You need your joints to stay strong and flexible so you can enjoy your favorite activities and do your work or chores. However, it’s difficult to do any of these activities when your joints are affected by arthritis.
Arthritis causes the cartilage in the joints to break down over time. As it breaks down, the cartilage can fragment, leading to little pieces of it getting wedged in your joints. This can be painful and limit your range of motion. Additionally, damage cartilage leads to bone-on-bone grinding in your joints, which causes further pain and range-of-motion issues.
Treatments for arthritis vary depending on its severity, but one treatment that can benefit almost every arthritis patient at any stage of the disease is physical therapy.
Five ways physical therapy helps treat arthritis
Treatments for arthritis cannot cure the disease, but they can help manage the pain and improve your range of motion. Physical therapy for arthritis is beneficial for a number of reasons:
- Improved strength — Stronger muscles help to provide better support for the joints, which reduces pressure on them that can aggravate pain from arthritis.
- Improved range of motion — Stretches and hands-on therapy techniques can help improve your range of motion, so you can make easier movements with your arthritic joints.
- Improved balance — Arthritis in the knees, hips or lower back can affect your ability to balance. Your physical therapist can guide you through balance exercises that help lower your fall risk. Stronger and more flexible muscles also help to improve your balance.
- Improved posture — Poor posture can put additional strain on your joints, which causes increased pain and stiffness. Your physical therapist can review your posture and help you make improvements to reduce pressure off your joints.
- Reduced need for medication or surgery — Pain medications can cause unwanted side effects or be addictive. Surgery can be risky, painful and expensive and requires a long time for recovery. Treating your arthritis with physical therapy can help reduce your dependency on medication and lower your need for surgery.
Visit SOL today for arthritis treatment
Is arthritis pain and stiffness causing you to miss out on the things you love? Our team at SOL is here to help. We can provide a personalized treatment plan designed to help you manage your condition and improve your quality of life. Contact our team today for more information about arthritis treatment or to schedule an initial appointment.
