OSTEOARTHRITIS/ WEAR AND TEAR/DEGENERATIVE JOINT DISEASE

Wear and tear, degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis, osteoarthrosis, spondylitis spondylosis…….there are surely no other conditions that have been given such a wide range of nomenclature! This is often where some of the confusion starts for our EC2 based chiropractic patients

Cross section of a joint

So what actually happens? The early stages of the degeneration process are thought to occur when an abnormal force from either trauma or the cumulative affects of a sustained faulty posture leads to a sequence of events taking place within the cartilage of a joint  ultimately leading to exposure of some of the underlying bone. The resultant cartilaginous debris causes irritation within the joint and bone spurs (osteophytes) gradually form.

In the spine, this degenerative process can take place between the discs (degenerative disc disease) and/or between some of the joints namely, the facet joints.

When degenerative changes take place, it is not necessarily equal on both sides and thus aberrant joint motion between sides can lead to further uneven stresses within the spine which may ultimately have a knock on effect creating additional arthritic changes above and below the initial degenerative site.

When degenerative changes occur in the spine, there is less room for the exiting spinal nerves which can result in nerve compression or irritation. The symptoms of a “trapped nerve” may be one of the first symptoms reported at our Moorgate chiropractic clinic. Without nerve irritation, patients often report a feeling of stiffness and reduced spinal mobility which is often worse in the morning.

At Bodymotion chiropractic which is located near Bank (EC3), our chiropractors can often help reduce the tension in the spine and neck from degenerative arthritis through gentle mobilisation, manipulation and exercise prescription aimed at relieving tension and improving postural faults. 

Although these degenerative changes cannot be reversed, chiropractic can help to improve joint range of movement reducing pain (Beyerman et al, 2006) Furthermore, by improving joint function, relieving muscle stiffness and improving posture, chiropractic may reduce the likelihood of further degeneration.