Oakville Arthritis Treatment
For almost 20 years, Dr. Steve and his team at Nottinghill Family Wellness Centre have been using evidence based treatment and working with patients who are suffering from arthritis stiffness and pain. Whether it is Osteoarthritis of the knee or Rheumatoid Arthritis of the foot or hand, Dr. Steve and his chiropractic and physiotherapy team has a custom shockwave program ready for you.
What Our Patients Are saying
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Starting seeing Dr Knighton for my frozen shoulder. Using Shockwave therapy along with cupping I am now able to reach over my head and I am pain free for the first time in 3 years. Thank you Dr Steve and all your great staff. I highly recommend!
Susan N (Momsy)
August 7, 2024My husband and I have been attending the Nottinghill Family Wellness Centre for almost a year now, and we are so pleased. Dr. Jenn is consistently professional, caring and helpful to both of us for our physio well-being. She is a brightness to our day every time we visit. The... read more
Elle S
February 13, 2025Dr Steve and team deserve 50 stars - what an amazing experience! From the moment my son arrived and we met the friendly and organized front office to the bold and welcoming intros with Dr Steve, followed by his assessment of the TOS condition, we were confident we were in... read more
Sonia Scrocco
February 13, 2025 -
Wow! Wow! Wow! Some serious back pain from recent snow event. Sent emergency pleading text yesterday and was squeezed in for an appt BEFORE the clinic even opened. Can’t express my sincere gratitude enough. Over and above 5star service from Dr Steve and the amazing Laura. This wasn’t the... read more
Anna Molar
February 20, 2025As a dance instructor, I was suffering from severe pain in my calves and tendons in my legs. Dr. Steve is a true expert in his field. After just one session, I noticed a significant improvement in my pain. I immediately received additional information on how to improve my leg.... read more
cesar gonzalez
September 7, 2024Really great service! Dr. Steven is very humorous and treats all your issues. The staffs are all super friendly and will check up on your health regularly. Overall very enjoyable experience.
Crystal Zhao
February 13, 2025 -
Dr. Jenn was great to work with. I’d recommend her
Lida Liu
November 7, 2024Dr. Steve is professional and friendly. He explained the cause of knee pain and answered all my concerns about the injury. His assistant and all staff at the clinic are really nice and patient. As a tourist, it is very frustrating to have an injury during the trip. However, they... read more
Bo Zhang
August 7, 2024Dr. Jenn is terrific and has helped me so much over the years. She is very progressive and uses many different methods (technology, acupuncture, tools) to go beyond traditional chiropractic and resolve issues (acute and chronic). I also like how her office direct bills my insurance for me. Highly recommend!
Dr. Alison MacDougall
November 7, 2024
What Types of Arthritis Do We Treat in Oakville?
Our Oakville based clinic treats mainly two types of arthritis. Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Although both are types of arthritis outcomes and treatment strategies are very different.
Our health professionals develop personalized treatment protocols that are scientifically driven and backed by over 60 years of combined treatment experience.
Our chiropractic and physiotherapy team use a combination of Shockwave Therapy, IFC, Acupuncture and at-home exercise programs to help their patients with pain and stiffness.
Arthritis Treatment In Oakville
What is Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is essentially a decrease of joint space. This could be seen in your knee, spine or anywhere in the body where there are two bony joints. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that can be diagnosed via x-ray or CT scan. The grading system is Mild to Moderate to Severe Osteoarthritis. If you are diagnosed with Mild OA, it means you can start to see some bony changes on your x-ray but nothing to worry about yet. Mild is the first 1- 20% change in degeneration or your joint space. Moderate OA is when 21% to 90% of degeneration is experienced. In this case the arthritis has progressed to the point where intervention is necessary before it becomes Severe OA. Severe osteoarthritis is essentially bone on bone contact, with little to no joint space left. At this point surgical intervention is going to be an option but treatment can help prolong the surgery.
What are the symptoms are Osteoarthritis?
The first signs of osteoarthritis (OA) often include pain or stiffness, particularly at night or after prolonged inactivity. If you wake up at 3 a.m. with knee pain and stiffness that wasn’t present during the day, OA may be the culprit.
As the condition progresses, patients commonly experience increasing joint stiffness and discomfort, especially after periods of rest. Pain and stiffness lasting 30 to 45 minutes post-activity are also frequent symptoms. Many individuals report swelling, reduced flexibility, and joint tenderness. Some may notice bony growths, while others experience grinding or cracking sensations, which may or may not be painful.
The best way to manage arthritis is through movement. Staying active helps maintain joint function and prevents worsening stiffness, swelling, and instability. Don’t wait—address your symptoms early to keep your joints mobile and pain-free.
What causes Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis can be caused by many things, but age and repetitive movements/tasks are the most common cause. However, OA can also be caused by being overweight, prior injuries or traumas, family history, or women due to being higher risk. Many of Dr. Steve patients come into our Oakville clinic with one knee that has Moderate arthritis, and the other knee being fine. After a thorough history, we determine that an old ankle or knee injury on the opposite side from 20 years ago has caused a compensation, and the patient has been placing more weight on their arthritic knee for years.
What is the best treatment for Arthritis and Osteoarthritis near Oakville?
At our chiropractic clinic in Oakville, Dr. Steve uses a combination of IFC (Interferential Current Therapy), HEAT therapy, Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Therapy and Shockwave Therapy to help patients with OA. Most patients will feel and experience improvement in range of motion and a decrease in pain within the first 5 to 6 visits. At that point Dr. Steve will further his recommendations on footwear, sleeping position, stretching protocols and a specific at home strengthening program.
Steps to Treating Osteoarthritis in Oakville
1. IFC and Moist Heat for Arthritis
All of Dr. Steve’s arthritis treatment starts with Suction IFC and Moist Heat. Although heat sounds counterintuitive when a joint is swollen, Dr. Steve uses this combined with the IFC to get the blood flow moving around and pump out the stagnant fluid in the joint. IFC is an electrical stimulation device that is applied with a vacuum (not sticky pads) and helps with pain relief and increases blood flow to the affected area. The IFC has 4 suction cups, that are connected to a suction unit and the electrical stim unit. Most clinics in Oakville use sticky pads to provide IFC treatment. Over Dr. Steve’s 20 years of treating arthritis, he has found the sticky pads to be unreliable and the suction cups to provide a much better treatment.
2. Shockwave Therapy for Arthritis
If you have been to our Oakville clinic before you have most likely used shockwave therapy. Dr. Steve has developed a specific shockwave program for Osteoarthritis patients that allows them to start feeling better almost right away. The gun will be fired between 1500 and 2200 times for osteoarthritis treatment, depending on the location and patients pain tolerance. Dr. Steve always recommends icing after your shockwave treatment to help the body with inflammation and better healing.
Most OA patients at our clinic will notice a difference after their very first visit. Treatment plans are usually made at twice a week for 4 weeks, then once every 10 days. Then you will move to maintenance, which is once a month to maintain all the healing we have done and prevent the arthritis from progressing.
3. At-Home Exercises for Arthritis
After your first treatment Dr. Steve and his team will give you at home exercises and stretches to help loosen up muscles and regain strength. These exercises and stretches are individualized for you and your specific case of OA. They can also be changed depending on any pain experienced or if a progression to a harder exercise is needed. Also, you will be sent home with icing instructions that should be implemented after treatment and whenever stiffness or pain increases.
Arthritis treatment at our Oakville clinic can be performed by both our Chiropractors and Physiotherapists!
What is Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)?
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder, where there is an increase in inflammation around joint lining. This swelling is often said to be more painful than is counterpart OA and can lead to the joint being displaced or deformed. RA symptoms may include joint pain, stiffness, warm and swollen joints, muscle loss and affects to the eyes, mouth and nose. If you are curious or think you have RA talk to your doctor or one of our Oakville Chiropractors today.
What causes Rheumatoid Arthritis?
As stated above, RA is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks itself and, in this case, it attacks tissue within the joints. This attack causes the joints to become inflamed, swollen, limited range of motion and even deformed. RA can also cause a whole body to affect leading to a change around the eyes, mouth and an nose, an overall sense of sickness, sadness and fatigue. If you think you might have Rheumatoid arthritis please see you medical doctor for needed tests or x-rays.
What is the best treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis in Oakville?
Here at our Oakville Chiropractic clinic, we think that one of the best ways to treat RA is to get new blood to the area to help promote healing. So, we get you on your own specific treatment plan of IFC, HEAT and shockwave therapy to break up the inflammation or swelling and promote new blood flow to the area. This in clinic treatment along with specific stretching and icing programs will help with your symptoms of your RA. Dr. Steve is a realist and understands that his treatment protocol is only one small part in the healing process when a patient is having an RA flare up. He will work with you to find triggers and stressors that could be causing the RA flare up. Physiotherapy and Chiropractic are an affective treatment for arthritis. Vinaya our lead physiotherapists has over 20 years of treating arthritis in patients.
Does Shockwave Therapy Help With Arthritis?
Yes, shockwave therapy has become the gold standard of treatment for most types of arthritis. Whether it is OA or RA a shockwave therapy treatment protocol will help with your pain and get you moving again.
Shockwave therapy is an air gun that hits a bullet against an applicator head up to 20 times a second. Most shockwave treatment for arthritis lasts about 1800 to 3000 hits.
Is shockwave therapy painful for treating arthritis? It can be uncomfortable, but not really painful. The intensity of the shockwave can be adjusted between 0.3BAR and 5BAR depending on patients pain threshold.
How does shockwave therapy help with arthritis? Shockwave causes small amounts of damage to the affected area. This allows the body to start healing the damaged tissue. It is also the only modality that has been proven to start new blood vessels to be formed. This allows more oxygen rich blood to the injured location and aids in healing. This is great for chronic or moderate to severe osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Arthritis Treatment FAQs
- What is OA or Osteoarthritis?
- What is RA?
- What is the difference between arthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis?
- What causes Osteoarthritis?
- Can Rheumatoid Arthritis be helped with treatment?
- What treatment is best for arthritis?
- What treatment is best for Rheumatoid Arthritis?
- Does shockwave therapy help with OA?
- Does shockwave therapy help with Rheumatoid Arthritis?
- Does being heavy cause Osteoarthritis?
- Who gets OA the most?
- How do I know that I have OA?
- What tests are needed to show that I have Rheumatoid Arthritis?
OA is a joint degeneration where the cartilage slowly goes away leading to bone-on-bone contact within the joints.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disorder where the body attacks it tissue within the joints leading to swelling and pain.
The main difference is that OA is an aging degenerative condition, whereas Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that is not related to aging and can appear at any time.
OA is caused by a degeneration of the cartilage and joint space leading to bone-on-bone contact.
Yes, Rheumatoid Arthritis can be helped with treatment such as muscle relaxing and inflammation reducing treatments like IFC, ART and Shockwave Therapy. These can be performed by our chiropractor or our physiotherapist. Acupuncture can also be used to help with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Shockwave is quickly becoming the gold standard treatment for arthritis due to its regenerative and new blood vessel formation properties.
To help with your Rheumatoid Arthritis, anti-inflammatory devices may be beneficially such as IFC and shockwave.
Yes, shockwave is a great treatment service for OA. It allows for the inflammation to be broken up and new blood vessels to be formed which starts healing.
Yes, shockwave is a great treatment service for Rheumatoid Arthritis. It allows for the inflammation to be broken up and new blood vessels to be formed which starts healing.
Yes, being overweight can cause OA. This is due to the excess pressure being placed on the joint spaces as well as an increase in chronic inflammation throughout the body.
Women are more at risk for OA.
You may have OA if you feel joint stiffness and pain throughout the night or after being inactive.
Tests that are determine if you have RA include blood tests looking for rheumatoid factor or imaging which will look at your joint spaces directly via an xray or CT scan.