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Are you experiencing persistent joint pain, particularly in a weight-bearing joint like your hip or knee? Do you ever notice a clicking or grinding sensation in your painful joint? If so, you may have developed osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis in the United States.
Arthritis is an umbrella term for over 100 conditions that cause joint inflammation and lead to pain and restricted mobility. The source of that inflammation will vary depending on the type of arthritis. Osteoarthritis is caused by the degeneration of the cartilage and bone tissue in the affected joint.
Osteoarthritis has no cure and can profoundly impact your overall quality of life, making it harder for you to stay active, keep up with chores, and enjoy time with your loved ones. Fortunately, physical therapy at Aspen Ridge Physical Therapy offers several tools and techniques to help you manage your symptoms — often enough that you can delay or even avoid surgical interventions.
If you’re tired of living with osteoarthritis pain, call us to schedule an appointment today!
Understanding Osteoarthritis: Symptoms and Causes
The primary symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain and stiffness in the affected joint. These symptoms often manifest in the following ways:
- Pain during activity but not while at rest
- Pain when you press on the joint
- Joint stiffness first thing in the morning
- Joint stiffness after sitting or lying down for long periods
- Noises in the joint, including creaking, cracking, or crunching
While any joint can develop osteoarthritis, it most commonly occurs in weight-bearing joints like the knees and hips. However, it’s also fairly common in the hands, spine, and feet.
The causes of osteoarthritis are complex, and several factors can contribute to it. One of these factors is age: approximately 73% of people with the condition are 55 years or older. That’s not to say osteoarthritis is an inevitable part of the aging process — plenty of older people don’t have it. But your chances of developing it do increase as you age.
Other possible factors contributing to osteoarthritis include past injuries to the joint, gender (women are more likely to develop it than men), body weight, and even genetic predispositions.
How Physical Therapy Helps Manage Osteoarthritis Symptoms
The good news is that you can control osteoarthritis symptoms with the help of physical therapy. Although movement can be painful with osteoarthritis, exercise is one of the best drug-free ways to manage the condition. Our physical therapists will help you find an exercise program that suits your needs.
Here’s how we’ll do it:
- Comprehensive Evaluation: We start by evaluating how osteoarthritis impacts you, including performing simple tests to assess your strength, mobility, and/or balance. We’ll also ask you about the ways that osteoarthritis is negatively affecting your life. For example, which activities do you find challenging?
- Provide Pain Relief: We’ll use manual therapy techniques to help manage your pain and get the joint moving in a gentle way. For example, we might guide the joint through its current range of motion or manipulate the surrounding soft tissue.
- Build Strength and Restore Mobility: We’ll develop a customized, progressive exercise program to rebuild lost strength and mobility in the affected joint. Building strength, in particular, can help support and protect the joint so you can move more easily.
- Develop An At-Home Exercise Program: You’ll supplement your sessions in our clinic with a personalized home workout program to ensure you keep moving! We’ll find something that suits your abilities and interests, such as a walking program or water aerobics.
- Provide Strategies for Activity Modifications: Finally, we can help you identify and avoid any specific activities that might put too much strain on your joints. If needed, we can also show you how to use mobility aids (such as canes or walkers).
Don’t Let Osteoarthritis Pain Hold You Back!
We know that living with osteoarthritis can be difficult, but the physical therapists at Aspen Ridge Physical Therapy are here to help you manage your condition and live your life to the fullest. With customized treatment plans, targeted exercise programs, and acute pain management techniques, physical therapy can help you take control of osteoarthritis pain.
Ready to get started? Call us to schedule your initial consultation today!
Your Success Is Our Priority!
Return to Aspen Ridge Physical Therapy and Let’s Continue Your Journey to Wellness Together. Schedule Your Appointment Now!
Exercise of the Month
SEATED LEG EXTENSION
Sit up straight in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Slowly extend one leg out in front of you until it’s straight, squeezing your thigh muscle. Hold briefly, then lower it back down with control. Alternate legs or complete all reps on one side before switching.
3 Sets, 10 Reps (each leg). (Materials needed: chair)
This Delicious Healthy Spinach Dip is the perfect guilt-free snack, packed with flavor and wholesome ingredients. Whether you’re hosting friends or craving a light bite, it’s a tasty way to enjoy a classic favorite.
Enjoy This Healthy Recipe!
Delicious Healthy Spinach Dip
- 2 x 10 oz packages chopped spinach, frozen
- 1/2 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced + 1 small garlic clove, grated
- 1 medium carrot, finely grated
- 2 tbsp oil, for frying
- 2 cups Greek or regular plain yogurt, at least 2% fat
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper, to taste
Defrost spinach in a colander overnight or microwave it. Squeeze out excess water and place in a medium bowl. In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, sauté onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, and carrot in a bit of oil for about 7 minutes. Add to the spinach along with yogurt, mayo, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Grate in more garlic to taste. Chill for a few hours if possible. Serve with pretzel chips or brown rice crackers.
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4 Simple Strategies for Stress-Free Leaf Cleanup
For many of us, autumn is one of the most beautiful times of the year. There’s nothing like the cool refreshing air and breathtaking fall foliage. However, with the changing of the seasons comes a chore that we all dread– raking leaves.
Thankfully, there are a few easy ways to make raking the leaves more enjoyable. If you need help with your follow through on this chore, keep reading!
1. If you can, rake downhill
Raking leaves is hard enough without having to go against gravity. Make this process a little easier on yourself by raking downhill.
2. Pull the leaves towards you as you rake
This technique helps keep stress off your back and prevents injury. For extra preventative measures, tighten your abdominal muscles as you move.
3. Divide your lawn into sections
If you’re dealing with a huge lawn, don’t overdo it by trying to tackle all the space in one day. Instead, divide your lawn into smaller, more manageable sections and spread the work out over a couple days.
4. Wear the proper clothes
To prevent blisters or bug bites, it’s important to wear long sleeves and long pants while raking. It’s also a good idea to invest in a pair of strong gloves to protect your hands while you work.
Our Patients Get Great Results
“Excellent Physical Therapists, Assistants, and Aides! Upon needing work on several joints, they got me up and running!”
-David A.
Share Your Success Story
Your journey to recovery is important to us, and we’re proud to have been a part of it! If Aspen Ridge Physical Therapy has helped you feel stronger, move better, or get back to doing what you love, we’d be honored if you shared your experience in a Google review. Your story could encourage someone else to take the first step toward healing!
