When a person experiences arthritis pain around weight-bearing joints such as the hip or knee, they tend to take painkiller drugs such as opioids. But do you know that opioid only provides short-term relief, and as a matter of fact that weight-bearing joint continues to grind together, making such patient condition and underlying cause more severe?

As an arthritis patient, it is highly advisable to stay away from the addictive qualities of opioids. If you are suffering from arthritis pain, it is best to seek chemical-free solutions to relieve your pain. The best reliable solution is physical therapy.

Our therapeutic method at In Step physical therapy can help you ease your pain as fast as possible. If you would like to know more about our care procedure or how our physical therapist can use therapeutic techniques to ease your arthritis pain and underlying symptoms, do not hesitate to contact us.

Symptoms associated with arthritis

Various symptoms can occur when suffering from arthritis. However, whichever pain symptoms you are experiencing can effectively be managed using physical therapy techniques. Some of the most common symptoms that happen when a patient is suffering from arthritis include;

• Pain– When a joint is affected by arthritis, pains and discomfort commonly occur during and after movement.
• Swollen tissues– Arthritis around soft tissues or the musculoskeletal system is usually associated with swelling, inflammation, and pain around the impacted joint. Whenever that area of the body is touched, it feels warm.
• Mobility limitation– arthritis joint develops various restrictions. In most cases, such patients find it difficult to perform regular tasks like they used to.
• Grinding sensation-Some materials help to act as lubricant and cushion between bones at the joint. When arthritis occurs in joints, loss of cartilage is set to happen, making the bones collide and grind together during movement.
• Joint aches and stiffness– Arthritis joint often becomes stiff when walking and may create a painful or sensitive feeling when touched.

Physical therapy for Arthritis pain

If you have arthritis, opting for physical therapy care can effectively help you acquire strategies that can be adopted in managing your symptoms without considering chemical-made painkillers.

When you arrive for your first appointment, a physiotherapist will engage you. They discuss with you to gather information about your medical history, symptoms experienced, and how your daily life has been affected gradually. For instance, does your arthritis pain prevents you from taking things from a high shelf, walking up and down the stairs, walking normally, and so on.

After, your physical therapist will conduct some assessments to have a broad understanding of your condition. The assessment will vary based on the joint affected by arthritis. Your therapist will assess your strength, balance, and range of motion at the affected joint. This will help your therapist to know the level of arthritis impact on your joint and select the best treatment plan that can be used to treat you.

During treatment, your physical therapist will include manual therapy and other therapeutic modalities to manage your arthritis. This will help relieve your pain and stiffness as well as loosen up tissues in arthritis joints and improve your range of motion. Also, body mechanics will be introduced in your treatment plan as well. They will ensure you are properly guided in order to perform your day-to-day activities at ease with little impact on your arthritic joints. It also, help reduce the occurrence of grinding sensation as well as prevent arthritis pain from escalating to a severe condition.

Other physical therapy programs such as exercise and weight management will be included in your personalized treatment plan. Although, arthritis can occur at various locations in the body. However, your physical therapist may recommend aquatic exercise in a customized pool in order to address the joint problem. Other forms of therapy treatment can also be recommended depending on the patient’s state. 

The aim of physical therapy in treating arthritis problems is to increase the strength of the affected part of the body so that the musculoskeletal structure can support and bear the weight without resulting in undue strain or complications on the arthritic joints.

If you are suffering from arthritis pain, kindly contact our clinic today to book an appointment with one of our physical therapists. They will help you manage your arthritis pain without using any chemical or synthetic drugs such as opioids or painkillers.