When I mention ‘arthritis’ to patients, most people immediately think, “WHAT?! Isn’t that only in old people, from wear and tear on the joints?” However, there are actually many different types of arthritis, and the ‘wear and tear’ type would be classified as osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is different, as the diagram below shows:
Image taken from EVA Hospital.
RA is a type of disease known as an autoimmune condition. Your immune system is designed to defend your body against intruders. It should not attack your body. However, sometimes the immune system becomes too active, and mistakenly picks a wrong target (i.e., your own cells). When you have RA, your immune system attacks the lining of your joints (the synovial lining). This causes inflammation, which leads to symptoms such as pain, swelling and stiffness.
So what causes this? Well, we don’t fully know yet… But we do know that there are two elements involved: genetics and environmental factors. Genes increase risk/susceptibility but not everyone with these genes develops RA. There is usually an environmental trigger – which can be something like an infection, trauma of some kind, or high stress.
Interesting note: We know that smoking makes RA more likely. A combination of smoking and having certain genes increases the risk of developing RA considerably, and the disease is more aggressive if it does occur. So if you do smoke, this is another good reason to give up!
RA usually affects both sides of the body in a similar pattern. It tends to affect the small joints of the hands and feet first – often the knuckle joints in the fingers. It is a systemic disease – meaning that RA doesn’t affect joints alone, but can affect a person’s whole system, including organs such as the lungs, heart and eyes. About 1% of the population in the UK has RA – more than 400,000 people in the UK.
If RA is not treated, it can lead to irreversible damage of the joints. Although there is no cure, there have been many advancements in the management of RA, and most people diagnosed today can expect to lead quite unrestricted and active lives once the disease is under control.
An important key to RA management includes medications called disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) which reduce the immune system ‘attack’, controlling the disease over the long term and preventing damage. This protects the structure of your joints. Usually this is done under the expert care of a Rheumatologist.
Chiropractic treatment focuses on the function of your joints. If the structure of a joint is not right, then it can’t work as it was designed. Our treatment helps with muscle spasm, joint pains and generalised aches and pains. Certain Chiropractic techniques may not be safe for people with rheumatoid arthritis during a flare. This is when we modify our approach by using alternative techniques and treating the surrounding tissues. Our goal is to restore your joint function, so you can get back to doing the things you love!
Aimee
