Two treatments for knee osteoarthritis in Winterville, NC

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, and it’s commonly brought on by the aging of your joints. To help you fight back against knee osteoarthritis, physical therapists in Winterville, North Carolina, offer many treatment techniques. Here are two of the most commonly used treatment methods for knee osteoarthritis: 

1.   Joint mobilization

One knee osteoarthritis treatment technique you’ll find from local physical therapists is joint mobilization. This therapy method is part of a larger category called manual therapy, and it involves therapists using their hands to move the knee joint through its normal range of motion. This can be helpful to your knee arthritis for several reasons. 

For example, the movements are intended to help move your knee in ways you may not be able to. However, the therapist will also take care not to move the knee in a way that’s not in its normal range of motion. By moving the knee in these ways, the muscles around the knee are stretched, and this can help improve joint mobility and reduce pain. Also, the movement can allow lubricating fluid to enter the knee, and this can make moving the joint less painful. 

2.   Therapeutic exercise

Therapeutic exercise is a therapy technique that is often used in combination with joint mobilization in knee osteoarthritis treatment. The exercises used can take many forms, but they’re intended to provide several benefits. For instance, therapeutic exercises can increase blood flow to the arthritic joint. They can also cause the body to produce more endorphins, and these natural chemicals can help your body fight arthritis pain. 

In addition, therapeutic exercises are designed to strengthen the muscles around your knee, allowing them to better support the knee joint. The exercises don’t have to be complicated to do. For example, a common knee arthritis exercise your therapist may use is to have you practice sitting — they’ll have you sit down in a chair and stand up again several times, and they may ask you to do this exercise at home as well. The motion of this basic exercise helps strengthen muscles like the quadriceps in the thigh for increased knee support. 

Get effective knee osteoarthritis treatment in Winterville, NC, at Peak Performance

Winterville residents may be thinking that they’ll have to leave town for effective knee osteoarthritis treatment. Fortunately, that’s not the case. Our Peak Performance team has lots of experience treating many types of arthritis, and we have a clinic right here in town. To get your treatment started, we’ll have you come in for a free screening. Then, our team will create a personalized treatment plan to fit your needs, and this plan can use therapy techniques like: 

• Therapeutic exercise
• Kinesiotherapy
• Joint mobilization
• Aquatic therapy

Don’t wait to get our help with your arthritis symptoms. Contact us today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.