Chances are, using physical therapy to treat arthritis isn’t a new suggestion for you. Physical therapy has been a respected treatment option for decades and is known for helping joint pain and stiffness. You may have resisted because the idea of putting yourself through painful exercises is not an appealing one.
Yet, physical therapists make those moves much less grueling than you might think. More importantly, several types of physical therapy for arthritis exist that you may not even be aware of. Here are three ways that physical therapy can help treat your arthritis pain:
- Learning new ways to get around
Walking your dog. Weeding the garden. Frolicking with your grandchildren. These are all normal daily activities that arthritis pain can make more difficult. To deal with arthritis pain, your physical therapist can help you find new ways to accomplish your daily tasks without pain.
These specialists also identify body positions, along with non-ergonomic work setups, that contribute to pain. There are ingenious workarounds for many of the moves that cause aching joints that you might never have guessed — whether it’s going up the stairs, emptying the dishwasher or holding your grandchildren. In addition, your therapist can recommend and demonstrate assistance devices that can make your daily tasks easier on your joints.
- Spending time in the pool
Your physical therapist may also recommend spending time in the pool as part of your arthritis pain treatment plan. This therapy technique is known as aquatic therapy.
Aquatic therapy typically takes place in a heated pool. The heat can help loosen up your joints, but that’s not the only way this technique can help you. Your therapist will also have you perform certain exercises while you’re in the pool. One medical study on aquatic therapy for hip and knee osteoarthritis patients revealed that 12 weeks of it helped:
- Decrease pain scores by five points on average
- Improve joint function scores by five points on average
- Increased quality-of-life scores by seven points on average
- Making all the right moves
What you may think of as “traditional” physical therapy can do a world of good for arthritis pain. Gentle therapeutic exercises, which you can also do at home, help you limber up your stiffened joints and muscles. They also strengthen surrounding muscles for better support and increase your range of motion. In fact, researchers report that a four-week physical therapy plan helped improve pain and function by 52% in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Need physical therapy for arthritis pain? Peak Performance has you covered
Are you looking for effective physical therapy for your arthritis pain? Our team of physical therapy specialists at Peak Performance can help you get the therapy you’re looking for. We offer free screenings that are intended to reveal how arthritis is affecting you specifically. Using this data, our team can then construct an individualized therapy plan for you that’s designed to reduce your pain and other arthritis symptoms.
Things keeping you at home? No problem! Peak Performance is currently offering at-home therapy and virtual care sessions that can help you get therapy right from your home. Additionally, you won’t have to go to your doctor for a referral before starting your therapy with us.
Contact us today for more information about our arthritis therapy options or to schedule your initial appointment.
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