Multi-Disciplinary, Integrated Treatment for Arthritis in Monmouth County

Pain management specialist works with a team of physical therapists and holistic practitioners to reduce pain and restore quality of life for arthritis patients.

Arthritis is a condition affecting the joints of the body. More specifically, the term arthritis refers to inflammation of the joints. There are over one hundred forms of arthritis, but the most common type is osteoarthritis, which is experienced in the weight-bearing bones of the back, neck, and spine.

Understanding Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis in the back, neck, and spine is often caused by mechanic stress. It’s important to understand that the spine is a load-bearing structure. The health of the spine is crucial in preventing and treating osteoarthritis because any disorder of the spine (mostly due to poor posture over time) can cause atypical loading in the back, neck, and spine. When this happens, the bones of the spine are forced to remodel in order to adapt to this abnormal loading.

In time, a process begins in which bones cells known as osteoblasts begin to reproduce and build additional bone. The result of this process is the formation of bone spurs in the spine and joints of the spine. This leads to inflammation, pain, and reduced mobility. In some cases, osteoarthritis can cause the spinal canal to narrow (a condition known as spinal stenosis).

Symptoms may include:

Pain Management for Arthritis through Conservative Medical Care/Spinal Injections

The Medical Director at Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation is a pain management specialist that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal and neurological systems. Pain management for arthritis in our Monmouth County office focuses on using healthy, non-surgical practices to help patients alleviate pain and restore quality of life. This often means a multi-modal approach that includes medical care in conjunction with physical therapy, acupuncture, massage therapy, and chiropractic care.

In some cases, pain restricts an arthritis patient’s ability to manage pain or rehabilitate using physical therapy or acupuncture. In such cases, a pain management doctor may incorporate injections of a steroid or anesthetic numbing agent. The most frequently used injections are outlined below:

Arthritis Pain Management through Chinese Medicine

Acupuncture is an excellent, drug-free component to any pain management strategy. For arthritis sufferers, acupuncture helps to bring the body back to a natural state of balance for better functioning and reduced inflammation. By Chinese medical standards, inflammation is an imbalance in the body’s life energy, or Qi. The objective, then, is to rebalance the body’s energy systems.

Western medical studies have shown that acupuncture stimulates the production of endorphins, natural opiate-like chemicals. This is helpful for patients interested in reducing the need for painkilling medications by harnessing the body’s natural ability to fight pain.

Physical Therapy for Arthritis

The pain of arthritis can often lead to immobility. The goal of physical therapy for arthritis patients is to reduce pain while increasing functioning. Physical therapists are trained to teach patients how to regain movement while avoiding further pain and injury. The following physical therapy modalities may be helpful to patients with arthritis:

The Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Arthritis

Because osteoarthritis is exacerbated by the incorrect alignment of the spine (poor posture over time), it is intuitive that ensuring the health of the spine can help to ease the pain and other symptoms of the disorder. While Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation practices a number of different forms of chiropractic (including traditional), the office has also incorporated a revolutionary, science-based treatment known as Chiropractic Biophysics (CBP). CBP works to correct misalignments of the spine as a whole; this practice may help to lessen or halt the rate of degeneration and inflammation in affected joints.

Treatment for Arthritis at Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation

Patients in pain deserve the right to a cohesive, simplified, and effective treatment plan. For arthritis patients, our Monmouth County office incorporates medical care with physical therapy, acupuncture, massage therapy, and chiropractic care. By offering the best practitioners in each field under one roof, arthritis patients are afforded the right to stress-free pain management and rehabilitation.

To learn more about pain management and rehabilitation for arthritis in Monmouth County, please contact our Red Bank, NJ office.