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Living with rheumatoid arthritis brings daily joint pain and stiffness. If you’re in Waco, TX and have RA, you might wonder if a chiropractor for rheumatoid arthritis could help manage your symptoms.
Chiropractic care focuses on treating the musculoskeletal system without drugs or surgery. About 35 million Americans see chiropractors each year. But can chiropractic treatment really help rheumatoid arthritis patients?
This article covers the latest insights on chiropractic care for RA. We’ll explore benefits, safety concerns, and tips for finding the right provider.
Ready to explore your options? Schedule a consultation to discuss your specific needs.
Understanding Rheumatoid Arthritis and Its Challenges
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease where your immune system attacks healthy joint tissue. This causes chronic inflammation, pain and swelling in multiple joints. Unlike wear-and-tear arthritis, RA often affects both sides of the body equally.
RA usually starts in small joints like hands and feet. Without proper treatment, joint damage and deformities can occur. The inflammation can even spread to internal organs in severe cases.
Modern medicine uses DMARDs and biologic drugs to slow disease progression and prevent joint damage. Anti-inflammatory drugs control pain and swelling. Early treatment is critical according to the American Medical Association.
However, medications alone don’t solve every problem. Many people still experience joint pain, fatigue, and limited range of motion. This is where complementary therapies like chiropractic care, physical therapy, and massage can help manage symptoms alongside your main RA treatment.
How Chiropractic Care Can Help RA
Chiropractic treatment focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Doctors of Chiropractic use hands-on techniques within chiropractic care, including spinal manipulation, to improve alignment, relieve pain, and boost joint function.
The approach is drug free and non invasive. The American Chiropractic Association and the Canadian Chiropractic Association both report good outcomes for back and neck pain. A 2017 clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians recommended spinal manipulative therapy for chronic low back pain.
For rheumatoid arthritis sufferers, chiropractic care might help with secondary problems such as muscle tightness, joint stiffness, or spine pain from altered movement patterns. A chiropractor for rheumatoid arthritis will usually adopt gentle methods so a rheumatoid patient presenting with inflamed joints is not aggravated. While there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis through chiropractic treatment, carefully tailored chiropractic care can improve joint mechanics and ease discomfort, giving many rheumatoid arthritis patients added mobility and confidence.
Potential Benefits for RA Patients
Pain Relief for Joint Pain
Strong evidence shows chiropractic care helps with joint pain, especially back and neck pain. A 2017 review in the Journal of the AMA found spinal manipulative therapy helped with acute low back pain.
Many patients develop neck and back problems from arthritis in the spine or poor posture due to painful joints. Chiropractic adjustments might reduce these secondary aches. One case study showed a patient with acute thoracic pain got immediate relief after spinal manipulation.
Chiropractors also use soft tissue therapies like ultrasound, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, and massage to treat soft tissue injuries and reduce pain around affected joints.
Improving Joint Function and Mobility
Stiff, swollen joints from rheumatoid arthritis limit range of motion. Chiropractic treatment within chiropractic care and chiropractic medicine combines spinal manipulation, soft tissue therapies, and pain management tools to ease discomfort and alignment problems, helping the nervous system coordinate with the immune system. A 2019 review found spinal manipulation improved joint function and mobility in chronic back pain, evidence many medical doctor guidelines now cite for rheumatoid arthritis support, making ongoing chiropractic care a valued option for rheumatoid arthritis patients.
Chiropractic care also stresses active exercises and daily stretching. These routines reinforce chiropractic care adjustments, allowing rheumatoid arthritis sufferers to preserve gains and maintain joint mobility long term, so even intermediate rheumatoid arthritis cases ride out flare-ups with greater ease.
Reducing Inflammation and Supporting Well-Being
Some research suggests chiropractic adjustments and targeted spinal adjustments might have anti-inflammatory effects for rheumatoid arthritis. Treatments like TENS, ultrasound therapy, and other soft tissue therapies can reduce swelling in soft tissue according to the Arthritis Foundation and align with scientific evidence cited by the World Health Organization.
The hands on approach also provides stress relief, which can help since stress triggers RA flares. Gentle joint manipulation improves range of motion, and having someone physically work on tight muscles and joints provides comfort that supports mental well-being for people living with rheumatoid arthritis.
Learn more about our specific approaches to arthritis care.
Safety Considerations for RA Patients
Safety is crucial when considering chiropractic care for rheumatoid arthritis. RA makes joints vulnerable through chronic inflammation and potential bone loss from medications.
Key Safety Guidelines:
Avoid Adjustments on Actively Inflamed Joints
Red, warm, or visibly swollen joints signal an RA flare and mark active inflammation; any high-velocity thrust in those areas risks tearing fragile capsules or causing severe post-session soreness. Experts at the Medical College of Georgia advise asking instead for gentle mobilization, myofascial release, or instrument-assisted soft-tissue work that decompresses surrounding muscles without stressing the joint capsule.
Heat therapy or brief cold packs can calm inflammation before a visit, and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication, taken only with your physician’s approval, may make low-force care more comfortable. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health also notes that adapted techniques are generally safe for people with rheumatoid arthritis.
Screen for Cervical Instability Before Neck Work
Rheumatoid arthritis can gradually erode the ligaments anchoring the C1–C2 vertebrae, producing atlantoaxial instability that jeopardizes both the spinal cord and vertebral arteries. Warning signs include creeping numbness in the hands, unsteady gait, or shooting pains when turning the head, yet many patients remain symptom-free until imaging finds laxity.
A rheumatologist may order plain-film cervical X-rays first, followed by flexion-extension MRI or CT scans to capture any forward or backward slippage. Once instability is confirmed, a chiropractor must discontinue rotational thrusts in the upper cervical spine entirely. Safer substitutes include gentle axial traction, drop-table adjustments that disperse force through a larger contact area, and muscle-energy techniques that recruit the patient’s own contractions to reposition vertebrae. Some clinics also use low-level laser therapy and soft-tissue work to relieve associated muscle spasm. Collaboration among chiropractic, rheumatology, and neurology teams ensures ongoing surveillance and swift intervention if neurological changes appear.
Consider Bone Density and Medication History
Long-term corticosteroid use, common in RA management, accelerates osteoporosis and leaves bones vulnerable to compression fractures. A skilled provider will review your DEXA-scan results, check your fracture risk, and use low-amplitude, slow-velocity mobilizations rather than forceful manipulations. Supplemental resistance exercises, vitamin D, and calcium recommendations can be coordinated with your primary care physician to support healthier bone remodeling over time.
Maintain Open Communication Among All Providers
Every chiropractic session should be thoroughly documented and then shared with your rheumatologist, preferably through a secure patient portal so records travel instantly to the entire care team. Progress notes should list the exact spinal or extremity segments treated, the type of adjustment or soft-tissue technique used, the number of thrusts or mobilizations, and any supportive modalities such as heat packs or electrical stimulation.
Pain scores before and after treatment, range-of-motion measurements, and observations of swelling or redness provide objective data that help medical providers fine-tune disease-modifying drugs, physical therapy plans, or imaging schedules. If new symptoms such as tingling, sudden weakness, or unexplained fatigue arise, the chiropractor should flag them and notify the rheumatologist on the same day.
You also need to alert your chiropractor immediately whenever your RA medications change, because biologic agents and corticosteroids can alter tissue healing times, immune response, and infection risk, influencing the intensity and frequency of future chiropractic visits.
Choose Practitioners Trained in RA-Specific Techniques
Verify licensure through the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners and look for postgraduate certificates in rehabilitation or gentle “activator” protocols. Membership in the American or Canadian Chiropractic Associations indicates ongoing education in evidence-based care. During consultations, ask how they adapt spinal manipulation, incorporate soft-tissue therapies, and provide home-exercise plans that maintain range of motion without provoking flares.
Tips for Choosing a Chiropractor in Waco, TX
Finding the right chiropractor is crucial with a complex condition like RA. You want someone experienced with inflammatory arthritis who will work with your care team.
Get Referrals and Research Credentials
Ask your primary care doctor or rheumatologist for recommendations. Waco doctors often know which chiropractors deliver chiropractic care tailored to rheumatoid arthritis patients. Use the American Chiropractic Association’s directory to locate licensed providers experienced in chiropractic care, spinal manipulation, and manual therapy that safely support the nervous system.
Always check credentials on the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners website. Look for extra training in rehabilitation or sports medicine, another sign of evidence-based chiropractic care and deep musculoskeletal expertise.
Look for Arthritis Experience
Ask potential providers: “Have you treated patients with rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis?” Experienced chiropractors understand the need for gentler chiropractic techniques and know which joints need extra care.
As part of disease management for pain and swelling, they may prescribe a daily stretching program to improve pain without stressing vulnerable joints or aggravating skin diseases sometimes associated with autoimmune conditions.
They should be skilled with treatments like TENS, ultrasound, and soft tissue work that RA patients often need. Consider clinics that focus on integrative health or work with physical therapists.
Schedule a Consultation
Meet with the chiropractor before committing to treatment. They should take a detailed history and perform a physical exam. Pay attention to their communication style and whether they understand RA’s complexity.
Ask about their planned approach and techniques. You should feel comfortable that they respect your condition and will modify treatments appropriately.
Schedule your consultation today to discuss how we can help manage your RA symptoms safely and effectively
Assess the Environment
Since arthritis, especially rheumatoid arthritis, requires ongoing chiropractic care, choose a clinic where you feel comfortable and confident in the plan. Check accessibility if you have mobility issues, so visits do not end up causing pain or further pain. Look for friendly staff who explain insurance for chiropractic care clearly.
Some Waco clinics also provide extras like heated therapy, infrared saunas, or guided stretching rooms that complement chiropractic care and can ease rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, according to the Arthritis Foundation.
Trust and Communication
Your chiropractor should communicate constantly during chiropractic care treatment and encourage you to keep your rheumatologist informed to avoid causing pain. Good providers offering chiropractic care also provide patient education about home exercises, joint protection, and self-care techniques that prevent further pain and emphasize ongoing chiropractic care instead of activities causing pain.
Making the Right Choice for Your Joint Health
Chiropractic care can be a valuable complement to medical treatment for managing rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. When done safely by experienced providers, it may help ease joint pain, improve joint mobility, and support overall well-being.
The key is proceeding carefully with proper medical oversight. Choose a knowledgeable chiropractor who understands RA and will modify techniques appropriately. Always keep your rheumatologist informed and ensure your RA is reasonably controlled before starting treatment.
For Waco residents considering chiropractic care for RA, research thoroughly and seek professional advice. Start slowly, listen to your body, and maintain open communication with all providers.
With a balanced approach, chiropractic therapy might help you move easier, hurt less, and enjoy daily activities again. That’s an empowering possibility for anyone managing the challenges of rheumatoid arthritis.
Ready to take the next step in your RA management? Contact us today to learn how our experienced team can safely help you find relief.