When you talk about arthritis, most folks conjure up a picture of an elderly person with swollen knuckles or needing knee replacement surgery.

Interestingly, while over 50 million Americans suffer from arthritis, about two-thirds of them are under the age of 65, and about a quarter of a million are children.

Arthritis is a term used to describe over 100 different rheumatoid conditions. In general, the symptoms include joint pain, swelling and redness around the affected joints, loss of strength, and decreased range of motion.

Despite there being so many different arthritic conditions, they typically fall under two main headings. Osteoarthritis is what most of us picture; as it’s related to the degeneration of cartilage from aging and years of wear on your joints. In contrast, rheumatoid arthritis is considered to be an autoimmune condition that actually targets the lining of your joints and causes erosion and deformity of the affected bones.

Due to its reputation for treating pain so effectively, many patients have sought out acupuncture for treatment of their arthritis. In Chinese medicine, arthritis is diagnosed as an overall blockage of circulation in and around the joint. However, the diagnosis doesn’t stop there. A practitioner would need more information on the characteristics of your joint symptoms in order to effectively treat it.

For example,

Is your arthritis worse in the hot weather or when it’s cold and damp out?
Does your pain come and go, or is it always there?
Are your symptoms worse when you’re tired?

In essence, the personality of your arthritis offers up clues to the underlying cause and how best to treat it.

If you’re considering acupuncture to treat your joint pain, it may be comforting to know that when it comes to acupuncture, its effectiveness in treating arthritis is one of the most researched topics. The Arthritis Foundation calls acupuncture promising, and three independent research studies have confirmed the benefits of using acupuncture to treat arthritis of the knee.

While it can’t repair structural damage to your bones, acupuncture is effective in treating the pain associated with arthritis because it reduces inflammation, increases circulation, and it affects your brain chemistry in a way that releases neurotransmitters that block pain, improve mood, and increase feelings of well-being.

In many instances, acupuncture has been valuable in helping patients manage their pain until they are ready to undergo unavoidable joint replacement surgery.

If you choose acupuncture to treat your arthritis, you should know that it’s not one size fits all. After a careful diagnosis based on the unique nature of your symptoms, your acupuncturist will formulate a strategy for treatment that will likely combine acupuncture with other healing tools. Based on your specific case, they may prescribe an herbal formula, use heat therapy, help you modify your diet, and offer lifestyle changes to achieve the best results possible.

If you’re struggling with arthritis and feel like nothing you’ve done brings relief, why not give acupuncture a try? Call our office today to set up a time for a consultation to see if acupuncture could be the answer for you.