Joint pain has the power to bring you down. If you notice yourself withdrawing from activities you once loved, you’re in danger of letting joint pain rule over your life. Learning how to manage your joint pain can help you continue living a life you love. There are a number of ways to manage your joint pain – here are some of the most common.
Chiropractor Care
Joint pain can be due to many reasons, such as inflammation of the muscles or tendons, pinched nerves, and spinal disorders. The pain can begin in one part of the body and radiate to other parts. Chiropractors can diagnose what’s causing joint pain and subsequently treat it using chiropractic techniques and alternative modalities.
For joint pain that has to do with spine compression, chiropractors use spinal decompression techniques, using motorized traction to stretch the spine and relieve pressure off the spinal discs that may be pressing against or pinching nerves. As a result, your body will be able to heal itself naturally with the access gained to the spinal discs.
Chiropractors also rely on hands-on manipulation of soft tissues and stretching of your joints. Picture it as hands-on physical therapy.
Steroid Injections
For joint pain caused by inflammatory conditions, steroid injections can very effective. It’s a non-surgical way of delivering pain-relieving medication to the source of pain. Steroid injections can relieve inflammation, which is usually what causes pain. An example is an epidural injection directed to the lower back for the purpose of relieving back pain. Furthermore, cortisone shots may also be injected into your joints in your hip, knee, elbow, shoulder, spine, wrist, and ankle. It is a quick, outpatient procedure that provides immediate pain relief. Steroid injections work well with patients who suffer from chronic joint pain due to osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.
Physical Therapy
Nearly every effective joint pain management treatment includes physical rehabilitation and therapy. Physical therapy helps strengthen joints that are damaged by chronic inflammatory conditions. A physical therapist knows general strengthening exercises as well as target-specific exercises that help reduce joint stiffness and pain. Physical therapy can increase the flexibility and range of motion of your joints. A physical therapist can use other modalities such as massage, electrical stimulation, and ultrasound to give you the most benefit and speed up recovery. Physical therapy can also expedite healing and recovery after joint replacement procedures.
Expert Care in Fort Worth
At Texas Medical Institute, our expert providers have the knowledge, training, and experience to successfully manage your joint pain. Our family medicine practice provides conservative therapies to patients suffering from musculoskeletal conditions such as joint pain and on-the-job injuries. If you have questions about the conditions we treat, call Texas Medical Institute at (817) 615-8633 or request an appointment now. We are happy to serve you in our Fort Worth clinic.
