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Take a Proactive Approach to Arthritis Pain

Have you recently learned that your persistent joint pain is the result of arthritis? For many, this can be a challenging discovery, as the most common forms of arthritis have no known cures. But rest assured that you do not have to spend your life living with debilitating joint pain — physical therapy can help!

Arthritis refers to several conditions that cause joint inflammation, leading to its two primary symptoms: pain and mobility restriction. The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis, can cause pain during movement. It’s no surprise, then, that many people with arthritis wind up avoiding physical activity. 

In reality, regular physical activity is one of the best ways to manage arthritis pain. Physical activity can also help delay the progression of arthritis — and help you avoid surgery.

As movement experts, the team at Priority is well-equipped to help you manage your arthritis pain. The physical therapy approach to arthritis management focuses on drug-free pain relief and regular movement. Best of all, it allows you to take a proactive role in your treatment.

Let’s look at what happens when you exercise regularly with arthritis — and what happens when you don’t. And if you’d like to learn more, call us to schedule an appointment today!

Got Arthritis? What To Expect if You Skip Regular Exercise

  1. Your muscles will weaken: One of the big benefits of exercise is that it builds muscle mass. If you don’t exercise regularly, your muscle mass will decrease — especially if you’re older, as muscle mass naturally decreases as we age. 
    • What does this mean if you have arthritis? Without strong muscles, your impacted joints don’t get the strength and stability they need to function, which puts even more stress on them — and means more pain in the long run.
  2. Your joints will get stiffer: Our bodies are made to move, and when we don’t move them frequently enough, our joints don’t get the lubrication they need to run properly. This is as true for people with arthritis as it is for anyone else. Plus, since arthritis causes joint stiffness, not moving will only worsen your symptoms.
  3. You increase your risk of injury: When you don’t exercise, you start to lose everyday abilities like balance, stability, and coordination. You can also develop muscular imbalances, improper biomechanics, or postural issues, all of which increase your odds of suffering an injury.

What Happens When You Do Exercise with Arthritis

  1. You’ll experience less pain: While it’s true that activity can initially worsen arthritis pain, regular exercise will decrease your pain symptoms over time. 
  2. You’ll experience fewer mobility restrictions: Just as regular exercise can decrease pain, it will also help improve your range of motion — meaning you can move more easily.
  3. The progression of your arthritis may slow: Both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis — the two most common forms of arthritis — will gradually worsen over time and may eventually require you to undergo surgery. Exercising won’t cure arthritis, but it will slow the damage to your joints.
  4. You may feel more empowered: Living with a chronic condition is hard. Regular exercise can help you feel like you’re taking an active role in managing your condition and reducing your pain.
  5. You’ll experience other physical and mental benefits: Exercise offers many benefits beyond pain management. It can improve mood and quality of sleep, protect you from heart disease and diabetes, and help you stay active and independent well into old age.

Ready to Start Exercising? Priority Physical Therapy Can Help!

While the benefits of regular exercise for arthritis are undeniable, getting started can be challenging. Which movements are safe for you to perform? Which will provide you with the most benefits? What should you do if even simple movement is too painful? This is where our physical therapists shine! We’ll create a customized arthritis treatment plan that speaks to your needs and abilities. Here’s a taste of all that we can offer:

  • Acute pain management using manual techniques and pain relieving modalities
  • Personalized exercise programs with targeted, progressive exercises that build strength and improve mobility
  • Specialized exercise programs to address balance and other functional challenges
  • Guidance on general exercise programs to keep you moving outside our clinic

Don’t let arthritis keep you from living an active, healthy lifestyle. Call us today to find out more about our arthritis treatment programs!

Green Muffins Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, white whole wheat flour or spelt flour 
  • 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine ground sea salt
  • 1 large egg
  • ¾ cup pure maple syrup
  • ¾ cup dairy or non-dairy milk such as almond milk
  • ¼ cup unrefined coconut oil melted
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 5- or 6-ounce bag of fresh baby spinach leaves
  • 2 medium ripe bananas mashed

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with unbleached parchment liners.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  3. In a blender add egg, maple syrup, milk, oil, vanilla and spinach.  Process until pureed.
  4. Add spinach mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.  Fold in the mashed banana.
  5. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tin, filling cups about ¾ full.  I like to do this with a large ice cream scooper.  Bake about 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  6. Store at room temperature up to 3 days.  These freeze nicely!

Connecting Exercise with Mental Health

Have you been struggling with depression or anxiety? Is it difficult to get out of bed in the morning? Do you find yourself self-isolating or no longer participating fully in work or hobbies? If you answered yes to any of these questions– we want you to know first and foremost that you’re NOT alone. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 20 U.S. adults experiences serious mental illness each year, while 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year.

Mental health struggles are often stigmatized to the point where they can be challenging to talk about with friends, family, and even trusted medical professionals. We can’t stress enough how critical it is to seek help when you’re feeling symptoms of a mental illness. Mental health treatment, like therapy, medication, and self-care, has made recovery possible for so many. We at Priority Physical Therapy want you to know that you have options for your treatment– and you can get started on your recovery today by speaking to a medical professional.

Once you have taken these first steps, you can also begin to make lifestyle changes that positively contribute to your mental health. Can you guess what one of the most influential behaviors we can adopt is? That’s right– exercise! It’s a proven fact that people who exercise regularly have better mental health and lower rates of mental illness. Exercise improves not only our mood, concentration, and alertness but also our cardiovascular and overall physical health. If you don’t currently incorporate exercise into your weekly routine, you may be wondering how you can get started. Maybe you’re wondering how you can begin to get active when your mental illness can make even the smallest of tasks feel impossible.

The good news for all of us is that it doesn’t take much to make a positive change. According to studies, low to moderate-intensity exercise is enough to enhance your mood and thinking patterns. You can start by going on a brisk walk around your neighborhood, taking up cycling, or going for a swim at your community pool. If you believe you could benefit from some extra assistance, don’t hesitate to give Priority Physical Therapy a call. We can design a customized exercise program to help you get out of a funk and into a new, happier phase of life.

Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Quick Dive

Most discussions of arthritis focus on osteoarthritis, and for good reason: it’s the most common form of arthritis in the United States. However, about 2-3% of the population develops rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It causes similar symptoms as osteoarthritis, including joint pain and limited mobility. The good news is that physical therapy can help manage rheumatoid arthritis just as it can osteoarthritis. If you’ve recently received an RA diagnosis, schedule an appointment at Priority Physical Thearpy to learn what we can do for you. 

What It Is

RA is an autoimmune condition occurring when your body’s immune system attacks otherwise healthy cells–in this case, the soft tissue in your joints. Researchers currently aren’t clear on what causes this to happen, however.

Signs and Symptoms

RA’s symptoms tend to go through cycles of flares and remissions. This means you’ll have periods where symptoms are more intense and periods where they are less troublesome. These symptoms include:

  • Pain and swelling in joints on both sides of your body
  • A gradual onset of joint pain, starting with the small joints in your fingers
  • Stiffness and restricted range of motion in the affected joints, particularly first thing in the morning
  • Redness, warmth, and tenderness in the affected joints
  • Fatigue, low-grade fever, and a general sense of feeling unwell

What Else Should I Know?

RA is more common among women than men. As with other forms of arthritis, regular physical activity can help manage RA symptoms. In fact, physical therapy at Priority Physical Therapy offers a great, drug-free approach to managing RA. Want to learn more? Call to schedule your appointment today!

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