Arthritis

According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 15 million people in the United States suffer from arthritis, and one in four of them report significant joint pain as a result.  If you have painful arthritis, you are not alone!  At our St. Petersburg office, we offer cutting-edge treatments so you can regain your quality of life and do the things you love.

We provide natural options to reduce arthritis pain!

What is Arthritis?

Arthritis is an inflammatory and destructive process that affects the joints.  There are several types of arthritis, and it’s important to remember that a person can have more than one form at a time.

Osteoarthritis, or “wear-and-tear” of a joint, happens with excessive use of a joint, improper alignment of a joint, and as a result of aging.  It is characterized by a reduction in joint space (“bone-on-bone”), destruction of the cartilage that lines the joints, and even the formation of bones spurs.  As the cartilage is worn away, the “raw” bones can rub together, causing more pain, inflammation, reduced function, and damage.  It is often asymmetrical and unilateral, meaning it impacts one side of the body more than the other, depending upon use or injury.  It is commonly found in the spine, shoulders, knees, hips, hands, and ankles.

Rheumatoid Arthritis is an auto-immune disease where the body’s immune system attacks joints and their linings.  It commonly effects the hands, knees, and feet, is often symmetrical and bilateral, meaning that it manifests on both sides of the body in roughly the same way.  It is characterized by swelling, redness, joint destruction, deformities, and pain.  When diagnosed in a child, it is known as Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis.

There are other arthritides including gout, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis and more.

How is Arthritis Treated?

Sometimes knee pain is the result of a misalignment in the joints of the lower extremity (foot, ankle, knee, or hip) or the spine.  A gentle re-alignment of these joints can reduce asymmetrical wear-and-tear, provide relief to pain, and decrease the likelihood of further damage.

In mainstream medicine, there is no cure or reversal for arthritis.  Instead, medications are used to mask symptoms.  Painful surgeries can be performed to scrape bone spurs away or fuse joints that are too degenerated to be stable.  Physical therapy can be performed to try to maintain semi-normal function of the arthritic region.  But the disease process continues over time…and it worsens with time.

In our office we, perform a comprehensive history to determine what type of arthritis a person has and how advanced it is.  We offer several natural methods to help people with arthritis, and recommendations are customized to each individual:

• Chiropractic care to restore the proper alignment and movement of joints.
• Corrective exercises to improve function and mobility.
• Deep Tissue Laser Therapy to soothe painful joints, reduce inflammation, and reduce pain.
• Nutrition counseling and IV nutrition to reduce inflammation and promote a healthy weight.
• Regenerative Medicine treatments to repair and potentially heal damaged tissues and reduce inflammation.

Regenerative Medicine Options for Arthritis

For lasting relief of arthritis symptoms, we have found the best results with Regenerative Medicine treatments.  These treatments use natural mechanisms to support your body’s ability to heal and repair.

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP):  Think of a time when you had a cut.  After a few minutes, you began to see a clotting of the blood, and then a yellowish fluid.  Eventually a scab would form.  Platelets are what our bodies use to heal injured tissue, and the yellowish fluid is the plasma that contains the platelets. It just makes sense that if we could give a damaged area of the body more platelets and other healing substances then the body would repair faster.  In the PRP process, we draw your blood, separate the plasma containing platelets from the red blood cells via centrifuge, and then inject this concentrated serum into painful areas of the body.  Your own platelets, growth factors, enzymes, white blood cells, and more can go right to work to reduce your pain and inflammation!

Regenerative Cellular Therapy includes treatments using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), exosomes, and other natural products derived from umbilical cords donated after scheduled, healthy, C-sections.  Stem cells are “blank slates” because they have the ability to turn into another cell-type if the body requires it.  More importantly, stem cells are like microscopic factories that produce proteins, growth factors, and hundreds of substances to promote healing and regeneration.  While we possess stem cells in our own bodies, as we age, their number and viability decrease exponentially.  By introducing young, healthy, mesenchymal stem cells obtained from umbilical Wharton’s Jelly, we can leverage their rapid cellular communication, replication, production, and healing to help you get your life back!  Check out this research article discussing the impact of MSCs on osteoarthritis!

Our mission is to help as many people as possible live longer, happier, and healthier lives without pain, drugs, or surgery.  For treatment from a  St. Petersburg chiropractor, call our office for a free consultation regarding our cutting-edge treatment options for arthritis pain. We’ve helped many patients in the Greater St. Petersburg area, and we hope you’ll give us a chance to help you.