Arthritis affects millions of Americans daily. There are over 100 different types of arthritic diseases, and some carry more severe symptoms than others. Chances are you or someone you love has been directly impacted by arthritis and the pain that comes along with it. In the United States, 23% of ALL adults have arthritis. That’s over 54 million people suffering from daily arthritic pain.
There is hope for people suffering from arthritic pain. Medical advances and treatments have become far more advanced over the past few decades, and we can improve the quality of life for adults suffering from arthritic pains.
In this article, we are going to discuss the different types of arthritis and how physical therapy for arthritis pain has helped millions of people find relief and live better pain-free days.
The Most Common Forms of Arthritis
Arthritis is most commonly used to reflect disorders that impact the joints in the body. These symptoms of the diseases affecting the joints can range from stiffness, pain, swelling, and a decreased range of motion.
Although there are over 100 different types of arthritis, by far the two most common forms are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Osteoarthritis is a disease impacting the joints of the body. It is caused by the deterioration of cartilage and bone. The symptoms of osteoarthritis persist with age. Before any pain is felt by patients, chances are the cartridge, joint, and bone breakdown has been occurring for years.
The joints in the body that tend to experience the most severe symptoms of osteoarthritis are the joints in the fingers, thumbs, knees, hips, neck, and lower back.
When a patient first notices the pain of osteoarthritis, it’s usually after physical activity, like playing sports. The pain will linger, and eventually, if not treated, it will affect the body even when it has not engaged in physical activity. Osteoarthritis will only affect the joints, other organs are NOT affected by osteoarthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is not just a disease that attacks the joints, but it is a life-long autoimmune disease that usually occurs in people when they hit their middle ages. Rheumatoid arthritis affects more than the joints in the body, it also affects other major organs in the body.
The disorder has the body’s immune system attack the joints, just as red blood cells would attack foreign invaders. RA can affect the skin, heart, blood vessels, lungs, skin, among other organs. As an autoimmune disease, it is understood that Rheumatoid arthritis occurs because of genetic and environmental factors.
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Does Physical Therapy For Arthritis Really Work?
Each patient’s arthritic symptoms and pain are going to vary, and that’s why it’s paramount to do a thorough discovery exam and determine how and where arthritis pain affects the patient’s body.
If you have arthritis, it does not mean you cannot have an active and fulfilling life. With proper physical therapy treatment, your arthritis can be managed and kept under control.
Our goal, as physical therapists, is to get our patients comfortable with daily movement and confident in their physical abilities. Whether your arthritis is affecting your shoulders and neck, making it hard to sleep at night. Or, the arthritic pain affects your knees and back, making it hard to move up and down stairs or carry items in your arms. Your arthritis can be treated with proper evaluation and physical therapy routines.
What Types Of Treatment Do Patients With Arthritis Receive?
A common form of osteoarthritis (or rheumatoid arthritis) pain we see in our rehabilitation center is chronic pain in the knees. The knees take quite a bit of punishment in their lifetime, so it makes sense that many people experience some degeneration, pain, and swelling of the joint(s).
Physical therapy for arthritis knee pain will work towards reducing the daily pain and swelling while simultaneously working to improve flexibility, balance, and strength.
A patient will come in for a discovery visit, and we will diagnose the unique challenges of the arthritic knee pain. From there, we will prescribe a PT routine to start our patient suffering from knee pain on a path to relief.
The prescribed PT measures could be a combination of in-house manual therapies, exercises that patients can work on at home, core strengthening exercise, and even deep tissue laser therapy to promote healing from deep within the joint.
Combatting arthritic pain in the knees is not just about addressing the pain at its source but strengthening other parts of the body to alleviate strain and burden on the knees themselves. Core and hip strengthening exercises are helpful in this regard.
Why Go To Physical Therapy For Arthritis Pain?
As arthritis is most often a chronic condition, it needs to be treated by all available means necessary so that millions of people don’t suffer needlessly. If left unchecked, arthritis, in all its forms, can be debilitating and cause people to sacrifice activities they love. Physical therapy treatment for arthritis can actively help those suffering to live more active and pain-free lives, without the need for harsh painkillers or habit forming drugs.
So what’s next? Click here to grab my FREE Report Learn How To Naturally Treat Arthritis Pain.
If you would like to know how the Physical Therapy team at MOSS Rehabilitation Center can help you live with less Arthritis pain – we invite you to start with a completely free, no-obligation, risk free appointment.
CALL 817-220-6677 to schedule a FREE Discovery Session
Note: This FREE Discovery Session is something that we offer to people who are very nervous or skeptical about Physical Therapy – unsure of its benefits or if it is right for them. If that sounds like you, then please start with a free discovery session so that we can work with you to find out what is wrong and what can be done – without any financial risk on your part.
