08/11/2022
Physical therapy and Arthritis:
Physical therapy might not be the first treatment you think of for arthritis, but it probably should
be. Many people with arthritis choose to use medication to manage their pain, stop activities that
hurt, and wait for things to get bad enough to have a joint replacement. But this isn't a great plan
Reducing activity leads to
muscle atrophy and even stiffer joints. Joint replacement surgery usually has good outcomes,
but it does come with its own set of risks and a painful recovery.
If that doesn't sound like the plan you want to follow, physical therapy might be for you.
Research has shown that PT leads to good outcomes for patients with arthritis including
reduced pain, better mobility, and delaying or preventing surgery.
Physical therapists typically start with exercise as the base for arthritis treatment. Exercise helps
to regain lost motion, decrease feelings of stiffness, and strengthen muscles surrounding the
affected joint. These benefits are all somewhat obvious. What surprises many people is that
exercise has been shown to be as effective as medication for pain relief in many types of
arthritis, without the side effects.
Education is usually combined with exercise to help people understand their condition, what to
expect, and how to manage it. As experts in human movement, physical therapists can also
teach you ways to modify how you perform certain tasks or activities to reduce the strain on
joints.
In addition to modifying how you move, a PT can also suggest ways to modify the environment.
They may also suggest things like braces, orthotics, or other devices that can help maintain
mobility and reduce pain. In addition to all of that, PT has also been proven to be a cost
effective treatment.
With so many techniques that are proven effective in helping people with arthritis, physical
therapy is a recommended first line treatment for many types of arthritis.
