Did you know that Chiropractic can be very effective for Joint Pain? Chiropractic is associated with back and neck pain, but is also effective for pain in joints and extremities. Many chiropractors are able to treat joint pain, in fact, the spine and skull are made up of joints! Joints are where two bones connect with each other. They are the space between the bones that allow for proper movement and function. Your body has three main types of joints: Fixed Joints that barely move, such as the sutures in your skull; Cartilaginous Joints that are between joints that are joined by cartilage (see diagram); and Synovial Joints that move in many different directions, such as your shoulder, hip, elbow, ankle joints, etc. When the joints move properly, your muscles and ligaments function at optimal levels, affording you no pain. However, when the joints do not work properly, this leads to many problems. When joints do not work properly, muscles and ligaments cannot function properly either. They may shorten or elongate, depending on the underlying joint problem, leading to irritation of local tissues and nerves. This leads to pain and dysfunction that compounds until the underlying issue is resolved.
Chiropractors correct the underlying cause of joint dysfunction so that the body can restore normal ranges of motion. Chiropractic adjustments also allow the area of pain (the surrounding soft tissues) resulting from the dysfunction to heal.
Many are familiar with the following lyrics of a popular children’s song, “The foot bone’s connected to the leg bone, the leg bone’s connected to the hip bone…” This children’s song illustrates a foundational biomechanical principle. If the bones in the body are connected, they will affect each other in a positive or negative way.
The term used to describe this relationship is the Kinetic Chain. If the feet are connected to the legs and the legs are connected to the back, then it is safe to conclude that a condition in the feet can affect the low back. If the shoulders are connected to the neck, then structural problems of the bones in the shoulder can directly affect neck pain. Because there is such an intimate relationship and influence of one joint to every other in the body, chiropractic adjustments of the joint and extremities is essential for providing quality health care.
For more information on joint and extremity adjusting through chiropractic, please see our Sports Injury page HERE.
Dr. Trent Burrup is a chiropractor who specializes in treating joint pain, sports injuries and non-athletic extremity conditions. He is a Certified Chiropractic Extremity Practitioner (C.C.E.P.) and provides care in Salt Lake City and surrounding areas including West Jordan, South Jordan, Sandy, Draper, Taylorsville, Murray, Riverton, Herriman, Bluffdale, Cottonwood Heights, Holiday, Millcreek, West Valley City, and South Salt Lake. We also provide service to patients that come from the Utah County area and as far north as Logan, and even some from out of state…come experience the difference at The Institute!
