Osteoarthritis Management at Nirvana Wellness Centre Brampton
What do we know about Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis. It occurs when “the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones wears down over time”.
Although osteoarthritis can damage any joint, the most commonly affected are joints in the knee, hip, hands, low back and neck.
Who is at risk?
Most of the time people associated OA with older population, however, that is a wrong assumption and OA can affect in any age group. The overall prevalence of OA rises from 1% in people under 30 years to almost 10% in those over 40 years, and 50% in those over 60 years.
OA Common Signs and symptoms.
Ø Joint pain and stiffness that is typically worse with activity.
Ø Loss of flexibility: you may not be able to move your joint to its full range of motion.
Ø Swelling: This can be caused by soft tissue inflammation around the joint.
Ø X-rays can show loss of joint space or bone spurs.
Ø Tenderness: your joint may feel tender even with light applied pressure.
OA Management & Treatment Approaches
According to current research, all patients should be started with non-pharmacological approaches. This means trying a natural approach first. These include patient education, self-management, and exercise programs (with reassurance that exercise, e.g., resistance training, tai chi, yoga, and water-based exercise, is not harmful to the joints) as well as balance exercises. Manual therapy including Physiotherapy, Chiropractic care and soft tissue massage are also the first line of approach as conservative pain management.
At Nirvana Wellness Centre- Brampton, we combine non-invasive manual therapy such as Chiropractic Care, Physiotherapy, Acupuncture or Registered Massage Therapy with exercises and in-home self-management. Our Naturopath can help guide you with proper dietary modifications to reduce inflammation and supplement support.
If you are uncertain about which type of care would be best to manage your arthritis, our unique ‘gatekeeper’ approach ensures that our Chiropractic Doctor first finds out the root cause of your condition by assessing your joints, nerves, muscles, posture and X-rays. Based on this, the Doctor will tailor a treatment plan and match you with the most suitable therapies for you that is not limited to just chiropractic.
Chiropractor Doctors at Nirvana Wellness Centre Brampton that assess and help manage OA: Dr. Bakshi, Dr. Jacob, Dr. Hashi and Dr. Dutt.
Chiropractic care and Arthritis:
At our clinic, depending on the severity and phase of the arthritis, we may resort to instrument-based chiropractic adjustments.
Nirvana Wellness Brampton is one of the few clinics in the GTA that is certified in the revolutionary Neuromechanical Impulse Technique (NIT).
This technique performs spinal adjustments with no “cracking”, twisting or sudden movements.
Over the years, we have found that several patients including the ones with arthritis have benefited from this technique.
Manipulative therapy for lower extremity conditions: update of a literature review (2012).
This study evaluated 399 studies investigating lower extremity conditions and manipulative or natural hands-on therapy. The meta-analysis concluded that the current literature suggests moderate to good evidence supporting hands-on therapy and knee osteoarthritis. The success increases when combined with multidisciplinary care. This includes stretching and strengthening exercise of the knee and patient education (2).
Although there are several modalities including laser, IFC/TENs/, heat/ice pack and therapeutic ultrasound for patients with OA, the current literature and evidence suggests that Acupuncture is the most effective for pain relief and function compared to modalities stated above.
At Nirvana Wellness Centre Brampton, we often combine Acupuncture with holistic hands-on care such as Chiropractic or Physiotherapy alongside modalities listed above i.e., laser, IFC/TENS, ultrasound. Alongside osteoarthritis, we also help manage other forms of arthritis including rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
References
1. BMJ Best Practice. Osteoarthritis [Internet]. 2020 May. Available from: https://bestpractice-bmj-com.ezproxy.cmcc.ca/topics/en-gb/192/epidemiology
2. Brantingham JW, Bonnefin D, Perle SM, Cassa TK, Gary Globe, Pribicevic M, et al. Manipulative therapy for lower extremity conditions: Update of a literature review. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2012;35(2):127–66. Available from https://pubmed..nlm.nih.gov/22325966
3. Hoeksma, H. L., Dekker, J., Ronday, H. K., Heering, A., van der Lubbe, N., Vel, C., Breedveld, F. C., & van den Ende, C. H. (2004). Comparison of manual therapy and exercise therapy in osteoarthritis of the hip: a randomized clinical trial. Arthritis and rheumatism, 51(5), 722–729. https://doi.org/10.1002/art.20685
4. Anwer, S., Alghadir, A., Zafar, H., & Brismée, J. M. (2018). Effects of orthopaedic manual therapy in knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Physiotherapy, 104(3), 264–276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2018.05.003
5. Corbett, M. S., Rice, S. J., Madurasinghe, V., Slack, R., Fayter, D. A., Harden, M., Sutton, A. J., Macpherson, H., & Woolacott, N. F. (2013). Acupuncture and other physical treatments for the relief of pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee: network meta-analysis. Osteoarthritis and cartilage, 21(9), 1290–1298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2013.05.007