How Weather May Affect Your Joints

Barometric pressure changes appear to be the most common factor in weather-related joint pain.

Barometric pressure measures the weight of the air pressing on the earth. This pressure falls as the weather gets worse. Changing pressure may cause muscles and tendons around joints to expand or contract. Chronic conditions that cause cartilage to wear down, like arthritis, can make nerves around bones more sensitive to pressure changes.

Migraines and other types of headaches may also be affected by weather changes.

People most often report that humid and cold weather aggravates their symptoms. Cold temperatures can cause fluid in joints and muscles to thicken, leading to pain.

Although most patients feel worse when the barometric pressure drops, some link their increased pain to rising pressure. Changing pressure seems to be the key factor, especially when it happens quickly.

Other possible weather effects include:

• Being less active during bad weather restricts movement, which increases pain.
• Feeling psychologically down on damp, rainy days, which can lower your pain threshold.

Keeping Your Joints Healthy at Home

Chiropractors are specially trained to advise you about lifestyle practices for good joint health.

Here are a few suggestions to minimize pain flareups:

• Stay warm when the weather is cold. Keep your house warm and wear layers outdoors. Don’t forget good-quality gloves to protect your hand joints.
• Warm up and stretch muscles before exercising outdoors in cold weather.
• Stay active to promote good mobility. Movement is vital for keeping your musculoskeletal system healthy.
• Work on your flexibility with regular stretching and activities like yoga.
• Include weight training in your workout routine for better joint support.
• Get 7-8 hours of sleep at night. Studies show how crucial sleep is for repairing and maintaining our overall health. Make sure your bedroom and sleep habits are set for sleep success.
• Achieve a healthy weight to prevent wear and tear on your weight-bearing joints.
• Eat a healthy diet. Cut back on processed foods that can increase inflammation.
• Prioritize good mental health. Stay active and get help for anxiety and depression. The mind-body connection has a powerful effect on your response to pain.
• Chiropractic Care to Relieve Joint Pain

A strong, well-balanced musculoskeletal system helps reduce inflammation and minimize pain without medications and their side effects. Chiropractic adjustments align your spine, improving your movement, circulation, and joint function.

Chiropractors also provide massage and other soft tissue therapies to relax muscles around joints. We can provide guidance on joint-healthy nutrition and help you with exercises that improve your flexibility, strength and range of motion.

Whether or not you have joint problems now, chiropractic care will keep your joints in the best shape they can be–ready to face any future rainy days.

We Offer a Complimentary Consultation at Eastern Oklahoma Chiropractic

Begin maximizing your health potential by calling our Broken Arrow office at 918-940-4630.

The post Pain and the Weather–and How to Feel Better first appeared on Chiropractor Broken Arrow.

One of the most revolutionary and effective interventions focused on providing pain relief comes from experiencing a Chiropractic adjustment. Vast evidence and research provide an in-depth understanding for how and why the mechanism of spinal adjustments work. A Chiropractic adjustment improves the mobility and alignment of the spine. The spines intimate connected to the central nervous system requires movement for appropriate feeling and function. Chiropractic adjustments improve specific areas of the brain which allow relief to occur.

A normal effect of an adjustment commonly involves pain relief in a part of the body not directly touched or adjusted. The spine influences so many aspects of health and function through the central nervous system that residual healing and restoration occur throughout the body by providing stress relief to the body’s command center. Research published in 2019 showed that Chiropractic spinal adjustments lowered firing in areas of the brain that signal pain.

Patients were assessed using an MRI to monitor and measure the influence of a Chiropractic adjustment on brain activity in relationship to pain. Findings showed that the adjustment inhibits the pain processing regions of the brain. In other words, areas of the brain associated with pain calmed down as a result of the adjustment. Reduced pain intensity and sensitivity occurred.

Many challenges plague the current healthcare system. No issue stands out more than the crisis of pain. Doctors prescribe opioid drugs at alarming and fatal rates due to the amount of people suffering daily from pain. Dangerous side effects and addictions appear to become viewed as acceptable risks in the current health care model. Nearly twenty-five percent of all opioid drugs target low back pain. Spinal pain ranks as the number one cause of disability worldwide. The pain industry generates $600 billion dollars in costs annually. Heart disease ($309 Billion) and cancer ($243 Billion) combined come nowhere near that total.

Chiropractic plays a large and necessary role in healthcare because of the influence adjustments have on brain and nervous system function. Pain relief serves as just one of the many benefits achieved through the influence of a Chiropractic adjustment. The world of conventional medicine churns out pharmaceutical drugs laced with side effects to provide temporary relief in absence of true healing. Chiropractic continues to take center stage as the health care choice of millions of people who desire genuine healing, restoration, and optimal function. Men, women, and children experience better health and less pain through evidence-based results found with Chiropractic care.

The post Pain Occurs in the Brain… Chiropractic influences the brain and minimizes pain first appeared on Chiropractor Broken Arrow.

New research on opioid medication shows revolutionary evidence which supports the need for veterans to have greater access to Chiropractic.

Veterans make up one of the largest populations of people who seek relief from physical and emotional pain. The current care model prescribes powerful medications to the majority of veterans who seek care for their pain. When non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) fail to resolve the pain, doctors prescribe more addictive and potent drugs like opioids. A vast number of these veterans do not find relief from NSAIDs and begin consuming opioid medication. As a result, veterans exist as one of the most prevalent populations to be prescribed opioid medication at unprecedented levels.

Research published this year in the Journal of Pain Medicine provides promising evidence for veterans and their families.

The study showed that veterans who received Chiropractic care consumed less opioid medication than those who were not receiving chiropractic adjustments. Nearly one-third of veterans in the study who received Chiropractic services from the Veteran Affairs also received an opioid prescription. Yet the study revealed the frequency of opioid prescriptions became lower after the veterans began utilizing Chiropractic. Also, they are being prescribed opioids began to reduce their consumption after they began receiving Chiropractic care.

Chiropractic does not seek to treat ailments, pain, or conditions.

Chiropractors focus on restoring the relationship between the spine and the central nervous system. This is achieved by specifically assessing and gently adjusting areas of stress and dysfunction in the spine. Because of the intimate connection between the spine and the nervous system, pain and other conditions improve through better nervous system balance. Chiropractic care provides a unique advantage for veterans seeking help with pain, stress, and dysfunction. This study provides further evidence that veterans represent another group that deserves the benefits of Chiropractic. Long term health and healing do not involve a relationship with opioid medication and other pain relievers. Military personnel deserve the freedom to live an active life that is full of potential. That journey begins with Chiropractic.

The post Research Determines Chiropractic Care Provides Military Personnel Relief from Both Pain and Opioid Consumption first appeared on Chiropractor Broken Arrow.