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Arthritis

Arthritis

Arthritis is the most common cause of disability in the U.S. About 50 million adults and 300,000 children manage some form of Arthritis. It can cause pain and inflammation, making it difficult to move or stay active.

There are many types of Arthritis. Each form causes particular symptoms and may need different treatments. While Arthritis usually affects older adults, it can develop in men, women, and children of any age. Arthritis usually involves inflammation or degeneration (breakdown) of the joints. These changes can cause pain when you use the joint.

 

Arthritis is most common in the following areas of the body:

• Feet.
• Hands.
• Hips.
• Knees.
• Lower back.

 

Joints are cushioned and supported by soft tissues which prevent the bones from rubbing against each other. A connective tissue called articular cartilage plays a key role. It helps joints to move smoothly without friction or pain. Some joints have a synovial membrane (a padded pocket of fluid that lubricates joints). Many joints, such as knees, are supported by tendons and ligaments. Tendons connect muscles to bones, while ligaments connect bones to other bones. Arthritis is a broad term that describes more than 100 different joint conditions.

 

The most common types of Arthritis include:

 

• Osteoarthritis, or “wear and tear” Arthritis, develops when joint cartilage
breaks down from repeated stress. It is the most common form of
Arthritis.
• Ankylosing spondylitis, or Arthritis of the spine (usually your lower back).
• Juvenile Arthritis (JA) is a disorder where the immune system attacks the
tissue around joints. JA typically affects children 16 or younger.
• Gout is a disease that causes hard crystals of uric acid to form in your
joints.
• Psoriatic Arthritis is joint inflammation that develops in people with
psoriasis (an autoimmune disorder that causes skin irritation).
• Rheumatoid Arthritis is a disease that causes the immune system to
attack synovial membranes (a padded pocket of fluid that lubricates the
joints) in your joints.

 

Different types of Arthritis have different causes. For instance, gout results from too much uric acid in your body. In other types of Arthritis, the causes can be due to overuse or too much stress on the joint. The body then tries to support the joint by depositing calcium in the area.

 

You may develop Arthritis if you:

• Have a family history of Arthritis.
• Have a job or play a sport that stresses your joints repeatedly.
• Have certain autoimmune diseases or viral infections.
Different types of Arthritis have their own specific symptoms. They can be mild
in some people and severe in others. Joint discomfort might come and go, or it
could stay constant.

 

Common symptoms include:

• Pain.
• Redness.
• Stiffness.
• Swelling.
• Tenderness.
• Warmth.

 

The type of treatment administered depends on the type of Arthritis one has. Gout and rheumatoid Arthritis may require medication for acute flare-ups. However, the most common type of Arthritis, due to over-stressed joints, has responded well to Atlas treatment. Stressed joints in the spine, hips, knees, ankles and feet are usually due to spinal imbalance. This occurs when the body puts more weight on the joints on one side of the body, causing too much stress on the joint, which eventually causes a breakdown of its structures. If the top bone of the spine, called the atlas, is displaced, it will affect the entire
spinal balance.

 

The Atlas Clinics protocol calls for consultation and examination to determine spinal imbalance due to atlas displacement. Specialized X-rays studies and spinal engineering software will pinpoint atlas displacement. A painless sound wave treatment will then be administered to gently move the atlas back to where it needs to be. Finally, post-X-Rays studies will be taken directly after the treatment to ensure that the atlas displacement has been corrected. 

 

Anyone with Arthritis should get an Atlas Clinics treatment immediately to relieve the symptoms and prevent further damage to the joints.