Arthritis Treatment through Massage Therapies and Acupuncture

Rheumatoid Arthritis
RA can affect various joints in the body. Some sufferers sense the effects of the disease in other parts of the body, including the skin tissue, the lungs, blood, and the heart. This condition can become chronic, and is marked by the inflammation of the joint known as synovium. This inflammation results in redness, joint swelling, stiffness, and warmth. The diseased joints may become disfigured, which leads to a loss of normal movement.

Osteoarthritis
As opposed to rheumatoid arthritis, OA involves a systematic shutdown of the joint cartilage that ultimately results in stiffness and severe pain. The hips, spine, fingers, and knees are the typical comfort zones for osteoarthritis, with the ankles, wrists, shoulders, and elbows less typically affected. When OA affects an uncommon area of affliction it is usually because of a pre-existing injury. Frequent causes of the rise of OA are work related injuries. These can include jobs that entail a lot of bending, squatting, and kneeling where there is a very high risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee.

Arthritis Treatment through Massage Therapies and Acupuncture
These past few years, acupuncture and massage therapies for the treatment of arthritis have indicated the treatments’ potency as being as effective as conventional medicines. And that’s not all that acupuncture and massage therapies for arthritis treatments have in common. These alternative therapies have origins that are rooted deeply in the mystical world of ancient medicine. Let’s take a look at these two modalities.

Massage Treatment for Arthritis
Massage therapies as well as acupuncture for the treatment of arthritis treatment are considered by alternative therapists to be cutting edge alternatives to modern medicine; thing is, these two modalities both got their start in the ancient world. It was Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician, who’s known as the "Father of Medicine," who first suggested 2,000 years ago that "rubbing" can be a therapeutic way of loosening a "hard joint." Massage therapy has been found to work in various ways in fighting arthritis:
Joint movement improvement
Enhance blood circulation to the skin
Relax tense muscles

And if one type of massage treatment doesn’t work for you, don’t worry. There are various types of massage therapy programs to choose from:
Deep Tissue Massage
Swedish Massage
Trigger Point Therapy
Reflexology

Acupuncture for Arthritis Treatment
Hugely successful in resolving the inflammation and pain related to different forms of arthritis, acupuncture and other forms of Eastern treatments, have been widely used by the ancient Chinese to treat many types of body aches and pain for thousands of years. Traditional Chinese medicine customizes acupuncture treatment based on the arthritis symptoms of the patient with a unique combination of Chinese herbs, acupuncture therapy, lifestyle changes, and body work. Even energetic exercises and dietary changes play a huge role in the treatment of arthritis via acupuncture.

In the treatment of arthritis, the acupuncture points used are sometimes found in different parts of the body that are remote from the afflicted area. Slender hair thin acupuncture needles are stuck in some of those areas which can include points on the head, neck, arms, legs, back, and even the baby toe. Instead of producing pain, the needles surprisingly can make you feel so relaxed that most people sleep during the entire process after the needles have been stuck into their body. A treatment session may be as quick as five minutes and as long as an hour. Depending on how serious your disease is you may be required to undergo a few or several treatment sessions to begin to experience improvement of your symptoms.