Physical therapy treatment for arthritis in Shawnee, KS

Arthritis is a condition that causes pain in your joints by wearing down your cartilage. The cartilage is supposed to cushion the joints from friction, but when it wears down, friction increases between the bones in your joints. This is painful and limits your range of motion.

Exercising is one of the last things on your mind when you have arthritis, but it is actually one of the most effective ways to reduce arthritis pain and loosen stiff joints. That’s why physical therapists use therapeutic exercises in many of their treatments to help people with arthritis improve the quality of their lives.

Treating arthritis with physical therapy

At SSOR in Shawnee, Kansas, we use therapeutic exercise in many of our patients’ treatments. Therapeutic exercise increases the strength and flexibility of the muscles around the joints. This helps reduce pressure off the joints, which lessens pain and improves range of motion.

Other treatments our team at SSOR uses for arthritis include:

• Manual therapy — Techniques that involve the use of your physical therapist’s hands to mobilize your joints are collectively known as manual therapy. Your physical therapist may use manual therapy to manipulate the position of your affected joints, which can reduce arthritic pain and improve your range of motion.

• Electrical stimulation — Electrical stimulation is a treatment that uses small bursts of electricity to soothe pain. This works by causing the muscles to contract and release, which helps reduce tension that makes arthritis pain worse.

• Education — When arthritis affects your ankles, knees or hips, you may eventually need to use assistive devices to safely move around. Physical therapists can provide guidance for correctly using crutches, walkers and canes to reduce your chance of falling and hurting yourself.

Visit SSOR in Shawnee, KS, for arthritis treatment

Treating arthritis with physical therapy can lower your need for drugs or surgical intervention. If you have arthritic pain and are ready to reduce your pain and gain more range of motion, our team at SSOR in Shawnee is here to help. Contact us today to learn more about physical therapy for arthritis or to schedule an initial appointment.