Dealing with Arthritis

We've all seen the TV ads ─ nice-looking woman in her fifties, sitting on a nice sofa in a nice living room, rubbing her hands, in obvious pain. Of course, she's not Lady Macbeth, trying to rub off the imagined blood of her murdered husband. She's a woman with arthritis.

According to the Center for Disease Control, arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States.1 Approximately 47 million people have doctor-diagnosed arthritis and 17 million have arthritis-attributable activity limitations.

Osteoarthritis, the most common form, is a degenerative condition affecting the joints and the soft tissues around the joints ─ the associated cartilage, ligaments, and tendons. The most commonly affected areas are the spine, the hands, and the shoulders, hips, and knees. The pain of arthritis, the reduced mobility, and the lifestyle accommodations needed for pain avoidance are discouraging and may even lead to depression.

Many anti-inflammatory drugs are available for the treatment of arthritis, and in recent years many of these have been found to cause severe side effects. Vioxx is the most notorious of these ─ cardiovascular complications caused a worldwide recall of the drug. Celebrex, another well-known arthritis medication, was also found to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke at high doses.

The very good news is there are several wellness-based treatment alternatives to long-term medication. These include exercise, diet, and in many cases, chiropractic treatment.

Exercise is critical in restoring mobility and, over time, in reducing pain.2,3 Persons with osteoarthritis often experience a vicious cycle of deteriorating symptoms. Pain causes reduced mobility (pain avoidance), which (paradoxically) actually causes more pain, which causes further reductions of mobility . . . . Activities of daily living ─ getting out of a chair, opening a jar, bending and lifting ─ become a real challenge as the person struggles to avoid further pain.

So, restoring mobility is key. Exercise ─ very gently at first ─ is the answer. Range-of-motion activities to get the joints moving again are very beneficial, including
• Arm circles
• Wrist circles
• Shoulder shrugs
• Side-to-side bending for the lower back
• Gentle knee bends
• Ankle circles
• Flexing and pointing the feet

Walking is a perfect exercise for treatment of arthritis. Begin by walking one block, then two, then around the block. Walk five minutes daily for a week, then increase by a minute or two each day. Get up to 15 minutes of gentle walking, then begin to gradually increase your pace. The increased mobility will not only reduce pain, but also provide a cardiovascular benefit and improve one's ability to perform activities of daily living.

Chiropractic treatment, in combination with an exercise program, may assist in restoring joint mobility and reducing pain. Gentle chiropractic manipulative therapy is designed to improve mobility of spinal joints. As spinal joint motion improves, pain lessens, and a positive cycle of return-to-function begins.

1"Prevalence of Doctor-Diagnosed Arthritis and Arthritis-Attributable Activity Limitation." CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 55(40);1089-1092, 2006.
2Huang MH, et al: A comparison of various therapeutic exercises on the functional status of patients with knee osteoarthritis. Semin Arthritis Rheum 32(6):398-406, 2003.
3Suomi R, Collier, D: Effects of arthritis exercise programs on functional fitness and perceived activities of daily living measures in older adults with arthritis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 84(11):1589-94, 2003.

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Testimonials

Reviews By Our Satisfied Patients

  • "PAIN FREE! Over the years I have been to several different chiropractors. As a child, I was exposed to chiropractic care through my mother. Having arthritis, chiropractic was the one place she could get relief without drugs. Even so, not all chiropractors are equal and that was never made more clear to me than when I met Dr. Roy. Having complained of lower back pain to a former chiropractor, I was never able to get any relief. It wasn't until I started being treated by Dr. Roy that I was able to go weeks without pain. I even had a manual physical therapist tell me I had scarred tissue and would never truly be pain free. Dr. Roy's methods were new to me and I was a little skeptical at first, but after a month or so of treatment I was able to go for several weeks without ANY pain! I am a believer now and I will be coming back as often as I can!!!"
    Judy Reyes
  • "THE MIRACLE DOCTOR! A friend recommended Dr. Roy to me because I could hardly walk and I was in great pain. He took x-rays and treated me immediately and it really help right away. That was in 2019. He saw me twice a week for many months before I went to once a week. He has educated me on many different situations concerning my back and that's why I call him "The Miracle Doctor.""
    Mary Kathleen Weldon
  • "ALMOST AS GOOD AS NEW AFTER SEVERE CAR ACCIDENT AFTER 2 SESSIONS 5* After decades of chiropractic care, I thought I'd received the best possible outcome for my neck injury from a fall further exacerbated by a severe car accident.
    Little did I know that in just two sessions Dr. Roy would have me almost as good as new!
    Thanks again for hearing my complaint and knowing exactly how to adjust T1/T2/C7 areas on my neck for instant, long lasting relief."
    C Broadway
  • "NO MORE MIGRAINES 5* - Dr. Roy has added a massage therapist and I'm so excited to have that available for my overall wellness care. Dr. Roy always seems to put his finger exactly where I'm needing an adjustment and with his upper cervical adjustments, I've gone from 4 migraines a month to less than one a year! I haven't felt better."
    Chrystal R.
  • "FIVE STAR REVIEW 5*"
    Kelly B.
  • "VETERAN OWNED BUSINESS5* - I know Dr. Roy personally and he does a great job. He is an honorable man who cares about his patients and is an USAF veteran to boot."
    Col Paul S.
  • "TRUST THEM WITH MY BACK 5* - So love this place! Four days ago I came home from a long trip..my back from hurting from the travel. They were able to take me in for an appointment the very next day and put 2 ribs back in place. Besides that, I love the employees there. They are so refreshing and kind and I highly trust them with my back."
    Sara W. F.
  • "VERY PLEASED 5* - Visiting Dr. Roy's Chiropractic Clinic since last year and very pleased with the results so far!
    Thank you so much Dr. Roy!"
    Stephan S.
  • "BACK, KNEES AND HIPS BETTER! Since starting treatments with Dr. Roy not only is my back better and I now know what the issues are - his gentle chiropractic approach has helped my back, knees and hips. Thanks Dr. Roy"
    Susan E.