Taking leisurely walks in the park. Exploring museums and outdoor sights on vacation. Making it through the whole workday. Arthritis can affect your ability to do these and many other things.
In fact, millions of Americans are currently feeling the effects of arthritis. It’s estimated that more than 54 million people in the U.S. are living with some form of arthritis. Physical therapists can help you learn more about your arthritis, and they can also assist arthritis pain sufferers with treating their symptoms. However, physical therapy can be much more effective when you have a solid base of knowledge about arthritis.
What is arthritis?
Every arthritis pain sufferer should know some general information about their arthritis. Arthritis is a joint disorder, which features inflammation, pain and stiffness. There is also often a loss in movement with arthritis, as the joints are too inflamed to move. When only a single joint is involved, it’s known as monoarthritis. If two or three joints are involved, it’s referred to as oligoarthritis.
Arthritis can also take many forms, and to date, there are more than 100 types of arthritis. Some of the most common forms of arthritis include:
Many people cannot work because of arthritis and have to go on disability. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that about 8 million arthritis patients have a limited ability to work. In addition, this chronic condition can affect men, women and children.
Physical therapy can help arthritis pain sufferers
Physical therapy for arthritis pain sufferers has several goals. One important goal is to help improve your ability to engage in physical activity. Another vital goal is to reduce the symptoms of arthritis, including pain and joint stiffness.
Meeting these goals can be accomplished with an individualized physical therapy plan. Such a plan can make use of physical therapy techniques like:
- Therapeutic exercises — Regular physical activity can keep the muscles around affected joints strong. It can also decrease bone loss and may help control joint swelling and pain. One study reveals that therapeutic exercises helped reduce hip osteoarthritis pain by more than 30% after 12 weeks.
- Joint mobilization — This therapy technique is a type of manual therapy. It involves your physical therapist using their hands to move and manipulate the painful joint. It can be very effective for patients with arthritis. One study reports that joint mobilization helped reduce pain in knee osteoarthritis patients by about three points immediately after it was used.
SSOR is here to help arthritis pain sufferers reduce their pain
Need help reducing your arthritis symptoms? SSOR has a team of experienced physical therapists who excel at helping arthritis pain sufferers treat their symptoms. We offer complimentary screenings that can pinpoint the specific form of arthritis that’s causing your symptoms. Additionally, our physical therapists can construct a personalized therapy plan for you that’s intended to reduce pain and improve your ability to move.
Can’t come into one of our physical therapy clinics? No worries! Our team offers multiple therapy services that are intended to be used from home, including virtual care and at-home therapy sessions. You can even start getting help from us without first going to your doctor for a referral.
Contact us today for more information about how we can help treat your arthritis or to schedule an initial appointment.
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