How Does Arthritis Rehabilitation Help To Deal With This Condition?

Arthritis rehabilitation is considered to be the best bet for all those people who are dealing with arthritis pain. It is also effective for those who are suffering from restricted motion due to loss of joint cartilage.

Arthritis is one of the most common disorders which significantly affects the musculoskeletal system.

If you are also dealing with a similar condition, then it is best to opt for the assistance of an expert physical therapist. You can even try out rehab for arthritis at home.

To get an idea about how arthritis rehab helps to deal with this condition, consider reading the below-mentioned section:

What Is Arthritis?

Arthritis is a disorder that occurs due to degeneration, wearing or loss of articular cartilage, especially in a joint. At every joint of your body, the bone ends possess a shiny and smooth surface known as joint articular cartilage.

It allows those to slide over each other freely. The three most commonly occurring forms of joint arthritis are traumatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Different causes of arthritis are excessive steroids use, connective tissue or ligament damage, repetitive strain injuries, predisposition due to family history and genetics, age-related wear and tear, etc.

Symptoms Of Arthritis

Arthritis causes many symptoms, including aching and pain in the affected joint and the loss of range of motion. Some common arthritis symptoms are the following:

Loss of range of motion

Aching and pain in the affected joint

Swelling around the joint region

Weakness that hampers your day-to-day activities

A crunching or cracking sensation in the affected joint

Increased size or visible deformity of the joint

Conditions

Fibromyalgia

Gouty Arthritis

Lyme Disease

Osteoarthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis

How Can Physical Therapy Help To Treat This Condition?

There is no cure for arthritis. But, to get relief, you can try out rehab for arthritis at home. If you are suffering from this condition, the first and the most crucial step is approaching a physical therapist.

They will provide you with the best physical therapy treatment and arthritis rehabilitation to help reduce the severity of symptoms. As a result, sufferers can live pain-free and active lives.

Physical therapy makes use of manipulations, exercises and special equipment. It helps patients regain their lost mobility and improve their function.

Different Physical Therapy Interventions

Physical therapists are educated and trained professionals who work effectively to administer interventions.

Interventions involve the purposeful and skilled use of physical therapy techniques and methods. It contributes to producing consistent changes with the prognosis, diagnosis and the patient’s goals.

Arthritis Rehab

During arthritis rehab, your therapist will focus on performing a thorough evaluation. It helps to access and determine the following:

Flexibility: Range of motion measurements will be carried out to determine the reduced movement of joints.

Joint: It involves a series of measurements to determine which joint is associated. Also, it helps to determine the extent to which the inflammation is acute.

Strength: Resisted testing is also carried out to determine if there are associated strength imbalances or weaknesses effectively.

Balance, Gait And Alignment: The physical therapist will focus on assessing your balance and gait on uneven and even surfaces.

An assistive device like a walker or cane helps to improve gait, safety and reduce stress on the affected joint.

ADL And Technique: The therapist will review those activities you are facing difficulty with. It will help you make certain modifications in technique to reduce stress on the joints involved effectively.

Physical therapy for arthritis needs to be conservative, specifically at the onset, to prevent aggravation of the condition.

More emphasis needs to be placed on rest, protecting the joints, reducing inflammation, and increasing blood circulation for healing.

Once you have managed to reduce the initial inflammation, strengthening and stretching programs will be conducted. It plays a significant role in improving strength and restoring flexibility to reduce stress on the affected joint.

Treatment

Manual Therapeutic Technique involves hands-on care, which includes stretching, soft tissue massage and joint mobilization.

It is performed by an experienced physical therapist who helps to improve mobility, alignment and range of motion. The usage of mobilization techniques helps in the modulation of pain.

Therapeutic Exercises include strengthening and stretching exercises. All of these exercises help to regain range of motion.

Also, it aids in the strengthening of the affected muscles to stabilize, support and decrease the stresses placed on joint cartilage.

Modalities involve the use of laser, cold, ice, electrical stimulation, ultrasound and others. All of these play an essential role in decreasing inflammation and pain of the involved joint.

Neuromuscular Re-education helps to restore stability, improve mechanics and movement techniques along with retraining the affected extremity.

It includes kneeling, walking, stair climbing and squatting. Balance and gait training is suggested for those individuals who face issues with walking.

Wrapping Up

So, by relying on different physical therapy approaches, you would be able to get rid of your arthritis pain.