How PT can manage arthritis pain

Dealing with arthritis pain can significantly affect your lifestyle. However, physical therapy for arthritis can help you manage your symptoms and help you accomplish your daily activities. We work with patients to help manage symptoms so they can continue to live their best lives. Whether you’re dealing with Rheumatoid Arthritis or Osteoarthritis, our team is uniquely qualified to help patients reduce pain, improve mobility, and boost overall function.

Here are a few techniques that we use to ease arthritis pain:

• Manual therapy techniques: This involves hands-on manual adjustments made by a PT. This includes joint mobilizations, soft tissue mobilizations, and manual stretching. Manual therapy aids in improving joint function, reducing pain, and increasing range of motion.
• Therapeutic exercises: These are specific exercises designed to improve strength, flexibility, and endurance. These exercises are customized to your needs and may include low-impact activities like swimming or cycling. They help stabilize joints, improve balance, and alleviate pain and stiffness. Here are the types of exercise that benefit arthritic patients:
  • • • Low-impact exercises
      • Range of motion exercises
      • Strengthening exercises
• Thermotherapy and cryotherapy: These are common modalities in PT. Thermotherapy relaxes muscles, increases blood flow, and reduces pain, while cryotherapy reduces inflammation and numbs the area for pain relief. Your treatment plan may include one or both of these modalities to help manage your symptoms.

By following these safety tips, you can exercise with arthritis in a way that aids pain management and improves your overall mobility. Always consult a physical therapist to create a personalized exercise plan tailored to your needs and limitations.

• Warm-up and cool-down routines: Always warm up your muscles and joints before starting an exercise routine. After exercising, cool down to reduce stiffness and soreness.
• Use of assistive devices: Depending on the severity of your arthritis, you may need assistive devices to support your joints during exercise. Consult with your physical therapist to determine suitable devices for your needs.
• Avoid overexertion: Pay attention to your body’s signals and avoid pushing yourself too hard.

A few other ways to help improve your arthritic symptoms are:

• Adopt an Anti-Inflammatory Diet: Changing to an anti-inflammatory diet is a great way to alleviate joint pain.
• Supplementing with Vitamin D has also been shown to reduce the incidence of autoimmune flare-ups such as arthritis pain. We live in an area where a lot of the winter months offer no Vitamin D absorption.

Call Meadowland Therapy in Pocatello to ask how we can help you get back to enjoying the activities that are important to you! If you know someone who is experiencing pain or limitations and you believe they could benefit from therapy, please tell them about us. We will ensure that they receive great care and have a positive PT experience with us!