Arthritis and Joint Pain
Arthritis often brings stiffness and aching in the lower back, shoulders and knees. Joshua uses acupuncture to help reduce pain and muscle tension so you can stay more comfortable and active.
How Acupuncture May Help
Acupuncture cannot reverse arthritis or change what appears on an X-ray or MRI. The goal is to change how you feel and how well you move. A person with arthritis may also have muscle spasm, protective muscle guarding or an irritated nerve, and moving differently because of pain can strain other muscles and joints. Joshua looks for these related problems, since they may respond to conservative treatment.
Acupuncture is thought to increase blood flow to the painful area, relax tight muscles, and prompt the body to release endorphins and other natural pain-relieving substances. Needles can be placed near the painful joint or at points farther away on the arms and legs.
What a Course of Care Looks Like
Arthritis generally takes more time to treat than a simple muscle strain. Conditions such as osteoarthritis of the knee usually need more regular acupuncture, and progress tends to build over a series of treatments rather than a single visit.
Self-Care Tips
- Include regular stretching to reduce stiffness in the lower back, shoulders and knees.
- Rest the joint from activities that repeatedly aggravate it, which gives treatment a better chance to help.
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine are not a substitute for medical care. Talk with your doctor about new, severe or worsening symptoms.
How Joshua may treat it
Care is tailored to each patient and often combines more than one approach.
Acupuncture
Thin, sterile needles placed at specific points to support the body's own healing response.
Chinese Herbal Medicine
Custom formulas that are adjusted as your condition changes.
Cupping
Glass cups that create suction to release tight, tense muscles.
Gua Sha
A traditional technique for tight, sore and restricted muscles.
Related articles
All articlesLet’s Get You Back to Doing What You Love
Whether it's gardening, playing with your kids, sleeping through the night, jogging on the beach, or simply getting through the day without pain, our personalized acupuncture treatments are designed to help you move, heal, and feel better naturally.