Say Goodbye to the Pains that Control Your Life
Are you living with arthritis pain? If so, you’re not alone.
There are many important steps that people dealing with this condition can take to relieve their stiff and aching joints. Physical therapy is one of them! It’s a great way to create an effective plan to ease the pain while remaining active.
According to the Arthritis Foundation, arthritis affects over 50 million people and is the leading cause of disability across America. Arthritis can affect anyone at any age and can become downright debilitating for those who suffer from it.
If you want to kick your arthritis pain to the curb, call our Portland, MI office today and find out how a physical therapy program can lessen or even eliminate your pain!
What can I expect from my treatment plan?
There are tons of treatment methods physical therapists may use to help relieve your arthritis pain.
For example, they may use massage to loosen muscles and tendons around your arthritic joints. Physical therapy treatment might also include the use of ice baths or cold compresses to reduce inflammation and soreness.
The use of heating pads is also normal in the loosening of tight muscles. Physical therapy treatment may also include ultrasound or laser treatment to send soothing heat waves into your joints as you progress.
What can physical therapy do for me?
Physical therapy treatment programs can not only lessen the pain you experience from arthritis, but they can also help improve your daily life.
Working with a physical therapist every week can improve the following:
- Improving range of motion – Physical therapy can help keep your muscles and ligaments loose which will reduce inflammation and stiffness. This will decrease your pain levels, and improve your overall range of mobility.
- Improving muscle strength – Physical therapy techniques are often used to increase strength. If the muscles that surround and support aching joints become stronger and more flexible, they can help relieve arthritis pain.
- Using the correct technology – Physical therapists can teach you how to use walkers, orthotics, and other assistive technology devices correctly. This can help ease strain on your joints when you move.
So, why should I opt for physical therapy over other options?
Exercising daily is not enough to reverse arthritis, but it can certainly help slow down its progression while easing the painful symptoms.
Your physical therapist can help you form a regular exercise routine which can help you lose some weight. This will ease the strain on your joints.
A physical therapist can also teach you many kinds of stretches and exercises to target your specific areas of pain. You can also stop taking excessive amounts of medication if you decide to go down the physical therapy route, which is a huge added bonus to your health and wallet!
Physical therapists are professionally trained to evaluate your condition and provide the correct exercises to meet your needs. Most of the exercises they will teach you can be done on your own at home as well, so you can continue treatment outside of appointments.
You might even have some aquatic exercises! Working out in the water provides exercise that is non-impact and extremely calming to the joints.
A physical therapist may recommend working out in a heated pool to help relieve pain in arthritic joints.
What else can I do?
Eating a healthy and nutritious diet also plays an important role in easing arthritis pain.
Besides kicking the refined carbs, MSG’s, and sugar filled foods (which all increase inflammation) you should add these great tasting, natural foods to your diet!
- Broccoli – Did you know that broccoli has an ingredient called sulforaphane in it, which may slow or even prevent osteoarthritis? It’s true! Broccoli is great hot, cold, in salads and casseroles, or as a side dish for meals. It is very important to get your greens in when you’re trying to have a healthy diet.
- Ginger – Ginger helps reduce inflammation and ease arthritis pain. It also adds flavor to almost any food including meat, fruit, veggies, and soups.
- Soy – Soy is a great tasting way to fight inflammation, as it is high in protein and low in fat. You can get your soy through roasted soybeans, tofu, and soy milk. You don’t even have to be a vegetarian to try it!
- Walnuts – Walnuts are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and can reduce inflammation and soreness. You can eat them alone as a snack, or add them into almost any sweet or salty dish for an extra crunchy boost.
Ready to get started with physical therapy?
Physical therapy is a safe and healthy way to keep your joints, tendons, and muscles working together the way they’re supposed to.
One of our qualified movement specialists will put together an exercise treatment program to help reduce your arthritis pain and keep you as active as possible.
Contact our office to see how physical therapy can help you live a pain-free life.
Tags: health, wellness, pt, physicaltherapy, physicaltherapist, healthandwellness, naturalpainrelief, achesandpains, healthytips
