When your joints are inflamed due to arthritis, it can be difficult to comfortably perform even the simplest physical movements. Arthritis pain is a chronic pain condition that can interfere with your overall quality of life, but you don’t have to just grin and bear the ache. 

If you’re struggling with arthritis pain, you’re not alone. In fact, arthritis is the No. 1 cause of disability in the U.S. Since it’s a common condition, there has been a lot of research on how to treat arthritis pain. There are many tips worth utilizing, and we’re going to share a few of them.

Read on to learn about the most common types and symptoms of arthritis pain, tips that can help treat it, and why you should seek physical therapy to treat arthritis pain. 

Common types and symptoms of arthritis pain

Let’s start by talking about the basics. Arthritis refers to conditions that cause joint inflammation. It’s a term that describes more than 100 different conditions and affects more than 20% of all adults in the U.S., adding up to more than 50 million people.  

The two most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

• Osteoarthritis — Commonly known as “wear-and-tear” arthritis, osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that causes the cartilage in the joint to break down gradually over time. It’s the most common type of arthritis, affecting about more than 30 million U.S. adults.
   
• Rheumatoid arthritis — Often referred to as RA, rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that means the body’s immune system is attacking the joints and surrounding tissue, including organs like the heart and lungs. RA affects more than 1 million U.S. adults.

Even though there are many different types of arthritis, they all can cause symptoms including:

• Joint pain.
• Reduced range of motion.
• Tenderness.
• Swelling.

7 tips to help treat arthritis pain

Pain is the main symptom for every type of arthritis, and it can occur in nearly any part of the body. But even though there currently isn’t a cure for arthritis, there are many ways that you can treat arthritis pain so that you can handle your regular routines during flare-ups.

While you can incorporate some of the tips into your daily routine on your own, others may require the instruction and guidance of a health care professional, such as a physical therapist.

Here are seven tips for helping to treat your arthritis pain:

1. Balance your time between rest and activity to reduce the risk of overloading your joints.
2. Avoid cigarettes, as smoking can apply additional stress to your inflamed tissues.
3. Avoid high-impact physical activities, such as running or playing tennis.
4. Relax stiff joints with a warm bath or applying a hot compress to the affected area.
5. Perform stretching exercises with a physical therapist to alleviate pain.
6. Wear supportive shoes to reduce pain while walking with arthritis pain in the lower extremities.
7. Use a crutch or cane to alleviate pressure on joints in the knee or hip. 

Why you should seek a physical therapist to help treat arthritis pain

As we mentioned before, a physical therapist can help you explore the treatment options for arthritis pain, such as helping you perform stretching exercises. But a physical therapist can do more than just alleviate your pain. With techniques like customized exercise plans and manual therapy, they can provide pain management while also improving the overall quality of the affected area.

There are many benefits that you can gain by seeking physical therapy to help treat arthritis pain, including:

• Increased strength of muscles surrounding the joints for improved support.
• Improved flexibility and range of motion.
• Learning habits and lifestyle changes to reduce symptoms, such as stress relief techniques.
• Suggestions for how to reduce the hazards in your home that increase the risk of falling.
• Improved posture to reduce pressure on the affected joints.
• Increased balance to reduce the risk of a fall.

Franklin Rehabilitation can help you treat arthritis pain

As you’re going through your day-to-day activities, there are many tips to keep in mind that can help reduce your arthritis pain. But physical therapy goes beyond that. With pain management techniques, improved joint function and preventive measure suggestions, Franklin Rehabilitation can help your current arthritis pain as well as help decrease it in the future.

From hands-on manual therapy techniques to posture adjustments, our experienced physical therapists can help you return to your daily activities without being held back by arthritis symptoms.

Call us or request an appointment today if you’re interested in how we can treat arthritis pain.