Arthritis and degenerative changes become increasingly common as we age, but degeneration isn’t necessarily distributed evenly throughout the body. Previous injuries, repetitive stress, poor joint mechanics, and abnormal loading can place greater wear on some areas than others. In the spine, changes in alignment and movement can alter where forces are concentrated over many years.
This relationship between structure and mechanical stress is important. **Wolff’s Law** describes the body’s ability to remodel bone in response to the loads placed upon it. When abnormal forces repeatedly act on spinal joints over time, the body can adapt structurally, contributing to changes such as bone spurs, joint degeneration, and disc-space narrowing. This helps explain why spinal arthritis and disc degeneration aren’t always simply random consequences of getting older—the location and pattern of degeneration can reflect years of abnormal mechanical loading.
Chiropractic can’t reverse established arthritis, but arthritis doesn’t mean a joint should stop moving. Chiropractic care can help improve mobility in restricted areas and maintain as much comfortable function as possible. When spinal degeneration is present, digital X-rays and PostureRay analysis can also help us see where structural changes have occurred and how they relate to the overall alignment and mechanics of your spine.