Physical therapists can do a lot to help people with arthritis-related knee pain. However, exactly what a physical therapist will do to help you may vary. 

Knee osteoarthritis is a common form of arthritis, and it’s estimated that 13% of women and 10% of men over 60 have osteoarthritis of the knee. This type of arthritis can be painful and reduce your ability to do normal daily activities like walking. However, physical therapists can help you better manage your knee arthritis pain and other symptoms, and there are several therapy techniques they can use to do so. 

Three physical therapy techniques that can help with knee arthritis pain

Managing knee arthritis effectively means finding ways to reduce your pain and other symptoms. A physical therapist is perfectly placed to help you meet this goal. These specialists can help you reduce your knee arthritis symptoms using therapy methods such as: 

1. Cupping — This therapy method involves a therapist attaching a silicone cup to the soft tissue around your knee. Such cups are attached by using a special pump to create a vacuum inside the cup. Cupping can help your knee arthritis in many ways; one study reports that cupping therapy helped knee osteoarthritis patients reduce their: 

• Knee discomfort by more than 46%. 
• Morning stiffness by more than 49%. 
• Tenderness by nearly 40%.

2. Therapeutic exercise — Exercise can be an effective treatment option for knee arthritis, especially when it’s supervised by a physical therapist. These specialists can help you by showing you how to do therapeutic exercises specifically designed to help your arthritic knee. 

For instance, they can help you institute a daily walking schedule that can benefit your knees. A study reveals that walking between 5,900 and 6,000 steps per day helped reduce knee sensitivity in knee osteoarthritis patients by 67.3%. 

3. Movement pattern reeducation (MPRE) — How your knee moves when you walk, sit and do other activities can affect your arthritis symptoms. Physical therapists can use MPRE, or neuromuscular reeducation, to help improve your knee movement. As a result, you could experience a reduction in knee arthritis symptoms. One study shows that MPRE helped reduce knee osteoarthritis pain by 56% after 20 sessions. 

Find help with your knee arthritis pain and other symptoms at Franklin Rehabilitation

Tired of living with a high level of knee arthritis pain? Our specialists at Franklin Rehabilitation are ready and willing to help you find ways to decrease your knee arthritis symptoms. We offer free screenings that can help pinpoint underlying issues that are increasing your arthritis symptoms. Additionally, our physical therapists excel at building individualized therapy plans designed to: 

• Reduce arthritis-related pain.
• Improve joint mobility and function.
• Increase your ability to do normal daily activities. 

Contact our team today for more information about our arthritis treatment services or to schedule an initial appointment.