If You’re Living with Arthritis, Physical Therapy Can Help
Arthritis is a general term that actually includes hundreds of different diseases.
Whether you have osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or another type, one of the primary symptoms is inflammation and pain in the joints.
Whatever type of arthritis you’re suffering from, you’re likely struggling to overcome varying degrees of pain and limited function.
If you’re taking opioids for arthritis pain, you need to know there is a better option.
How can physical therapy help with joint pain?
It is true that sometimes rest and joint protection is necessary for arthritic joints. However, it can be impractical for many of us due to the demands of daily activity and work.
It’s also well understood that not getting enough exercise or activity in your daily routine can worsen the condition by weakening your muscles.
Thankfully, there is a solution to this! Your physical therapist will know how to best assess and conservatively treat painful joints due to arthritis. Treatment may include semi-custom or custom splints or braces, depending on the location of your pain. No matter where your pain might be, there is a specialized treatment option for that joint!
Living with arthritis
If you’re struggling with osteoarthritis you are likely suffering from pain, stiffness, limited flexibility and most importantly, impaired function; whether it be around the house, recreation or work.
Arthritis pain can affect even the simplest of daily activities. Doing laundry, cooking, and walking up and down stairs can prove difficult. The severity of pain can also change on a daily basis. It can become all too easy to rely on strong pain medication to cope with arthritis pain.
Why can opioids be so bad?
There are many reasons why opioids are not the desired method of pain relief. Just a couple of reasons include:
- They are highly addictive and often interact with other medications. In 2016 there were approximately 42,000 deaths related to opioid overdoses. If you’re currently taking some type of opioid for your arthritis pain, it’s important to know that there is a safer alternative that can reduce and even eliminate pain.
- Opioids are a strong narcotic that works to numb pain. They have the ability to bind to the opioid receptors in the brain and limit the pain messages that are sent to the brain. Both oxycodone and morphine are considered opioids. While opioid medications can be beneficial when carefully used over short periods of time, they are not without serious drawbacks.
Physical therapy for arthritic pain management
Physical therapy can be an effective alternative to taking opioids for arthritis pain.
There are several specific ways that a physical therapist can help an individual struggling with arthritis pain.
- Teach Exercises – A physical therapist can teach you exercises that will increase flexibility and strength. These exercises can also reduce the pain you experience when carrying out daily activities. According to the American Physical Therapy Association, research shows that individuals with arthritis can exercise without making the pain worse.
- Suggest Home Modifications – A physical therapist will be able to make suggestions for your home environment that can help ease arthritic pain. These might include mats to stand on in your kitchen, ergonomic chairs, or certain types of mattresses or bedding you can use.
- Manual Therapy – A physical therapist can provide specific soft tissue manual therapy techniques including ASTYM(™) which can help improve circulation which can reduce joint pain.
- Fit and Educate on the Use of Assistive Devices – During physical therapy treatment, you can also learn how to correctly use devices such as braces, canes, or walkers. And a proper fit makes all the difference.
Does this sound like you?
It is fairly common for people who suffer from arthritis pain to resort to expensive surgery, steroid injections, and prescription medications to cope with their pain. Research shotes that physical therapy can prove very helpful and minimize or abate the needs of these less conservative measures.
Arthritis does not discriminate either, and although it tends to be found often in elderly patients, it can affect anyone at any age.
According to a study on JAMA, “[rheumatoid] arthritis (RA) occurs in about 5 per 1000 people and can lead to severe joint damage and disability.”
Arthritis is also one of the top causes for disability in America. If left untreated by a professional, patients suffering from arthritis can experience extremely painful symptoms for long periods of time.
If you want to learn more about how physical therapy can benefit you and decrease your arthritis pain, give our office a call today.
Ready to find natural and effective arthritis relief?
If you’re struggling with arthritis pain, a trained physical therapist can work with you to increase your mobility while decreasing pain.
Even if you’re already taking opioids an individualized physical therapy program may be able to help you reduce the amount of medication you’re currently taking.
Contact Rose City Physical Therapy in Portland, OR to find out how you can reduce arthritis pain.