Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints characterised by joint pains, stiffness, and reduced mobility. It is a long-term disease and has symptoms that are easy to manage at an early stage. Physiotherapy is a medical intervention that strengthens the muscles, improves joint mobility, and helps restore damaged body organs. More often than not, doctors recommend physiotherapy, among other interventions, to alleviate the symptoms of arthritis. Read this guide to learn how physiotherapy can help manage and treat arthritis.
For physiotherapy to be effective, your physiotherapist will have to work closely with your doctor. During the initial assessment, your physiotherapist will need your doctor's notes to know the interventions and drugs used to manage the condition. These notes will also help the therapist to determine the severity of the disease. For example, stage 1 arthritis is characterised by mild joint swelling. On the other hand, stage 3 and 4 arthritis are considered severe since you may experience cartilage and bone damage.
Once the therapist ascertains the severity of your disease, they will create a treatment plan detailing how they will manage the condition. Typically, the plan explains the goals of each intervention and how long it will take to alleviate the symptoms. They might use one or several of the following physio treatments.
Heat Or Ice Packs
Heat and ice packs are an effective way to relax the muscles, reduce pain and improve blood supply in the affected areas. The physiotherapist will wrap a towel around the heat pack to enhance its effectiveness. Ice packs should be wrapped in a cloth to avoid frostbite. The benefit of heat and ice packs is that they are inexpensive and easy to use.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture originates from traditional Chinese medicine. It involves the insertion of needles around swelled or injured joints. The physiotherapist will determine the depth at which to insert the needles and how to manipulate them to induce muscle relaxation and reduce pain.
Exercise
Physiotherapists use exercise to improve joint mobility, reduce pain, and swelling in patients that have arthritis. Exercise can also help arthritis patients to manage their weight. Remember, too much weight will increase the pressure applied to the knee joints as the patient walks. Some exercises used to manage arthritis include range of motion, aerobic and strengthening exercises. Besides, the physiotherapist could recommend regular walks and mild yoga.
During physio sessions, your therapist will begin with mild exercises to ensure you have an easy time adapting to the interventions. They will train you and your close family on how you can perform the exercises at home without damaging the affected body organs. If you think you need physiotherapy, reach out to a professional near you.
Not everyone understands the benefit of undergoing massage treatments. That's why we started this blog. On this website we aim to education people about the different forms of massage treatment which are available to them, while also encouraging you to think about how undergoing massage therapy could improve your life. We hope that by removing some of the mystery from the massage process, we can encourage others to give it a go. We aren't professionals who work in this field, but we have all experienced massage treatment and have conducted our own research into this exciting and effective treatment. We hope you enjoy reading this blog.