Physical therapy is an important form of treatment to combat the pain and discomfort caused by arthritis, preferably 5 times per week, with a minimum duration of 45 minutes per session. The goals of arthritis physiotherapy include:
Watch some exercises that can be done at home in this video:
- To achieve the above goals.
- The physical therapist can essentially use 3 methods.
- Electrotherapy to combat pain.
- Moist heat to help deflate the joint and exercises to gain joint amplitude and strengthen muscles.
Warm water bags, hydromassage baths and paraffin baths are some examples of wet heat treatment, which are used to treat arthritis of hands, wrists, feet or ankles due to the ease of application of the technique. Wet heat is able to increase local metabolism. , improve blood circulation, decrease pain, facilitate movement and therefore combat inflammation, allowing better movement performance with the affected joint.
After the use of wet heat, techniques should be used to increase the range of joints and muscles in the affected area through joint mobilization, motion range gain and stretching. Depending on the evolution of the individual, specific exercises must be initiated to gain strength. with the use of elastics and/or weight, at the end of each treatment.
Heat can be exchanged for ice, but ice doesn’t always work as well as the first. It is up to the physical therapist after evaluating the individual to decide what is the best therapeutic approach for him.
Home treatment for arthritis is to avoid efforts and bad postures, but it doesn’t just sit or lie down all day, it’s important to have an active lifestyle to ensure minimal muscle effort and improve blood circulation. In the case of hand arthritis, an excellent treatment at home is to immerse your hands in a puddle of warm water for 20 minutes, then open and close your hands and fingers several times in a row on days when you do not have physiotherapy.
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In a more advanced treatment phase, where the individual feels less pain and is already able to perform some kind of strength with the affected muscles, regular exercises such as swimming should be indicated, for example, that they will strengthen the muscles without damaging the joints. well tolerated and achieving excellent results.
Other exercises recommended for people with arthritis include aquagym, pilates and tai chi.