Can Exercise Help with Arthritis Pain?
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis.1 The degenerative joint disease is due to a breakdown of cartilage. Arthritis can occur in many joints including the hands, hips, knees, lower back, neck and shoulders.
4 Tips for Protecting Your Hands When Gardening
Gardening is a hobby enjoyed by many Americans, and especially among men and women over the age of 45.2 Unfortunately, this group of people can often be limited in participation in their beloved hobby by physical and environmental factors, including osteoarthritis (OA) and environmental contaminants.
Do knee braces or sleeves work for knee osteoarthritis?
Knee osteoarthritis (breakdown of articular cartilage along the joint surfaces) is rampant in the aging population. Some statistics show nearly 1 in 2 people may develop symptomatic knee osteoarthritis by age 85 years (1). These are odds are not good! (more…)
What is Arthritis and What Can I Do About It?
May is National Arthritis Awareness Month. But what exactly is arthritis? What causes the pain and how can I fix it? Arthritis refers to the degradation of a joint surface causing inflammation within the joint. Athletico Physical Therapy is proud to support Arthritis Awareness Month as a proud partner of the Arthritis Foundation. (more…)
Food and Arthritis, Is There A Connection?
Arthritis is a disease that most are familiar with since it affects a large multitude of people. As a physical therapist there are two types of arthritis, Osteoarthritis (OA) and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), commonly seen in a clinical setting. The chart below summarizes the differences and similarities between the two types. (more…)
If My Arthritis is Not Reversible, Why Should I See a Physical Therapist?
As a physical therapist I often hear people make the statement “My knee hurts today, but it always does; I have arthritis” or “Physical therapy can’t help me because my pain is from arthritis.” Once a joint is showing arthritic changes or degeneration, it’s true that degeneration will not reverse. However, research is showing more and more how physical therapy can often make changes in the pain you experience from a joint that is diagnosed with arthritis. Isn’t that great news?! (more…)
Tips to Help Avoid Arthritis
In honor of May being Arthritis Awareness Month, I visited the Arthritis Foundation’s website for some inspirational thoughts for this blog post. There is a wealth of information on their website including practical tips for individuals living with arthritis. After perusing through many different articles and pages of information, there seemed to be one underlying message to help avoid arthritis: Stay active! This seems simple enough, but we must make sure we stay active in a safe way to ensure our joints are well protected. (more…)
