How Physiotherapy Can Help Your Arthritis Pain
Have you found yourself waking up with stiff joints that ache as you get moving, or become more painful during the day? If you’re nodding your head yes, this might be a sign that you’re experiencing symptoms of early arthritis. Many people live with this condition and do not seek treatment because they believe that it is just something they have to deal with as they grow older. This is far from the truth.
Our physiotherapists can help manage your arthritis pain. We can show you the correct exercises to begin that will be beneficial in your journey towards pain relief. Our goal is to make sure you’re able to continue doing your everyday activities without injuring yourself or irritating your condition.
Your physiotherapist will be able to assist you with increasing your range of motion and how to safely strengthen and support the affected joints. If you are experiencing painful symptoms from arthritis, be sure to contact Amped Physiotherapy to get scheduled for a consultation.
How Common Is Arthritis Pain?
Arthritis is a very painful condition that many people live with. According to the Arthritis Foundation, arthritis affects over 50 million people and is the leading cause of disability across North America. It causes moderate to severe pain and inflammation in one or multiple joints in a person’s body, and can strike anyone at any age.
The most widely recognized type of joint pain is osteoarthritis. This condition happens when the cartilage of the joint begins to wear down either due to aging or overuse of the joint. Since the cartilage is no longer serving as a cushy barrier, the joints start to experience pain. Without the padding of the cartilage, the sensitive outer layer of your bones touch each other, which causes inflammation in the joint.
Another common type of arthritis is rheumatoid, also known as “inflammatory arthritis.” This is an auto-immune disease commonly found in females rather than males. It also may affect multiple joints at once.
Arthritis Can Lead To Soreness Around Your Joints.
This pain becomes worse after they’ve been standing or sitting for a long period of time. Arthritis pain can be worse with movement as well. Those suffering with arthritis might report hearing “clicking” or “popping” noises in the joints that are affected as well. Joints may also feel very painful or tender to the touch. Arthritis can often cause you to feel pain when you work out, or you may notice the pain subsides when you perform certain exercises.
What Causes Osteoarthritis To Form?
Traumatic, high energy injuries to a joint can cause OA to form, and it can develop regardless of if a previous injury has healed.
Imagine you played soccer in college and you received a serious ligament sprain to one of your knees. You go to treatment, sit a few games out for recovery time, and then return to the game. Even though your injury has healed, the surrounding muscles and cartilage are still sensitive to what has happened. Research shows altered muscle recruitment patterns for a year following an acute joint injury. This means less support for the joint, or even the motion of the joint changing. A full and properly planned course of physiotherapy treatment can help stave off the potential long-term effects of serious injuries by helping you be strong and balanced around injuries.
The above is true for people who have careers requiring a lot of repetitive motions or use of the same joints over and over. If you are a carpenter who spends a lot of time swinging heavy hammers in repetitive motions as you nail pieces of wood, you may develop osteoarthritis in the joints of your elbows and hands. Overweight individuals are also at a higher risk for developing osteoarthritis because of the extra weight and strain being placed on their hip and knee joints.
What Causes Rheumatoid Arthritis To Form?
Rheumatoid arthritis is a bit different from osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis develops as an autoimmune response, meaning that your immune system views your joints as a threat and begins to target and attack them. There are many contributing factors that participate in the development of rheumatoid arthritis. Your medical history, hormones, and environment are a few. It’s also common for this condition to affect the same joints on opposite sides of the body because of the fact that it is an autoimmune disease.
How Can Physiotherapy Help Ease My Arthritis Pain?
Physiotherapy offers many benefits to people suffering with arthritis pain, including being able to avoid or delay having surgeries or purchasing medications. Your Amped Physiotherapist will be able to conduct a thorough physical examination to determine what the best kind of treatment for your specific pain problems would be.
Physiotherapy is an excellent option for arthritis because it helps to restore the normal motion of your joints, strengthen supporting muscles, and can improve the way you move overall. Our physiotherapy treatments cater to your specific needs for a lasting recovery. We can also show you ways to prevent future injuries to your joints, and home exercises to practice on your own. If you’re struggling with arthritis or have noticed any of the arthritic symptoms listed here, make an appointment today with one of our registered physiotherapists at Amped Physiotherapy in Ottawa, Chelsea, Kanata & Nepean, ON. Let us help you find lasting relief from your pain.
Start Your Journey To Recovery Today
You can be free from pain.
Book an assessment to get started.
