Don’t Let Arthritis Pain Dictate Your Life
You Can Still Live a Comfortable and Active Life with Arthritis!
Have you ever awoken with stiff joints that make it difficult to move around in the morning? Even if they become less painful as the day progresses, you could still be living with early-onset arthritis.
Arthritis is a common condition that affects many people; however, many people live with painful joints for far too long before seeking professional help.
Physical therapy, fortunately, is one treatment option that can be used to treat arthritis pain. At Lumina Wellness & Physical Therapy, one of our licensed physical therapists will perform gentle exercises to help improve your range of motion, flexibility, and overall function in the affected joint(s).
They can also assess which joints are stiff and painful. Once they are identified, they can determine which exercises will help relieve your pain.
Your physical therapist will also provide you with the resources and knowledge you need to prevent arthritis-related injuries in the future.
The most common types of arthritis
According to the Arthritis Foundation, arthritis affects over 50 million people and it is currently the leading cause of disability across the nation.
Arthritis causes pain and inflammation, and it can affect one or multiple joints at once. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the two most commonly experienced types:
Rheumatoid arthritis
Researchers have come to believe that a person’s medical history, environment, and hormones could all be contributing factors toward the development of rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis develops as an autoimmune response, meaning that the immune system sees the joints as a threat and decides to attack them.
Rheumatoid arthritis is also referred to as “inflammatory arthritis,” and is also fairly common. Because it is an autoimmune condition, it is common for it to affect the same joints on different sides of the body.
This condition is typically more prevalent in females than males as well. Those living with this typically report soreness around joints, which is worse after prolonged sitting, standing, or inactivity.
If you have rheumatoid arthritis, you may notice that pain can get worse when you move, for example, bending over at the knees to pick something up may be uncomfortable for you.
You may notice popping or clicking sounds in the affected joint(s) with movement, and the joint may be sensitive or painful to the touch. Arthritis can also cause pain when you exercise or work, and the pain may go away after you stop doing that activity.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is typically easy to diagnose, as it is the most commonly experienced form of arthritis. It occurs when the cartilage of the joint wears down, either due to age or overuse.
This causes pain in the joint, as the cartilage is no longer acting as the thick cushion that it once was. Without a cushion, the bones grind together, which in turn causes an inflammatory response in the joint.
Osteoarthritis can be caused by a sudden injury to the joint, or it can develop after a previous injury has fully healed.
Let’s say you played football and received a rough blow to your knee. You probably received treatment, recovered, and returned to the game thinking all was well again with your body.
Although the injury healed, there is a possibility that the damage that occurred to the cartilage or surrounding muscles has resulted in a decrease of support to the joint. The motion of the joint may also have slightly been altered. Therefore, it is still possible for you to develop osteoarthritis from that injury later in life.
This also applies to those who work jobs that require repetitive motion or cause the overuse of specific body parts. For example, say you are a construction worker. You swing a hammer in repetitive motions as a crucial part of your job. As a result, you may develop osteoarthritis in the joints of your elbows or hands.
Being overweight may also put you at a higher risk of developing osteoarthritis. This is due to the additional strain it puts on your knee and hip joints.
How physical therapy can help relieve arthritis
Physical therapy and exercise-based recovery help to restore the normal movement of your joints, improve your muscle strength, and enhance the way you walk, run, twist and move.
In many cases, physical therapy can even help you avoid the need for surgery and potentially addictive drugs. Our treatments are customized to your specific needs to help you recover faster and achieve a more permanent result. We also teach you how to avoid future joint injuries and what you can do on your own.
Relieve your aches and pains today!
Arthritis is impeding your progress. You have earned the right to live a pain-free life.
Contact us today to learn how we can help you find long-term pain relief for your arthritis.
We provide the highest level of care, compassion, and understanding to all of our patients.
Don’t let your arthritis hold you back any longer; make an appointment today!