Customized Joint Pain Treatment
Joints are where one bone connects with another. They are the space between that allow for proper movement and function. At Langford Chiropractic in Chula Vista, CA, Dr. Stan G. Langford III offers effective joint pain treatment using novel, painless techniques.
Our Body Relies on Joints
Our body has many different types of joints, from those that barely move at all (like the sutures in your skull) to synovial joints that move in many different directions (like your shoulder joints, ankle joint, hip joint, spinal facet joints, and more).
We know that when the joints move properly, your muscles and ligaments function at an optimal level. This affords you proper function and no pain.
However, when joints do not work properly, this leads to a whole host of problems. Primarily, when the joints do not work properly, the muscles and ligaments cannot function properly either. They will tend to either shorten or elongate, depending on the joint problem.
When this occurs, they leak toxins that irritate local tissues and nerves. This leads to further pain and dysfunction that compounds until the underlying issue is resolved. It is important to note that when your body experiences pain, it also alters other bodily function.
For example, when you bang your knee or burn your hand, your heart rate and respiration change for a little while. These effects of neurological involvement due to joint dysfunction are called autonomic concomitants.
This means that side effects in your body that are not readily apparent. If you have musculoskeletal damage to your body that goes untreated, it is also likely that you are affecting your heart, brain, lung, or other organ function over time.
Joint Pain Causes
Joint pain, sometimes called arthralgia, is discomfort that occurs in a location where two bones meet. Pain can occur in joints anywhere in the body, including the hands, back, knees, neck, and shoulders.
There are many common causes of joint pain, ranging from injury to arthritis to infectious and inflammatory diseases, including:
Joint Injury and Overuse
Injuries such as broken bones, dislocations and muscle sprains and strains can all cause pain in the affected joint. Other conditions caused by overuse may also lead to joint pain. For example, chondromalacia patellae, or degeneration of the cartilage beneath the kneecap, is a condition that commonly causes joint pain in adolescents and young adults. It may occur as a result of excessive force on the knee, overuse, or injury.
Joint Arthritis
Many types of arthritis cause progressive, chronic joint pain. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and commonly causes pain in the joints of the hips, knees, hands or spine, according to the National Institutes of Health. Septic arthritis is an infection that has spread from another location of the body to one joint, causing severe pain.
Gout is a type of arthritis that causes severe attacks of pain in the joints–usually in the big toe. Pseudogout is a condition similar to gout that also causes sudden, painful swelling in the joints; however, it usually causes pain in the larger joints of the extremities.
Autoimmune Diseases
Autoimmune diseases are those that occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues in your body. Rheumatoid arthritis–a progressive, inflammatory disease that attacks the joints–and lupus–a chronic disease that causes inflammation of the joints, kidneys, blood cells, skin, lungs, and heart–may lead to severe joint pain.
Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease that is characterized by the growth of small lumps called granulomas throughout the body, especially in the lungs or lymph nodes. The condition is thought to be caused by an abnormal immune response, and it can cause arthritis and joint pain in the wrists, hands, elbows and ankles.
Infectious Diseases
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, a number of infectious diseases can cause joint pain. For example, Lyme disease, an inflammatory disease caused by a tick bite, commonly causes joint swelling and discomfort, as does osteomyelitis, an acute or chronic bone infection caused by bacteria or fungi. Measles, mumps, rubella or German measles, flu virus, chickenpox, and rheumatic fever are other relatively common infectious diseases that can cause arthralgia.
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease common in children aged 5 to 15 years that develops as a complication of strep throat infection with group A streptococcus bacteria. The Epstein-Barr virus is a very common infection that causes mononucleosis and other diseases that cause prolonged fatigue, weakness and flu-like symptoms, and it may also lead to joint pain.
Rather than a temporary solution with medication, or risky surgery, chiropractic treatment is the permanent solution that corrects the underlying cause of joint dysfunction.
Bursitis and Tendonitis
Bursitis is a condition characterized by the swelling of fluid-filled sacs, called bursae, found between tendons and skin or bone. It can cause acute or chronic pain in the joints, especially with movement. Tendonitis, or the inflammation of a tendon that connects muscle to bone, can also cause painful joints.
Commonly occurring in the elbow, Achilles tendon in the heel, wrist or shoulder, tendonitis is caused by injury, overuse, aging or systemic disease such as diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Chiropractic is the Natural Approach to Permanent Joint Pain Relief
Rather than a temporary solution with medication, or risky surgery, chiropractic treatment is the permanent solution that corrects the underlying cause of joint dysfunction. Normal ranges of motion are restored and inflammation reduced, allowing for soft tissue reactions to heal.
After an examination, occasionally a referral is necessary if a patient has a joint condition that is better treated with another medical specialty. If this is the case, Dr. Langford works with excellent professionals in all areas of medicine and will be sure that you get the proper care you need.
Achieve Joint Pain Relief
Dr. Langford is dedicated to helping patients achieve lasting relief to improve their mobility and quality of life. send us a message online to schedule a consultation.
