Benefits of Physical Therapy for Joint Health

Introduction

Joint health is essential in overall health and wellness as the joints allow you to move, stay active, and evade pain. Healthy joints enhance mobility when you bend, hinge, or pull during your daily activities.

They also give you independence in doing things by yourself as you age thereby maintaining your quality of life. Most importantly, healthy joints mean no pain during movements which in turn can improve your mental health.

While healthy joints are the ideal situation, joint issues can arise due to age, weight, injuries, infections, arthritis, and autoimmune diseases such as lupus, and vitamin deficiency, among others. To counter these joint issues there are various interventions including pain relief drugs, supplements, and physical therapy.

In this article, we will focus on physical therapy for joint pain as a treatment option for joint issues and explore its benefits.

What is Physical Therapy?

Physical therapy is an exercise-based approach used as a treatment for joint pain and stiffness. It is usually conducted by professionals who educate patients about various exercises for muscle balance, strength, and coordination.

Physical therapy for joint pain helps ill or injured patients to manage pain and improve movement. It is a vital measure in preventive care, rehabilitation, and treatment for individuals with illnesses, injuries, or chronic conditions.

There are four main types of physical therapy Treatment for joints:

• Stretching: this exercise is used to improve flexibility, posture, range of motion, and blood flow. It can also help prevent injuries caused by strains and sprains.
• Strength training: this can be done with or without exercise equipment. It is a common intervention used to boost recovery, prevent injuries, and enhance overall physical function.
• Massage: this is a complementary joint therapy treatment used alongside other physical techniques to facilitate rehabilitation and healing.
• Heat or cold therapy: physical therapists can either use heat or cold therapy or both to enhance healing. Heat is usually used to increase blood flow and nutrients to the affected area while cold therapy reduces blood flow and lowers swelling.

Physical therapy is conducted by professionals known as physical therapists. These individuals have specialized skills in this field and play the following roles:

• Assessment: physical therapists conduct evaluations to learn about a patient’s joint range, current activity level, and muscle strength.
• Developing treatment plans: once therapists understand a patient’s joint issues, they develop a personalized treatment plan to cater to their specific needs. The plan may include treatment such as exercise therapy for joint pain, manual techniques, or other treatments such as acupuncture.
• Guidance: physical therapists also provide guidance on how to; improve joint function, manage pain, improve posture, use assistive devices, or avoid exercise-related injuries.
• Education: apart from guidance, physical therapists train patients on how to manage their condition and follow their treatment regimen independently.

Understanding Joint Health

Joints are the intersection of two bones. They help make movement possible as they enhance flexibility. There are different types of joints including:

• Fibrous joints (immovable) – these are joints that don’t move. An example is the dome of the skull which consists of bony plates that slightly moved during birth and then fused together when the skull’s growth is completed.
• Cartilaginous (partially movable) – these joints move a little bit. They are linked by cartilage and a good example is the spine. Each vertebra in the spine moves slightly depending on the vertebrae above and below it, giving the spine its flexibility.
• Synovial (freely movable) – these joints move in multiple directions and are found at the shoulders, elbow, wrists, hip, and ankles. These joints are filled with synovial fluid which is the lubricant that allows the joints to move freely. The freely movable joints are further classified as:
1. Hinge joints – allow movement in only one direction such as in the elbows and knees.
2. Pivot joints – allow a twisting or rotating motion such as moving the head from side to side or up and down.
3. Ball and socket joints – allow movement in multiple directions. These joints are found at the shoulders and hips. These joints are designed such that the round end of a bone fits into the hollow of another bone.

Once you understand how all these joints function, you get a clear picture of how it affects mobility. There are common joint problems that affect the mobility and flexibility of the joints such as:

• Arthritis – this is a condition that causes inflammation in the joints and is known to cause joint pain, swelling, stiffness, redness, and restricted movement. The most common types of arthritis are rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.
• Injuries – these can cause dislocated joints where the bones in a joint are pushed out of place. Injuries can also cause sprains and strains where the ligaments or muscles in/around the joint are stretched or torn.
• Tendinitis – this is an injury to the tendons where the tendons attached to the muscles surrounding the bone become inflamed. Tendinitis is often caused by aging, overuse, and systemic diseases such as diabetes.
• Autoimmune diseases – such as lupus cause joint pain, especially in the small joints of the feet and hands. The pain shifts from joint to joint and is associated with swelling and stiffness.
• Infections – such as gout and osteomyelitis cause joint pain. Gout, for instance, occurs when the body overproduces urate or is unable to eliminate the excess. Urate builds up and leads to the formation of needle-shaped crystals that cause joint inflammation. Gout causes severe joint pain, especially in the big toe.

“As we have learned, joint health contributes to overall health. It improves quality of life and allows you to engage in your daily physical activities pain-free. Here are tips to keep joints healthy:”

• Stay active – the more you move, the less stiff your joints become. When engaging in a sedentary activity such as reading, working at a desk, or watching TV, be sure to change positions often. Take short breaks from your sitting positions and get active.
• Wear protective gear – when engaging in activities such as skating, biking, or skiing, padding is important. If already suffering from joint aches, wear braces to provide knee support.
• Lose some weight – being overweight puts strain on your knees, hips, and back. Shedding some weight could help ease the strain on your knees which are responsible for carrying your whole weight.
• Engage in stretching exercises – flexibility is important for joint health, therefore, daily stretches are a must. If your schedule does not allow you, then at least stretch three times a week.
• Engage in low-impact exercises – such as walking, swimming, bicycling, and strength training. These are activities that don’t strain the joints but improve joint flexibility.
• Engage in strength training – boosting your strength makes a whole lot of difference. When your muscles are strengthened, they support the bones in carrying the weight thus reducing strain on your joints.
• Know your limit – although it is normal to experience muscle aches after workouts, persistent pain that lasts more than 48 hours indicates that you have overdone it. Next time you hit the gym, don’t go too hard on yourself.
• Enhance your diet – add fish, milk, and green leafy vegetables to your diet to boost your omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, and vitamin D intake. Omega-3 fatty acids help keep joints healthy and lower inflammation. On their part, calcium and vitamin D strengthen your bones.

Benefits of Physical Therapy

Pain Relief

One of the most important benefits of physical therapy for joint health is pain relief. By engaging in gentle movements, your blood circulation improves thereby allowing the transportation of vital nutrients to the affected area to help in the repair process. Improved blood flow also helps reduce inflammation and prevent fluid accumulation, two factors that delay the healing process.

Compared to surgery, physical therapy offers a non-invasive option that is less risky and costly. It also provides gradual relief and prevents future surgeries.

Physical therapy can also be a better option than medication as it is safer, treats the root cause of pain, offers a long-term solution, and provides a customized treatment plan.

Improved Range of Motion

The range of motion (ROM) is the extent to which a body part can move around a joint. It measures the flexibility of the body part and it involves the bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints.

The range of motion allows you to perform daily activities such as walking, reaching for things, and climbing. When the range of motion is compromised, you will be unable to engage in activities that you enjoy.

Physical therapists engage patients in ROM exercises to help them regain their flexibility, mobility, and strength.

Strengthening Muscles Around Joints

The muscles surrounding the joints play an important role in promoting joint health. Targeted exercises such as squats and lunges can help strengthen these muscles which in turn may reduce pain and swelling, boost flexibility, elevate joint stability, and decrease the risk of injury.

Strong muscles can help take up the pressure exerted on the weakened joints thus allowing the joints time to heal and rebuild their strength.

Enhanced Balance and Coordination

Joint health physical therapy helps to improve body mechanics. Your physical therapists will evaluate your balance and coordination and create a treatment plan that targets issues such as poor posture. Some of the exercises that may be used include single-leg stance, yoga, and tandem walking among others.

With improved body mechanics, re-injury or repetitive strain can be prevented.

Customized Treatment Plan

After the assessment process, your physical therapist will create a customized treatment plan that tackles the specific joint issues you presented. Unlike medication which could give a one-size-fits-all kind of approach, physical therapy focuses on you and provides solutions just for you.

Education and Self-Management

The best thing about joint pain therapy is that your physical therapist equips you with all the information and skills you require to manage your pain and maintain your physical activities at home.

This education is what will keep you going for longer without joint pain as you will understand the right exercise routines and avoid mistakes that could cause re-injury. You will also learn which assistive devices suit you best and how to use them properly to relieve your pain.

Evidence Supporting Physical Therapy for Joint Health

Although you have read about the many benefits of physical therapy above, the question is, does science support it? Yes, it does.

According to a meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, physical therapy is effective in reducing pain, increasing joint range of motion, enhancing joint health, as well as improving muscle strength and mobility in patients with hemophilia.

Another study in the Archives of Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Translation compared 3 physical therapist-led exercise interventions on 514 adults with knee osteoarthritis. On average, all 3 groups experienced a moderate improvement in pain and function.

The Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy provides that physical activity and exercise therapy not only benefit people with hip and knee osteoarthritis but are also effective in preventing at least 35 chronic conditions and treating at least 26 chronic conditions. Unlike other treatments, exercise therapy is not associated with a risk of serious harm.

Apart from scientific studies, there are testimonials by Joint XL Plus customers who have combined the supplement with physical therapy and achieved great results. Here’s an example:

Before discovering Joint XL Plus, my daily jogs were becoming a painful ordeal due to my aching knees and ankles. I stumbled upon Joint XL Plus when searching for a natural solution that wouldn’t just mask the pain but help address the root causes. I started taking it six months ago, and it’s been part of my daily regimen ever since. The difference it has made is night and day – I recover quicker from workouts, and the morning stiffness has greatly diminished. Anytime I skin a few days, I immediately feel the difference in my joints. Joint XL Plus has been an incredible find for maintaining my active lifestyle! – Michael T.

Conclusion

Joint health is an important aspect of overall health and well-being. As such, treatment options such as physical health are a must in restoring your joints back to health and function. Physical therapy for joint pain provides pain relief, enhances your range of motion, strengthens the muscles around joints, enhances balance and coordination, customized treatment plans as well as education and self-management.

If you are suffering from joint pain or stiffness, consider physical therapy as a treatment option as it is non-invasive, affordable, provides long-lasting effects, and keeps you in great shape.

Consult a qualified physical therapist to get a personalized assessment and treatment plan as you embark on your journey to joint health and overall wellness.