Osteoarthritis (OA) is most common type of arthritis. OA is the typical "wear and tear" degenerative changes that occur to the joints as people age. The cartilage in the joints begin to break down and cause changes in the bones over time. Over 32.5 million adults in the United States are affected by osteoarthritis (1).
The most common signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis are:
1. Swelling
2. Pain (especially feeling achy)
3. Stiffness
4. Decreased flexibility (1)
At Physical Therapy Services, one of the most common symptoms we hear from patients is the feeling of stiffness in the morning. With osteoarthritis, many people feel stiff in the morning and feel better once they start moving around as the day progresses.
According to the American College of Rheumatology and the Arthritis Foundation, exercise interventions were found to be strongest recommended approach to treating hip, knee, and hand osteoarthritis. The recommendation looked at physical, psychosocial, and pharmacological approaches for the different types of arthritis (2).
Stretching and strengthening exercises are important for the management of osteoarthritis. For the hip and knee, some of the most beneficial stretches include a hamstring and quadriceps stretch. For the hand, simply open and close the hands as far as you can. One of our physical therapists can guide you through the different stretching and strengthening exercises that is best for your specific type of arthritis. Check out the Physical Therapy Services Instagram and Facebook pages for more stretching and exercises recommendations.
At Physical Therapy Services, we have been providing the Pompton Plains area with individualized rehabilitation programs for over 35 years. We treat not only your injury or pain, but we treat the whole body. We don't want arthritis, or any condition for that matter, to stop you and what you want to accomplish.
With the weather getting warmer, it is easier to go out and get your exercise in with low impact walking or bike riding. Always remember to stretch before and after exercising to reduce the risk of injury.
If you have any questions about what our physical therapists can do for you, please call our office at (973) 835-6115.
References:
1. Cdc.gov. 2020.Osteoarthritis (OA) | Arthritis | CDC. [online] Available at: <https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/osteoarthritis.htm> [Accessed 16 May 2020].
2. Apta.org. 2020.Updated Guideline For Management Of Hand, Hip, Knee OA Strongly Recommends Exercise-Based Approaches. [online] Available at: <http://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/News/2020/02/11/HipKneeWristOACPG/> [Accessed 16 May 2020].