Arthritic degeneration comes for us all as we get older. Even if our issue isn’t symptomatic, the protective cartilage in your joints will show the signs of all the stress they’ve managed over the years. Arthritic degeneration is natural, but that doesn’t mean you need to accept it lying down. We want you to fight back against arthritic degeneration and painful joints, and we want you to do it naturally. In today’s blog, we share some tips for managing and preventing joint arthritis through some natural methods.
Naturally Protecting And Improving Your Arthritic Joints
Millions of joint replacement procedures are performed every single year, and a large portion of our client base comes to us after they’ve had a joint replaced, so we understand that not all arthritis-related issues can be resolved naturally. However, joint replacement is rarely the first line of defense when it comes to caring for your aging joints. Instead of jumping right to surgery, consider some cheaper, safer and effective natural option like physical therapy.
Physical therapy can be a perfect treatment option for patients battling mild, moderate or even severe forms of joint arthritis because it is both a protective and a proactive modality. Let’s dive deeper into both of those aspects of arthritis management.
- Protective – Sometimes the best way to begin management for an arthritic joint is by resting the area and protecting it from additional strain. This can help limit swelling in an area and promote a healthy recovery response for the body. Even though your body can’t regrow lost cartilage, there are still integral recovery processes that affect other areas of the joint, and if you continue to stress the area, this healing may never take place. Your physical therapist can help by isolating the painful joint so that it can be protected while you continue to go about your daily life. They can fit you for and set you up with protective devices like braces, slings, splints and more. These devices protect the injured joint but make it so that you can remain active in other ways, which is necessary for your overall health. Your PT can also work on your posture and movement patterns so that certain movements do not end up straining the joint. We can teach you different ways to perform daily tasks, or we can explain how your posture may be contributing to joint pain in your back or knees. These small protective tweaks to your movements and body positioning can go a long way in resolving uncomfortable arthritis-related symptoms.
- Proactive – Rest is a good start, but it’s only part of the equation. Eventually, you’re going to need to move and test your joint so that it and any supporting structures can become stronger. When your joints are stronger and more stable, it’s less likely that everyday movements will cause discomfort. A physical therapist can develop an individualized strength training program that targets the specific joints that are causing problems. Your PT can either help guide you through the exercises if self-propelled movement is proving too challenging (manual therapy), or they can direct you how to perform the moves on your own. Slowly but surely, this works to strengthen your soft tissues, expand your range of motion and calm symptoms related to arthritic degeneration.
Finally, your PT can help you slowly get back to the physical activities that you love the most. If you want to get back on the Pickleball, return to work or simply go for a walk around the neighborhood without pain, we can help reintegrate you into these activities so that you achieve your goals all without increasing your risk of a setback. Our job doesn’t end until you’ve made the strongest recovery possible, and we’re confident you’ll do just that if you trust the protective and proactive powers of physical therapy for arthritis-related issues.
To learn more about how we can help with your specific arthritis issue, or for assistance managing a different physical condition, reach out to the team at OrthoRehab Specialists today at (612) 339-2041.