Benefits of Physical Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis – Blog Post Knee osteoarthritis impacts millions of americans every single year, and is one of the leading conditions we treat at Results Physiotherapy. Patients who have symptoms associated with knee osteoarthritis (OA) often experience pain, stiffness, swelling, and an inability to perform many activities throughout the day. Knee OA can develop from natural wear and tear, aging, and physical trauma or surgery. Physical therapy is a great treatment option for those who currently have knee osteoarthritis. We have identified some of the leading benefits one can gain from treating knee osteoarthritis with physical therapy.
Loss of strength is one of the things that most patients complain about when it comes to knee osteoarthritis, and physical therapy can be a great option for those who are looking to rebuild or improve their strength. Low-impact exercises can help individuals build their strength without having to add extra stress to the joints that are painful. With low-impact exercises, patients develop strength in some of the supporting muscles and structures to better support the knee joint as well as reduce some of the strain that is placed on the knee with osteoarthritis. A common misconception is that people need to avoid strengthening or weight-lifting type exercises when diagnosed with knee OA. Strengthening the knee has actually been shown to reduce pain and improve the ability to complete activities . One of the drawbacks of knee osteoarthritis is that many individuals begin to reduce their activity levels because of the pain they experience which can also result in a loss of muscle and strength. To prevent this loss of strength, your physical therapist will work closely with you to ensure that you’re implementing strength-building exercises that will not only help you reduce the loss of strength from inactivity but help you increase stability throughout your body to alleviate the burden on your joints.
Another great benefit of physical therapy for knee osteoarthritis is that patients can also learn more about knee osteoarthritis, how it affects them, and gain info about stretches, exercises, and other manual therapy techniques that can help them alleviate pain. When working with a PT at a Results Physiotherapy clinic near you, you’ll be able to receive answers to questions or concerns you might have. Your physical therapist will also be able to provide key insight into other topics that are related to your knee osteoarthritis that can also help you alleviate pain or prevent pain in the future including activity recommendations, ways you can modify certain activities to alleviate pain, the benefits of maintaining a healthy weight to reduce strain on your joints, whether surgical intervention is needed, and more.
One of the leading issues that patients deal with when they experience knee osteoarthritis is their limited range of motion or inability to perform certain tasks and functions. Throughout the course of your physical therapy treatments, a physical therapist will work with you to identify areas where your range of motion is limited and work to implement exercises and stretches that will help you improve your range of motion in your knees. For those individuals who feel extra stiff in the morning or have had to avoid doing certain daily activities because of the pain you feel from knee osteoarthritis, these knee exercises and stretches can help you get back to doing the things you love. Your physical therapist will prescribe specific mobility exercises to help lubricate the joint in the same way that you can apply oil to a door hinge and help it to move better.
When experiencing knee osteoarthritis pain, one of the things that individuals can do to alleviate some of their existing pain is to modify some of their daily activities to reduce the likelihood of experiencing pain throughout the day. Physical therapy can help you identify some key changes you can implement throughout your daily routine to change up some of the normal methods you use to perform certain tasks to make them easier and manage some of the pain you could be experiencing. A good example of an activity that many individuals experiencing knee osteoarthritis pain that needs to be modified could be putting on your socks and shoes in the morning. Your Results physical therapist will work with you to identify similar activities that could flare up the pain you experience and make key recommendations on how to adjust your daily routine to reduce the flare-up episodes and help you manage your pain in the future.
Knee pain doesn’t need to slow you down, and physical therapy can help you alleviate and prevent pain. If you’re currently dealing with knee osteoarthritis or other common types of knee pain, our licensed physical therapists can help you address the underlying issues that could be contributing to your pain and help you alleviate the pain you experience. Our physical therapists at Results Physiotherapy will work with you to identify contributing factors to your knee pain, educate you on injury prevention techniques, and introduce you to new exercises, stretches, and other manual therapy techniques that will help you recover and get back to doing the things you love most. Schedule an appointment today at one of our local physical therapy clinics near you!
