Arthritis

Arthritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more joints. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. Arthritis alone is not always the source of spine pain. It is the combination of degenerative disc disease, herniated nucleus pulposus, and stenosis, culminating in spinal degeneration, loss of disc space and joint irritation pain. The most common type of arthritis, osteoarthritis involves wear-and-tear damage to a joint's cartilage — the hard, slick coating on the ends of bones where they form a joint. Cartilage cushions the ends of the bones and allows nearly frictionless joint motion, but enough damage can result in bone grinding directly on bone, which causes pain and restricted movement. This wear and tear can occur over many years, or it can be hastened by a joint injury or infection. Osteoarthritis also causes changes in the bones and deterioration of the connective tissues that attach muscle to bone and hold the joint together. If cartilage in a joint is severely damaged, the joint lining may become inflamed and swollen.

The most common signs and symptoms of arthritis involve the joints. Depending on the type of arthritis, signs and symptoms may include:

• Pain

• Stiffness

• Swelling

• Redness

• Decreased range of motion

Cox Technic Flexion Distraction and Decompression helps to widen the canal space, drop the intradiscal pressure and increase the disc height to relieve pain and maintain spine mobility as the disease runs its course. Depending on the affected area of your spine, Cox Technic protocols will be applied appropriately.

At home you may want to avoid sitting for long periods of time, wear a support brace, take nutritional supplements that help rebuild disc cartilage, do exercises that strengthen your spine, sleep on a supportive mattress, sit in an ergonomically designed chair, and modify your daily activities as needed.