Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease and it develops very slowly. Many times the symptoms may not manifest for years. The cartilage gets eroded and starts to disintegrate. Even then the person may not feel any pain at the out set. The progression and complications of osteoarthritis varies from person to person.  A few times the symptoms remain constant. Other times one feels gradual worsening of the disease.

There are many complications of osteoarthritis; such as there could be complete breakdown of cartilage as a result there will be loose tissue material in the joint. It is called chondrolysis. There may be osteonecrosis which is bone death. Sometimes the patient with osteoarthritis may suffer a stress fracture.

One of the complications of osteoarthritis is bleeding inside the joint or infection in the joint. In case of osteoarthritis of the spine you may suffer from pinched nerve.
As there is no know cause for osteoarthritis there is no sure cure for it. If the pain is too much to bear then the doctor may give some painkillers. In most advanced cases joint replacement is advised.

There is no fixed medication for the complications of osteoarthritis. The doctor can only ask the patient to change the life style, and do some exercise and manage the pain with painkillers. This is where you can take help of a chiropractor.

Chiropractic branch of alternative therapy is based on the principle that there is direct correlation between the spinal joint misalignment and the nervous system. Your health suffers because there is misalignment of joints of the spine, interfering with the general health and there is lower resistance to disease.

This is a very subtle way to treat the disease. The chiropractor gives drugless, nonsurgical health treatment which relies on the human body’s inherent recuperative abilities. This  puts emphasis on manual therapy. Manual therapy includes spinal adjustment and soft tissue manipulation.

As there is no known cure for osteoarthritis the chiropractor tries to help the patient with adequate stretching routine thus strengthening the muscles around the joint. The chiropractor can adjust the joint so the joint motion becomes better. When the joint motion is better it provides much needed nutrition to the internal part of the joint and the waste products are thrown out. It does not cure the disease but it helps to decrease the risk of further degeneration of the joint.