Pain Relief for Arthritis

Pain Relief for Arthritis

Dealing With Arthritis Pain? Relief Is On The Way!

Achieve pain relief from arthritis through physical therapy

Have you been waking up with stiff joints that make it difficult to get moving in the morning? Even if they may become less painful as the day goes on, but you may be experiencing early-onset arthritis.

Arthritis is a common condition that many people develop; however, many live with their painful joints for far too long before seeking professional help.

Thankfully, physical therapy is one treatment option that you can turn to for arthritis pain. One of our licensed physical therapists at Full Circle Physical Therapy will provide you with gentle exercises to help improve your range of motion, flexibility, and overall function in the affected joint(s). They can also evaluate which joints are stiff and painful, and assess which exercises will be beneficial in providing pain relief for your arthritis during everyday activities.

Treatment doesn’t stop there: our therapists will provide you with the resources and knowledge you need to prevent arthritis-related injuries in the future as well.

If you are suffering from arthritis, or you think you may be experiencing arthritic symptoms, request an appointment at Full Circle Physical Therapy today.

Types of arthritis

Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis and are the two most commonly experienced types. Arthritis causes pain and inflammation, and it can affect one or multiple joints at once. According to the Arthritis Foundation, arthritis affects over 50 million people and it is currently the leading cause of disability across the nation.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Researchers have come to believe that a person’s medical history, environment, and hormones could all be contributing factors toward the development of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis develops as an autoimmune response, meaning that the immune system sees the joints as a threat and decides to attack them. Rheumatoid arthritis is also referred to as “inflammatory arthritis,”and is also fairly common. Because it is an autoimmune condition, it is common for it to affect the same joints on different sides of the body.

This condition is typically more prevalent in females than males as well. Those suffering from arthritis typically report soreness around joints, which is worse after prolonged sitting, standing, or inactivity.

If you have rheumatoid arthritis, you may notice that pain can get worse when you move, for example, bending over at the knees to pick something up may be uncomfortable for you. You may notice popping or clicking sounds in the affected joint(s) with movement, and the joint may be sensitive or painful to the touch. Arthritis can also cause pain when you exercise or work, and the pain may go away after you stop doing that activity.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is typically easy to diagnose, as it is the most commonly experienced form of arthritis. It occurs when the cartilage of the joint wears down, either due to age or overuse. This causes pain in the joint, as the cartilage is no longer acting as the thick cushion that it once was. Without a cushion, the bones grind together, which in turn causes an inflammatory response in the joint.

Osteoarthritis can be caused by a sudden injury to the joint, or it can develop after a previous injury has fully healed.

Let’s say you played football and received a rough blow to your knee. You probably received treatment, recovered, and returned to the game thinking all was well again with your body.

Although the injury healed, there is a possibility that the damage that occurred to the cartilage or surrounding muscles has resulted in a decrease of support to the joint. The motion of the joint may also have slightly been altered. Therefore, it is still possible for you to develop osteoarthritis from that injury later in life.

This also applies to those who work jobs that require repetitive motion or cause the overuse of specific body parts. For example, say you are a construction worker. You swing a hammer in repetitive motions as a crucial part of your job, you may develop osteoarthritis in the joints of your elbows or hands.

Being overweight may also put you at a higher risk for developing osteoarthritis, as it adds additional strain to your knee and hip joints.

Physical therapy can provide relief for arthritis pain

Exercise-based recuperation through physical therapy helps by reestablishing the typical movement of your joints, improving the strength of supporting muscles, and improving the manner in which you walk, run, twist, and move.

In many cases, physical therapy treatments can even help you avoid the need for surgery and harmful, possibly addicting medications. Our treatments are tailored to your specific needs to help you recover quickly and have a more permanent outcome. We also teach you ways to prevent future joint injury, and what you can do on your own with the correct therapeutic exercises.

If you are suffering from arthritis, or you think you might be, you could greatly benefit from physical therapy treatments at Full Circle Physical Therapy.

End your arthritis problem today

Contact us at
(831) 717-4827
to request an appointment with one of our Monterey physical therapists.

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