Blog

Osteoarthritis and Laser Therapy for Pain-Free Joints

Most people have heard of arthritis and know what it is and what it entails, but few have heard of osteoarthritis – despite that WebMD says more people have this type of condition than any other type of arthritis. Osteoarthritis, not to be confused with osteoporosis or Rheumatoid arthritis, is also called degenerative joint disease, or DJD. It’s caused by joint wear and tear, specifically from obesity, injury, and age. Though mostly older people get osteoarthritis, younger people who carry excess weight or suffer from certain injuries can also develop osteoarthritis. And with obesity at an all-time high for Americans, it’s important to ensure you are caring for your joints properly, without added stress to the body, to avoid conditions such as osteoarthritis. Laser Therapy can help.

Diagnosis of Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is usually diagnosed after certain warning signs become noticeable. An early symptom can sometimes start as morning stiffness that you feel in your back, hips, or knees after getting out of bed, and usually improves after you get moving. Another symptom can also occur after being sedentary; you’ll feel pain in your joints, or when you’re standing up or walking up the stairs. If this occurs, you may be suffering from osteoarthritis. It’s also helpful to know if this is something that others in your family have suffered from, as genetics do and can play a role.

Your doctor, either a Medical or chiropractic physician, may be able to properly diagnose you, especially if you suffer from stiffness in any of your joints, particularly after being inert for long periods of time, swelling and/or tenderness around the joints, or the sound of bones “crunching” during joint pressure.

Treatment for Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is certainly treatable in many cases, and treatment with things like CBD aims to control the pain while improving joint function in the long run. This helps patients maintain a healthy lifestyle long-term, with maximum flexibility. especially Arthritis specialists like chiropractors and rheumatologists, can come up with treatment plans to help achieve pain-free living, all the while taking into consideration a person’s lifestyle and needs.

In addition to age, certain other risk factors can be more prevalent in the onset of osteoarthritis, including:

• Excess weight or obesity
• Macro-traumas, like injuries to joints, such as sports injuries or accidents
• Improperly formed joints (either from healing or birth)
• Genetics, including defects in cartilage
• Constant pressure and stress on joints from certain activities, like strenuous jobs or sports
• Micro-traumas, such as repetitive injuries, or being misaligned or out of balance

Even those who have desk jobs can feel the strain and pain on joints after long periods of sitting or stress on joints from improper seating positions. While many people find relief from certain over the counter medications, it’s not a viable solution. Many over-the-counter NSAIDS can cause stomach bleeding and other side effects. That is why it’s so important to be properly diagnosed, so that a treatment plan can be created to help you achieve pain-free living immediately.

In holistic practices, such as those of a chiropractor or acupuncturist, treatment includes non-drug pain relief, with a focus on controlling pain and maintaining or improving activity levels, allowing for optimal joint care. Other treatments include spinal alignment, chiropractic care, and laser therapy. Which offer maximal relief without unwanted scarring from invasive surgeries, or dependency on pain medication.

Laser Therapy for Pain-free Joints

Laser therapy is an innovative approach to treating pain for chronic conditions such as Fibromyalgia, tendonitis, and osteoarthritis. Through the use of light energy units from infrared laser radiation, damaged cells absorb this radiation. Which helps accelerate pain relief and promote faster healing. More than 4,000 studies have been conducted on laser therapy as treatment of acute and chronic pain conditions.

The benefits of therapeutic laser treatment include:

• Accelerated healing
• Rapid cell growth
• Increased Metabolic Activity
• Reduced Fibrotic Tissue Formation
• Anti-inflammatory action

In addition, laser therapy has many biological affects that helps reduce the formation of scar tissue. While accelerating cellular reproduction and growth, it leads to a quicker healing process without the use of medications.

Dr. Michael Newman has more than 35 years’ experience helping his patients reduce pain through treatments, like that of laser therapy. He takes an integrative approach to conditions such as osteoarthritis, treating the whole body for wellness. By utilizing holistic and conventional methods, delivered in a compassionate manner, you will be living pain-free.