Osteoarthritis is the wear-and-tear arthritis — the kind that stiffens your knees, hips, and back as cartilage breaks down over time. The good news: chiropractic care can restore joint motion, reduce pain, and lower your reliance on pain medication. Here's how we approach it at Advanced Health in Chicago's South Loop, and what the research says about getting you moving again.
What osteoarthritis is — and how it feels
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It comes down to wear and tear: the protective cartilage at the ends of your bones acts like brake pads, and over time those pads wear down.
The joints that take the brunt of it are the weight-bearing ones — knees, hips, and spine.
The classic symptoms:
- Stiffness, especially first thing in the morning
- Pain during or after movement
- Limited range of motion in the affected joint
How chiropractic care helps arthritic joints
Joints are designed to move. When a joint moves well through its full range under proper load, it stays healthy — replenished with synovial fluid, the body's equivalent of brake fluid in a car.
One technique we use in our office is flexion-distraction. It pinpoints joints that aren't moving well and gently works them through their range of motion under tension. That helps replenish fluid in the joint and disc, and takes stress off the joint, disc, and surrounding nerves.
Paired with soft tissue work on the muscles and tendons around the joint — specifically breaking down adhesions (a kind of scar tissue) — plus a stabilization and strengthening program, this approach produces good outcomes both short- and long-term.
Can chiropractic reduce your need for pain medication?
Yes — and this matters. The U.S. makes up roughly 5-6% of the world's population but consumes over 50% of prescription medication, and we're in the middle of an opioid crisis driven in part by over-medication.
Chiropractic care is a non-invasive, non-drug approach. Multiple studies have shown it to be a safer, more effective way to manage low back and neck pain. A 2003 study in the journal Spine found chiropractic to be roughly five times more effective than NSAIDs (over-the-counter drugs like ibuprofen) for both low back and neck pain.
Dealing with arthritic knees, hips, or back? Get a $49 new patient exam and X-rays at Advanced Health in the South Loop. We'll show you exactly where motion is restricted and build a plan to restore it. Book online at /schedule or call (312) 987-4878.
Restoring range of motion long-term
Chiropractic adjustments are focused on improving and restoring joint mechanics. The better a joint moves, the better you move.
For ongoing arthritis management, we layer three things:
- Adjustments to restore joint function
- Soft tissue work to release tight, adhered muscles around the joint
- A strengthening program to stabilize the joint so the gains hold
Working alongside your other providers
Co-management with other professionals — physical therapists, pain management specialists, your primary care doctor — often gets you the best results. You end up addressing the three main pillars of osteoarthritis care at once:
- Joint function — what chiropractors do
- Soft tissue stabilization — what physical therapists do
- Inflammation and pain control — what pain management specialists do
If you're already under care for osteoarthritis, we're happy to coordinate with your team.
Ready to move better?
If stiffness and joint pain are limiting what you can do, we can help. Learn more about /new-patients or book a visit at /schedule. You can also reach our South Loop office at (312) 987-4878.
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