What You Need To Know About Arthritis, Pain, and Stiffness

Osteoarthritis Causes Many People Serious Problems in Texarkana.

Osteoarthritis, degenerative joint disease, degenerative disc disease, and bone spur formation is very common.

It occurs most frequently in the hands, hips, and knees. It’s also very common in the neck and back.

We know that trauma can start or accelerate the process of developing arthritis.

We also know that different factors can increase the risk of developing arthritis such as overuse, repetitive stresses on the joint, and obesity.

More on this later.

What Happens in Osteoarthritis?

The ‘wear and tear‘ process happens as the cartilage within a joint begins to break down while the surrounding bone begins to change slowly over time.

There’s more to it than this but this idea provides a good framework to understand the damage.

As we age, we tend to have had more traumas, repetitive stresses, and abnormal joint mechanics that have been there longer which is why it becomes increasingly common the older we get.

If these problems aren’t properly treated by restoring movement and function during the healing then we get too much scar tissue in the joint, accelerated damage from abnormal movement, and increased pain often with muscle tightness and stiffness.

How Common Is This Type Of Arthritis?

An estimated 54 million US adults have some form of arthritis.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It’s estimated that 31 million US adults have osteoarthritis.

This is 57% of all people with any type of arthritis.

2/3 of working age adults have arthritis in the US.

The incidence is quickly increasing. By 2040, it’s predicted that 78 million will be diagnosed with arthritis.

This is to be expected as the average age of the US population shifts upwards. It’s also to be expected because we are becoming increasingly more unhealthy in the US.

These staggering numbers do beg the questions though,

• Why is it so common?
• The common treatments are not improving the numbers, they’re increasing… Why?
• What can be done to turn the tide and help people with arthritis?

Symptoms Of Osteoarthritis

• Pain or aching.
• Stiffness.
• Decreased range of motion (or flexibility).
• Swelling.

Modifiable Risks

We can’t change the fact that we’re getting older obviously. Age is not a modifiable risk factor.

But there are ways to reduce arthritis pain, stiffness, and progression.

We’ll be talking about these factors in a series of blog posts that will help you understand what you can do about arthritis pain, stiffness, and other problems.

Dr. Hagebusch has helped thousands of Texarkana area people that have arthritis to feel better, improve mobility, and reduce pain and stiffness.

We’re here to help you too!

Contact Us to set up a time to come in and see Dr. Hagebusch so you can find out for yourself what so many other Texarkana area people already know.

At Hagebusch Chiropractic we help pain, stiffness, mobility, and more… often even if you’ve been told that there is nothing else that you can do!

In fact, we’ve helped many people that were told they have no other option except surgery.