Who Invited Arthur Itis?

Most of the time patients tell me the reason they have the arthritis in their knees, hips or spine is because it ‘runs in their family’. The truth is that osteoarthritis is not a familial trait—in other words, not passed along genetically. The reality is we invited Arthur Itis to the party of our lives! You see, arthritis (Arthur) showed up because he was invited by our activities of daily living. With the exception of perhaps some inflammatory arthritides like Rheumatoid arthritis, the excessive bony growth affecting our joints comes from abnormal pressure over time---not our age or genetics. After all, the arthritic hip on the right is the same age as the non-arthritic hip on our left and the spinal degeneration at our L5 isn’t ‘normal for our age’ when the joints above it that are the same age are doing just fine!

The arthritis of our hips, knees and spine comes from changes over time due to abnormal pressure set up by either injuries, abnormal posture or being overweight or combinations thereof. Our job then is to recognize that this type of arthritis has a lot to do with how we live and it’s important to note that often, we can overcome the challenges of arthritis by establishing better habits. One of these habits comes in the form of regular chiropractic care and in attention to our posture. For example, while at the computer, be sure to have the monitor raised so the bottom third of the screen is at your eye level. This way, you won’t be as likely to slouch forward as you fatigue.

Arthritis, especially in the spine, can be avoided. But if you’re someone who has struggled with chronic back pain you may have some arthritis. The good news is that in many cases we can help alleviate the nerve irritation caused by degenerative changes to the spine. It’s always good to investigate the causes of pain before treating them. Sometimes the clue is abnormal posture and pain. Our goal is not only to treat those symptoms but to educate about possible correction and better overall lifestyle habits to keep spines healthier and keep our patients functioning closer to one hundred percent.