We specialize in helping the Bay City community

find out what’s causing your pain so that we can help you correct this issue!

 We use safe and nonsurgical alternatives to treat arthritis pain. If you are in Bay City, Michigan do not let arthritis keep you down!

Everyday arthritis can hurt every day,

making normal activities hard and even unbearable. This is where we come in. We believe that you deserve to be pain free.

We want to get to the root of what is actually happening.   Arthritis comes in many forms. You may experience achy, stiffness, sensitivity to touch or pressure, and even pain that gets worse. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it will ever go away.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is time to contact us.

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Patients we treat commonly complain of:

  • Neck Pain
  • Low back pain
  • Trigger points
  • Arthritis
  • Inflamed joints
  • Sport injuries
  • Degenerative disc disease
  • “Stiffness in the morning that gets better as you get moving”
  • And many more!

Why do I experience arthritis?

Normal wear and tear causes (osteo)Arthritis, one of the most common forms of arthritis. An infection or injury to the joints can exacerbate this natural breakdown of cartilage tissue.

You may experience arthritic pain from a number of different reasons, most commonly we find these to be the biggest culprits for a flare up!

·      Poor Posture

·      Overuse injury

·      Job demands

·      Working out

·      Lifting weights improperly

·      Old injuries

·      Previous car accidents (even 20+years ago)

How We Treat Arthritis Chiropractic Adjustments:

Adjustments introduce gentle gradual movement to the joints!

The goal of a chiropractic adjustment is to mobilize the joint fixation to increase the range of motion, reduce nerve irritability, and improve mobility. Joints are meant to move, and when they can’t or won’t they can be painful.   

PulStar (low force chiropractic adjustments): With certain, very severe arthritis cases or if you are uncomfortable with the more traditional manual adjustments, the PulStar is an amazing option for light force, gentle chiropractic adjustments.

Active Release Technique: Active Release Technique (ART) is a soft tissue therapy designed to rid injured areas of scar tissue. Chronic changes, like those associated with arthritis, DO effect the soft tissue around the arthritic joints, we can treat that in a few ways.  

Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Manipulation(IASTM): Graston/ FAKTR The goal is to trigger an inflammatory healing response. This will stimulate the production of new collagen and proper, functional, pain-free healing. Especially when it has been repetitive years of abuse to the area.

Therapeutic Exercise: Different but specific exercises will be given at the proper time to support your care, from beginning pain care through maintenance and wellness care.

Class IV Medical Laser: Improved healing time, pain reduction, increased blood circulation and decreased swelling are the major effects of laser energy.  Summus Medical Lasers are designed to treat pain and accelerate the healing process.  We see the laser help many patients struggling with arthritis, especially the shoulder and knees when we look outside the spine. We also use it regularly with cervical (neck) and lumbar (low back) arthritis.  Chronic conditions often improve with 8-12 treatments.

McKenzie Method (MDT): The McKenzie method is a standardized assessment tool, defining and classifying movement problems and recommending appropriate treatment. More simply, if applicable we teach you to continue treatment at home between visits!

When should I see a chiropractor for arthritis?

  • This is an important question to ask and to answer!  Chiropractic care can be tailored to many scenarios of arthritis.  Whether its acute pain flare up, and its angry, or it is more chronic pain and you’ve been dealing with it for years.   

 

  • Many patients with arthritis will say “it’s painful when I first get up, but then as I get moving it improves”. Chiropractic helps get movement into the specific joints that need help moving more smoothly! 

It excites us to have new patients who have had other chiropractic experiences, what we do at Lake Effect Chiropractic is target the source of the problem and try to extinguish it!

Getting the body moving, from the joints to the muscles, we find MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE!   

  • Even though arthritis is common, the level of severity and the conditions responsible differ. What we do is different, your treatment is always individualized and we are here to help you with whatever pain you may be experiencing here in Bay City, Michigan.   

 

  • We work together with the medical community to make sure you receive the proper care no matter what your condition may be, new or old, minor or serious, we want you to get back to a pain free life and enjoy it!

How can chiropractic care help arthritis?

Chiropractic care helps many kinds of arthritic pain.  Pain can be generated from joints, muscles, or nerves. Through a thorough history and exam, we identify which structures are the primary pain generators and which structures are affected due to poor functioning environment.  

 

Fixing the source of the pain is what we do.  By restoring function to each of the named structures above, we help your body take time for it to HEAL and function at 100%. The body is a unique mechanical system and all structures need to be treated to return to 100%.    

 

We don’t just treat the joints here at Lake Effect Chiropractic, as mentioned above, back pain can, and most likely will, involve multiple structures which we will identify and correct during your healing journey.

What Causes Arthritis?

Cartilage is a firm but flexible connective tissue in your joints. It protects the joints by absorbing the pressure and shock created when you move and put stress on them. A reduction in the normal amount of this cartilage tissue cause some forms of arthritis. Normal wear and tear causes “OsteoArthritis” or “OA” and is one of the most common forms of arthritis.

 

An infection or injury to the joints can exacerbate this natural breakdown of cartilage tissue. Your risk of developing OA may be higher if you have a family history of the condition.

 

Another common form of arthritis, RA or Rheumatoid Arthritis, is an autoimmune disorder. It occurs when your body’s immune system attacks the tissues of the body. These attacks affect the (joint) synovium, a soft tissue in your joints that produces a fluid that nourishes the cartilage and lubricates the joints.

 

These are the two most common types of arthritis however there are many types. Some types of arthritis are progressive; however, most types respond well and can be managed through chiropractic care with co-management involving your PCP or specialist.

 

Some types of arthritis are progressive; however, most types respond well and can be managed through chiropractic care with co-management involving your PCP or specialist. 

Risk factors for arthritis include:

  • Family history. Some types of arthritis run in families, so you may be more likely to develop arthritis if your parents or siblings have the disorder. Your genes can make you more susceptible to environmental factors that may trigger arthritis.

Typically, osteoarthritis is linked to habits that can be seen throughout families, rather than it being in your genes!

  • Age. The risk of many types of arthritis — including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout — increases with age.
  • Your sex. Women are more likely than men to develop rheumatoid arthritis, while most of the people who have gout, another type of arthritis, are men.
  • Previous joint injury. People who have injured a joint, perhaps while playing a sport, are more likely to eventually develop arthritis in that joint.
  • Obesity. Carrying excess pounds puts stress on joints, particularly your knees, hips and spine. People with obesity have a higher risk of developing arthritis.