Arthritis Chiropractic Care Mesa AZ

If you are a long-time sufferer of arthritis, you need arthritis chiropractic care in Mesa, AZ from Lifecare Chiropractic. Arthritis is a common condition that often appears as people age. It can be painful and frustrating. Occurring in many different areas of the body—such as the neck, shoulder, back, knee, and ankle—arthritis can cause significant discomfort. It can lead to a great deal of chronic pain in these areas. Many arthritis sufferers go to the doctor and are quickly dismissed, being told they have arthritis and to “deal with” the pain. An arthritis doctor Mesa AZ trusts understands that no one wants to live with pain and that you are looking for options to eliminate it from your life. You want drug-free and non-invasive solutions, and chiropractic care can help. Call us for Mesa, Arizona arthritis chiropractic care.

What is arthritis?

Arthritis means “joint inflammation.” However, it is a term used collectively for a complex family of musculoskeletal (muscular and skeleton) conditions. When you think of arthritis, you probably are thinking of the most common form, called osteoarthritis. Most often, osteoarthritis develops in the weight-bearing joints of the hips, knees, or spine. It’s also seen commonly in the fingers. Other joints may be affected if injury is involved. Osteoarthritis is an inflammatory condition that may cause local structural changes within specific joints and the spine. 

Osteoarthritis is also called degenerative joint disease or “wear and tear” arthritis. It causes a progressive breakdown of the joints’ natural cushioning shock absorbers. The joints contain cartilage, rubbery structures that cushion and provide shock absorption. When cartilage breaks down, it leaves the joint unprotected, and bones may rub on other bones, causing significant pain. This leads to pain and discomfort when an arthritis sufferer uses the affected joints. Most people over 60 have some level of osteoarthritis, but it can also affect people in their 20s and 30s.

How common is arthritis?

Arthritis is usually identified through x-rays or MRI scans. Unfortunately, arthritis is a very prevalent ailment. People of all kinds, ages, and sexes may have arthritis. Millions of adults have it. Children can have it, as well. Arthritis is more common among women and usually happens as part of the aging process. Athletes and individuals with jobs that require a lot of repetitive movements are at higher risk because of the wear, tear, and repetitive stress on the joints. Obesity and aging also increase osteoarthritis risk.

How is arthritis treated?

Many arthritis treatments focus on relieving symptoms. Many arthritis patients use a combination of treatments. Anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving medications are a popular option. These can be used topically (creams and ointments) or taken orally (aspirin, NSAIDs). 

Arthritis chiropractic care in Mesa, AZ is a viable treatment option. Chiropractors can use therapies such as spinal and joint manipulations to align these structures correctly and take the pressure off irritated nerves.

Mesa arthritis chiropractic care helps to address the root cause of arthritis symptoms and degenerative damage. If joint or spinal disc degeneration is found, a chiropractor can apply manual therapies and manipulative techniques to ease pain and improve function.

If you or someone you love is living with musculoskeletal pain, us to learn how chiropractic care can help improve your acute or chronic condition. In a consultation with Lifecare Chiropractic, you’ll learn of options for care and receive a comprehensive treatment plan to address your symptoms. Schedule your visit today to learn more about arthritis chiropractic care in Mesa, AZ. 

Chiropractic adjustments can benefit people of all ages who suffer from pain due to subluxations or joints that are not working properly. Chiropractors undergo a specialized higher education program that usually lasts four years in order to perform chiropractic treatments for their patients. At LifeCare Chiropractic, we have two amazing chiropractors in our Mesa, AZ office who welcome questions from patients at any point in their treatment. We believe in the importance of understanding one’s condition as well as how a chiropractic treatment may be of benefit to improving mobility and lessening or eliminating pain. The body has the wonderful ability to heal itself, and to that end, chiropractic treatments can help the body heal on its own without the need for surgery or medications. Learn more about how they may benefit you as well by making an appointment at LifeCare Chiropractic today.

What is a chiropractic adjustment?

Our Mesa, Arizona chiropractor uses their hands and arms to manually manipulate a patient’s spine using specialized techniques applied to the joints. In this way, the doctor can return the spine to its normal and healthy position which can enable the patient to enjoy full mobility. Chiropractic adjustments can also eliminate the cause of a patient’s pain in the body in addition to the back and neck. Very often, pain can develop in seemingly unrelated areas though the cause is rooted in misaligned joints. This is known as referred pain. By adjusting those misaligned joints, the patient can experience relief.

Determining Which Areas of the Body to Adjust

Your chiropractor will take many factors into account when determining which areas of your body to treat. This process begins with a comprehensive physical examination and consideration of your medical history. It may also include diagnostic testing, depending on the severity and nature of your pain. Every patient’s condition is different because of these many factors. For this reason, our  Mesa, AZ chiropractors provide you with an individualized and customized treatment plan. Chiropractic adjustments may focus on any of the following:

•         Range of motion
•         Joint palpations
•         Gait and posture
•         Patient symptoms

Chiropractic Treatment Techniques

At our Mesa, AZ office, treatment often begins with your chiropractor determining which, if any, of your spinal joints are restricted in movement. In addition, the doctors at LifeCare Chiropractic will assess the cause of that limitation. The exam will include manual manipulation of your affected areas to identify where mobility is negatively affected and in what ways. Usually, this can be done without the need for x-rays or magnetic resonance imaging scans, but in some cases that may be necessary.

Mesa, AZ’s Trusted Chiropractor

If your back or neck is in pain, consider visiting our office for an examination by LifeCare Chiropractic. We can provide you with an accurate diagnosis of your condition and suggest a treatment plan. If your condition cannot be treated through the use of chiropractic adjustments, we can recommend medical professionals who may be of benefit to you. Call Mesa, AZ’s favorite chiropractor, LifeCare Chiropractic, today to schedule an appointment.

Had a Rotator Cuff MRI? 4 Things to Know Before Surgery

There are times when I, as a rotator cuff doctor in Mesa, Arizona, wish MRI and CT scans were never invented.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to explain to patients that what was found on the MRI that his or her PCP ordered has absolutely nothing to do with the pain currently experienced.

Low back, knees and shoulder seem to be the worst, as any Mesa, AZ rotator cuff doctor can attest.  I certainly have ranted in the past about the massive overuse of technology and medical imaging in medicine today.  As strange as it may be, the pathway is very clear: Having a MRI makes that person more likely to undergo epidurals and surgery.  Having an epidural leads to surgery as well. So, unless you’re willing to go under the knife, don’t even consider an MRI. The ONLY time to order advanced imaging is when your provider thinks that there is a high likelihood that the information obtain will make an important change in your treatment plan.

Imaging is not used just to confirm what a physician has already determined.  It’s really not that hard to determine if someone has a disc problem or if someone with advanced arthritis is dealing with spinal stenosis.  If signs point to a disc problem, why on Earth would you waste the time and resources to order an MRI at that point? Just treat the condition as if it’s a disc (which, in our office, would involve flexion / distraction technique).

Now, if you don’t respond within expected timeframes (30 days is a safe bet) or if your condition worsens while getting treatment, then imaging becomes more important to see if some underlying factor is affecting your response to treatment.  Our rotator cuff doctor in Mesa, AZ is pretty conservative when it comes to ordering advanced imaging. I’d say that I personally order an MRI less than a handful of times per year. However, it seems like at least this same number of times each month we’re requesting the results of an MRI or CT scan that was ordered by another provider and probably shouldn’t have been.

This is when I have to battle against the perception that a MRI or CT scan is exact and answers all questions.  Far too often, a MRI comes back with some type of disc bulge, and yet the patient has absolutely no signs that a disc is involved in his or her condition, as a rotator cuff doctor in Mesa, AZ can explain.  Only rarely does an MRI ordered by another provider come back with valuable information that changes the treatment we’re doing in the office.

All this would be fine if MRIs and CTs didn’t come with significant problems beyond the cost.  CT scans, despite still being handed out like candy (had a patient in yesterday whose son was given a head CT recently in the ER when an MRI would have been a better choice to look at the brain) have a tremendous amount of radiation exposure associated with them and have been linked to some 14,500 cancer deaths per YEAR.  MRIs, as mentioned, begin the dangerous pathway towards more invasive treatment measures and surgery.

All of this brings us back to this particular study.  Researchers looked at a group of postmenopausal women with NO shoulder pain and compared them with premenopausal women with no shoulder pain to see what there rotator cuffs looked like in an MRI.  Here’s what they found:

1. 8.9% had full-thickness tears (mainly localized in the supraspinatus tendon of the dominant side) in the postmenopausal group.
2. Non-painful, full thickness tears in the premenopausal group was 3.1%.
3. Women with tears were more likely to have higher BMI, higher fasting glucose and lower HDL cholesterol.
4. Overall, higher BMI and lower levels of HDL cholesterol increased the risk of having a tear.

Wow!  Quite a few take home messages.  First, we need to see that a decent size chunk of females, both pre and postmenopausal, have complete thickness rotator cuff tears that are painless.  I can’t tell you how important that little factoid is.  Just because you see a tear on a MRI does NOT mean that this is the problem.

Second, lifestyle choices (as evidenced by cholesterol and BMI relationships) played a large role in the tendon damage.  This isn’t really hard to envision since tissue healing and inflammation are going to be effected by the choices we make.

So, just because you have shoulder pain does NOT mean that you need to have an MRI (and X-rays are just short of worthless for shoulders anyway…) unless you have failed a course of conservative care, which, in my clearly biased opinion, would involve a Mesa, AZ rotator cuff doctor or chiropractor who does advanced soft tissue techniques…

What Should You Expect at Your First Appointment with Rotator Cuff Doctor in Mesa, AZ

Visiting a new healthcare provider can be a little intimidating. It’s said that knowledge is power. When you know what to expect at your first appointment with a rotator cuff doctor in Mesa, AZ  you can relax and make sure you provide the right information.Your Mesa, AZ rotator cuff doctor wants to alleviate your symptoms as quickly as possible, but they cannot do that without a clinical exam.

When you make your appointment, your rotator cuff doctor in Mesa, AZ may discuss his or her general approach, philosophy and your symptoms. This does not take the place of the exam during the first appointment. Once you’re in the office, your appointment should consist of these components.

1. History and symptoms
   Be prepared to discuss how your pain started. You’ll want to describe your pain, is it sharp or dull. Does it come and go or is it constant? Where is your pain? Does anything make the pain better? What types of things make it worse? Your doctor may also want to know about other medical conditions and prior injuries. You may need to provide information on your family’s medical history. You should also bring a list of current medications and your healthcare providers. 
2. The clinical exam
   Your Mesa , AZ rotator cuff doctor may perform some of the same tests your primary doctor does, such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration and reflexes. In addition, your doctor will want to assess the range of motion on your affected body part – in this case the shoulder area.  He or she may check muscle tone and strength. You may be required to move around to demonstrate movement of your shoulder or another area. .

3. Diagnostic tests
   Your doctor may request x-rays or other imaging tests to help provide information about your body. If you have imaging from an MRI or x-rays taken previously, it can be helpful to send that information to your chiropractor before your appointment.

Diagnosis and Treatment

At the end of your appointment, your LifeCare Chiropractic rotator cuff doctor will explain your diagnosis and discuss whether chiropractic treatment, regenerative medicine, or another type of care will help your condition. Before treatment begins, you should receive information on an individualized treatment plan and how long it will last.

As part of your treatment plan, you should get information on which treatment modalities will help and why. Your doctor may also give you strengthening exercise or education to improve your symptoms at home. He or she may also suggest other treatment options, such as massage or heat and cold application.

To learn more about how a rotator cuff doctor in Mesa, AZ may be able to help you, call LifeCare Chiropractic.

Client Review

“Had a great experience. Staff is friendly and knowledgeable. I am looking forward to seeing great results on my treatment. I’d highly recommend LifeCare chiropractic.”
Francisco C