Three ways physical therapy can help your arthritis pain

Fed up with constant joint pain? Tired of having stiff joints every morning? Weary of feeling pain during your normal daily activities? If you answered yes to any of these questions, arthritis physical therapy is an option you should consider. 

Arthritis is one of the most common, pain-causing issues that Americans face. It’s reported that 63 million people will be diagnosed with some form of arthritis in 2020 alone. Physical therapy can be a very effective option for people living with arthritis pain. 

You may have resisted trying it 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 a physical therapist can help you treat arthritis:

 1.  Showing you how to move without pain

Physical therapy has several applications for arthritis patients who are in pain. For example, 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. Therapists can help you find better ways of: 

• Going up and down the stairs
• Emptying the dishwasher
• Holding your grandchildren and more

2 . Using hands-on therapy

Physical therapists can use manual therapy to help patients treat the pain and other symptoms of arthritis. The techniques in this category of physical therapy are also known as hands-on therapy. The reason is that manual therapy techniques involve physical therapists using their hands to mobilize or manipulate the joints or the soft tissue around them.

One study reports that manual therapy can be helpful for arthritis pain. This study reveals that patients who used a therapy plan that included manual therapy had a 52% improvement in pain scores in four weeks. 

3.  Showing you effective therapeutic exercises

What you may think of as “traditional” physical therapy can also do a world of good for arthritis pain. Gentle therapeutic exercises are intended to help you limber up your stiffened joints and muscles. They can also strengthen surrounding muscles for better support and increase your range of motion. All are designed to get arthritic patients moving more freely and with less pain. Your physical therapist may even show you exercises that you can do at home.

Find the arthritis pain treatment you need at Armor Physical Therapy

Ready to try physical therapy for your arthritis pain? Our team at Armor Physical Therapy is ready and willing to help you. We offer free screenings intended to help us learn exactly how arthritis is affecting your body. In addition, our physical therapists excel at creating personalized arthritis treatment plans designed to reduce your pain and improve joint function. 

Does your arthritis have you stuck at home? No problem! We offer services like virtual care and at-home therapy to help you get the therapy you need without leaving home. Additionally, you can begin using our therapy services without needing to get a doctor’s referral first. 

Don’t wait to start getting our help with your arthritis. Contact us today for more information about how we can help you or to schedule your free screening.