rich blood to depleted muscles. Infrared Ozone Sauna gently detoxifies the body, rejuvenates skin, reduces oxidative stress on the body and increases ATP the “energy molecule.”
• Ozone (O3) increases antioxidants in the blood which helps prevent future damage to musculoskeletal tissues.
• Ozone (O3) is an efficient therapy in the treatment of already damaged articular cartilage.
• Ozone (O3) is an effective and reliable therapy to treat RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis) and may also induce remission.
• Ozone (O3) is proven to be safe and encourages pain control and functional recovery when treating Osteoarthritis.
• Ozone (O3) may assist in decreasing medication usage.

For more information on the different types of Ozone Therapy that we at Alta Mountain Chiropractic offer, reference our website Altamtn.com then click on the drop down links under Natural Medicine.

To schedule an appointment with Alta Mountain Chiropractic call us at 801-523-2582.