Arthritis is a severe medical condition that can make your life unbearable due to chronic pain. Although it is mainly associated with older people, you can get it at any age, and the pain will make you miserable.
The best option is to seek professional help in managing chronic pain to continue your daily activities without being dependent on others. Here are five ways that physiotherapy can help in the treatment of arthritis.
1. Pain Management
Chronic pain can make you stay in bed, unable to do the things you love or perform your daily activities. This means that you will rely on other people even for the simplest tasks you used to do before the pain.
That is why it is vital to learn how to manage pain when you have arthritis. Although pain medication works, a physiotherapy expert will help you understand other methods of soothing the aching joints and lessening the pain.
They can use ice packs to soothe the swollen joints or heat packs to relax tense and tight muscles.
2. Improving Fitness
Although you are in pain, being active is better for your aching joints than staying in bed or idling in the house unless otherwise recommended. However, people believe that exercises will worsen your joint pain, but on the contrary, exercising and being fit will reduce joint pain. A physiotherapist will guide you on activities that will help improve your mobility and engage each joint for improved mobility.
A physiotherapy expert will help create an exercise plan that targets all the problem areas. They will also teach you how to change habits that may be worsening your condition and how to do each exercise for maximum benefit.
3. Mobilizing Stretching And Strengthening
Stiff joints and weak muscles are commonly associated with arthritis, and they make it hard to move around or do any other activity in your home. Getting a sports massage in Singapore will help relax the stiff joints and strengthen the weak muscles. Stretching your body will also help relax your muscles, and thus you can move better despite having arthritis.
However, you should be open with your therapist about how you feel, and if the pain isn’t subsiding so that they can, they can help you find an alternative.
4. Rehabilitation
Recovering takes time, and if you rush it, you may end up doing more harm to your joints and muscles than good. That is why you need physical therapy sessions as you recover from arthritis so that you can receive guidance on how to pace yourself and measure results.
Although exercises are an essential part of rehabilitation, physical therapists also offer patient education to understand your condition better. That way, you will learn not to repeat the same mistakes that led to where you are.
Ending Thoughts
Arthritis can affect your life in various ways, and unless you seek help, you may be forced to rely on other people, even for the simplest activities. Do not hesitate to speak to a professional physiotherapist about managing joint stiffness and muscle pain when you have arthritis.
Click here to see Preeminent Physio.
Click here to see physiotherapist north sydney.