What causes Arthritis?
When a joint loses its' normal and free mobility, it creates more stress on that joint. Sort of like an engine without sufficient oil creates more friction, which leads to accelerated wear and tear. Additionally, joint dysfunction causes interference to the nervous system (much of which you don't feel), and the body compensates for this by trying to stabilize the joint through laying down fibrotic scar tissue in muscles and ligaments, and ultimately calcium deposits in the joint space. It's trying to "stabilize" the problem by stiffening it up... which actually makes the problem worse. This is commonly thought of as Osteoarthritis. The correct and more accurate term is Degenerative Arthritis. Osteoarthritis is more systemic, and its' cause is harder to pin down or prevent. Degenerative Arthritis is more localized (you can have a totally healthy looking joint right next a very degenerated one), and is much more preventable. Why? Because we know what causes it. If spinal dysfuction causes Degenerative Arthritis, then improving joint function/mobility through chiropractic adjustments will prevent (or slow down) any degenerative changes from occuring (depending on the degree of degenerative changes that are already present).
