Most of us don’t realize how important our joints are to our daily activities until they’re affected by arthritis. This disease causes the cartilage in the joints to break down, which is painful and can limit your range of motion. It can also affect your grip strength and ability to balance, which makes simple activities suddenly more difficult.
There are several different forms of arthritis, but almost all of them act in the same way of causing cartilage damage. Sadly, there is currently no cure for arthritis, but there are treatments that help manage the pain, improve your range of motion and slow the progression of the disease. One treatment that helps many people with arthritis is physical therapy.
Treating arthritis with physical therapy
Physical therapy is beneficial for people with arthritis because it helps manage the pain and improve range of motion and other mobility challenges related to arthritis. If you’re suffering from arthritis and visit a physical therapist for help, they will examine your condition thoroughly and come up with a customized treatment routine that works for you.
Physical therapy treatments for arthritis often include:
- Stretching and exercising — Your physical therapist may guide you through gentle stretches and exercises to improve your muscle strength and flexibility. This helps improve your flexibility and reduces pressure off your joints.
- Manual therapy — Physical therapists can use a variety of hands-on techniques known as manual therapy. These help reduce pain, improve your range of motion and break up any scar tissue that may be contributing to your symptoms.
- Posture guidance — Poor posture when standing, sitting and sleeping can put additional strain on your joints that makes arthritis pain worse. Your physical therapist can work with you to improve your posture to help keep arthritis pain from getting worse.
Why it’s important to cut back on medication as much as you can
Treating arthritis with physical therapy helps reduce pain so effectively that you may be able to cut back on or completely eliminate your need for pain medication. This is beneficial for you because pain medications often cause undesirable side effects that make your daily life less enjoyable. They can also be highly addictive, which can cause other problems further down the road if left unchecked.
Visit Whatcom Physical Therapy for arthritis treatment
Are you suffering from arthritis pain and don’t want to rely solely on medication for treatment? Our physical therapists at Whatcom are here to help. We can examine your condition and develop a treatment designed with your specific needs in mind. Even better, you don’t have to have a doctor’s referral to begin using any of our therapy services. Contact us today for more information about arthritis treatment or to schedule an initial appointment.
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