Physical therapists can help many people decrease their pain, improve their mobility and reduce the stiffness they feel in their joints. Physical Therapists can also teach you exercises that can help keep you moving as you get older.
Physical therapists tend to focus on meeting specific goals when they’re working with arthritis patients. The goals they’re striving toward often include:
Managing and controlling inflammation.
Easing joint stiffness.
Improving strength and coordination.
Reducing pain.
Every arthritis patient receives a customized one-on-one treatment plan from Health Plus PT. The reason? Customized care is needed to meet your treatment goals effectively. A few of the treatment methods your therapist may use to help you meet your goals are:
1. Active Release Techniques®— Trigger points are painful knots of muscle tissue that develop as a result of arthritis pain. These trigger points may cause referred pain — for example, shoulder pain radiating down into the arm. Your physical therapist can use Active Release Techniques to treat these trigger points.
2. Range-of-motion exercises — Arthritis makes it difficult for you to move your joints through their full range of motion. Physical therapy can help improve your range of motion, making it easier for you to move without feeling pain or stiffness. Often, this is done by prescribing specific exercises. The exercises you’re encouraged to do are designed to move your joint through its full range of motion.
3. Posture training — Arthritis often causes people to stoop or lean over as a result of joint pain and stiffness. In turn, this can lead to back pain and neck problems. Physical therapists can help you to correct your posture and improve your back and neck strength and flexibility.
4. Helping you find ways to keep active —Staying more active can help keep the joints in your body flexible and mobile. Regular physical activity and exercise can lead to fewer problems and better health overall, especially if you have rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. Physical therapists can help you figure out strategies to help you stay as active as possible.
At Health Plus Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Center, our Arthritis Management program focuses on reducing pain, improving joint flexibility, and enhancing overall function. Through targeted exercises, manual therapy, posture correction, and education on joint protection, our therapists help patients manage arthritis symptoms and slow disease progression. Personalized physical therapy programs empower patients to move with less discomfort and maintain an active lifestyle.
Contact us today to get started and book your appointment!
