Chiropractor Joint Pain Relief In The Extremities
An important aspect about joint health that is seldom mentioned is movement, nutrition and nerve flow and the part that this plays in the health of synovial joints. Named as such because the contain a filtrate of blood called synovial fluid.
An active, healthy lifestyle is key to healthy joints.
The synovial fluid lies within the joint capsule and the capsule acts as a filter which allow synovial fluid in from the blood to bathe the joint and supplies it with nutrients the blood does not get pumped in from the heart but instead relies on movement to pump the synovial fluid into the joint through movement. A lack of proper movement inhibits this flow of nutrients into the joint capsule preventing the chondroblasts from replenishing the joint which leads to eventual break down of the cartilage. To have healthy blood one needs to follow a healthy diet
Movement is life: The brain relies totally on the input from the joints and muscle attachments telling the brain where a joint is in space. Without this information the brain cannot give output.
At each joint and surrounding tissue such as ligaments and muscle and there are different types of nerve endings some of which are designed to be triggered upon deformation causing then to fire. So, when there is movement of a joint or pressure this information is relayed to the brain giving it a very detailed sense of the position of a joint and the amount of tension across the joint and adjacent and attached tissue such as muscle. Using this information, the brain can then send out instructions to the contractile tissue(muscle) on how much and at what tempo to contract and release muscle. This forms part of the proprioception (positional sense) of the body. This subject on brain input and the effects on output which even affects organs is massive and beyond what is discussed here.
When a joint isn’t moving at its optimum the brain doesn’t get the correct information, so the output is affected a so the fine coordination of movement across the joint becomes less evident and can lead to eventual inflammation and breakdown which leads to further adaptions and breakdown across other joints.
The chiropractor manually adjusts the spine and extremities restoring the proper movement stimulating the joints positional sense and thereby alerting the brain on a lost movement pattern which it then can restore.
The Extremities
These are the limbs. shoulder, arms, hands, hips, knees and feet.
Apart from the limb pain, the limbs can have an influence on the spinal structure. Problems in the feet can move up the biomechanical chain. Feet affect knees, knees affect the hips and pelvis. If the pelvis is misaligned it will affect the spine as it compensates affecting the low back and all the way up the neck. The same goes for hands, arms, shoulders and neck.
Feet
Typical issues afflicting the feet would be:
- Dropped medial arches
- Dropped tarsal arches
- Bunions
- Fasciitis
- Tendinitis tendinosis
Ankles
A sprained ankle can lead to the misalignment of the talus bone, which is situated above the foot and connects the leg to the foot. This misalignment can hinder proper ankle flexion. Over time, it may contribute to the development of osteoarthritis due to the abnormal stress on the joint surfaces.
Additionally, when the talus is misaligned, it can cause the knee and ankle to compensate, potentially leading to further discomfort and mechanical issues in these areas.
Tendinosis refers to degeneration of the tendons, which are the fibrous tissues that connect muscle to bone. This condition is not characterized by inflammation but rather by changes in the tendon’s structure due to overuse or a sudden increase in stress. These changes can persist over time. Tendons have a limited blood supply, which means they heal more slowly than muscles. Therefore, symptoms of tendinosis can persist and recur if the underlying biomechanical issues—relating to how the body moves—are not corrected.
Knees
OA (Osteo arthritis of the knee is common and it’s the most commonly replaced joint surgically.
The knee is also the area that is vulnerable to injury. Ligamentous and cartridge tears are common. This can set the knee up for early wear and tear in life or (OA). Asymmetry of the knee can also be a cause of early onset OA .
Not all biomechanical problems associated with the knee can be corrected but knowing how to improve the biomechanics of the knee through adjusting and proper exercises we have seen great results. We usually address issues of knee through realignment and exercises to stabilize the knee. We also look to the spine, pelvis and feet when looking at the knee as the chain going up and down from the knee plays a major part in knee biomechanics.
Hips
It amazing how many people call the pelvis, the hip. Perhaps because the hip joint is part of the pelvis? The actual hip joint sits in the groin. Hip problems are usually an affliction that affects many especially as we age. The wear and tear of the hip and its degeneration is usually due to biomechanical and sedentary life styles.
Mobilizing the hip correctly and applying certain exercises to stabilize and improve movement is the way we usually treat these issues. We also address the spine to ensure that the nerve flow to the muscles of the joint and the joint itself are working optimally.
Chiropractor joint pain relief adjustments can be very effective for long term relief in most cases.