Osteoarthritis and Joint Wear: How Chiropractic Can Help

What is osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis, also called arthrosis or joint wear, is a long-term condition in which the cartilage in your joints slowly becomes thinner. It most often affects the hips, knees, or the small joints of the hands. You often notice it first as stiffness, pain, or less freedom of movement in the joint, sometimes also in the spine. Chiropractic cannot cure osteoarthritis; we do not promise that either. Chiropractic care can help keep your joints moving and reduce stiffness.

The NHS describes the same: osteoarthritis is a long-term condition that cannot be cured, but regular exercise and staying active help. Your first visit costs €39 and requires no referral from your GP. During the intake we discuss your complaints, after which Dr. Stephen Malone (DC, DCF/SNRC) examines how your joints and spine function. Most Dutch health insurers (partially) reimburse chiropractic care from the supplementary package, without touching your deductible.

We have helped more than 2500 people from our three practices in Alphen aan den Rijn, Amersfoort, and Rotterdam, with an average Google rating of 4.9 out of 5. Maybe you were told to just live with it. That is partly true: osteoarthritis does not go away. But how your joints feel and function, there is often a lot you can do.

Symptoms of osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis can show up in different ways, depending on which joint is affected. Do you recognize one or more of these complaints?

• stiffness in the joint, especially in the morning when getting up or after a period of rest
• pain when moving or after loading, which often eases with rest
• less freedom of movement: bending, stretching, or turning is harder
• a clicking or grating sound in the joint when moving
• mild swelling around the joint or a joint that feels warm
• pain when getting up from a chair, climbing stairs, or on longer walks

Causes of joint wear

Osteoarthritis happens when the balance between the load on a joint and the repair capacity of the cartilage is disturbed. Common factors that play a role:

• age: as you get older, the cartilage loses quality and resilience; this is the most common form of osteoarthritis
• overuse: heavy work, intensive sport, or years of one-sided movement load the joints extra
• overweight: extra kilos press especially on the knees and hips
• earlier injury: an old knee, hip, or ankle injury increases the chance of later wear in that joint
• mechanical abnormalities: a misaligned joint or a difference in leg length causes uneven loading
• heredity: in some forms of osteoarthritis, such as in the fingers, family history plays a role

When to see a GP for osteoarthritis?

Most osteoarthritis complaints are well manageable, but a few signals need a medical assessment first: a suddenly hot, red, and swollen joint, certainly with fever, a joint that suddenly cannot be used or loaded anymore, or persistent pain at rest that keeps you awake at night. Those signals can point to another cause, such as joint inflammation, and belong with your GP.

Chiropractic for osteoarthritis: what can a chiropractor help with?

Our approach to osteoarthritis focuses not on polishing away the wear, but on improving the function of your joints. Osteoarthritis treatment is about the whole movement chain, from the neck and back to the knees: joints, muscles, spine, and your daily load. That way we find out together what worsens your complaints and what gives relief. Research supports this approach: a randomised study on chiropractic care for hip osteoarthritis found less pain and better function, and a systematic review on manual therapy for knee osteoarthritis found similar results. That matches what we see in practice.

During your first visit we map how your joints and spine function, with a physical examination of your posture and the mobility of the affected joints. With gentle, precise treatments we mobilise and correct the joints. That improves mobility, reduces stiffness, and eases tension in the muscles around the joint, with the goal of less pain and more freedom of movement in daily life. We promise no cure, only a careful approach: what is realistic for you is assessed honestly.

Most Dutch health insurers (partially) reimburse chiropractic care from the supplementary package, without touching your deductible. Your first visit costs €39; a single follow-up consultation is €65 and a consultation in a recovery package €55. See what your health insurer reimburses and the prices.

Exercise with osteoarthritis

Exercise is the best medicine for osteoarthritis. A Cochrane review on exercise for knee osteoarthritis shows that training can reduce pain and improve the function of the joint. It is about keeping the joint supple: gentle walking, cycling, and targeted exercises suit most people with osteoarthritis. Which movements are safe and suitable for you is discussed during your first visit.

Book an appointment for osteoarthritis

Do you want to know whether chiropractic can do something for your osteoarthritis? See also the information about neck and shoulder complaints. Book a first visit at Embody Health Chiropractie in Rotterdam (Nieuwe Binnenweg 344), Alphen aan den Rijn, or Amersfoort. Call +31 172 26 3073 or book online.