If you are experiencing hip, knee or foot pain caused by osteoarthritis, injury or functional problems, Apex Manual Therapy will identify the root cause to create an effective treatment plan. Arthritis treatment that’s administered by a physical therapist can relieve your pain. In many cases, surgery and medication can be avoided.
Whether you’re suffering from arthritis pain, trying to prevent arthritis, or recovering from surgery, we can help. Our advanced physical therapists have obtained the highest level of orthopedic physical therapy training and are recognized as Fellows of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy (FAAOMPT).
At Apex Manual Therapy your visit is spent entirely one-on-one with an FAAOMPT therapist to provide the very best treatment for your arthritis symptoms. If you are in the Greater Austin or Pflugerville, Texas area schedule a free consultation with our advanced therapists.
We guarantee you’ll see the difference in our approach and your results.
What is Arthritis? What Causes Arthritis?
Most people have heard of the term arthritis but do not fully understand what it is, where it comes from and what can be done about it.
Arthritis is also called osteoarthritis. “Osteo” means bone, “arthr” means joint, “itis” means inflammation. Osteoarthritis is inflammation of the joint.
What many people don’t realize is that osteoarthritis is a normal response to an abnormal stimulus. The abnormal stimulus being poor joint mechanics also known as movement dysfunctions.
Osteoarthritis is considered a degenerative joint disease because it is a chronic or prolonged state of wear and tear.
Who is Affected by Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis can affect anyone at any age but is often seen in people over 65 years old. The Arthritis Foundation reports one in two adults will experience osteoarthritis knee symptoms at some point in their lives. One in four adults will have hip osteoarthritis symptoms by 85 years old.
Osteoarthritis Symptoms and Diagnosis
Arthritis symptoms can be minor inflammation with visual swelling of the joint or a chronic condition with advanced degeneration present. Images can be useful but are not necessary when diagnosing osteoarthritis.
Findings on images may reveal bone changes and decreased joint spacing, but images do not identify the cause of pain or joint degeneration. Some patients with joint pain have zero image findings while others with several image findings may have zero pain. It’s important to take more than image findings into consideration when considering a surgical intervention. Surgery is reserved for those who do not respond to advanced physical therapy care.
A physical therapist helps to identify the source of joint pain for all types of arthritis. Your physical therapist will perform key tests during your evaluation to properly diagnosis the cause of osteoarthritis. This cause of pain, degeneration and swelling must be identified to prevent further damage to the joint and to resolve the pain.
Causes of Osteoarthritis
Remember, osteoarthritis is a normal response to an abnormal stimulus. Abnormal stimulus includes anything which causes faulty operation of the joint.
Examples of what causes arthritis include:
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Obesity places excessive weight and pressure on the feet, hip and knee joints causing significant foot pain, heel pain, hip pain and knee pain.
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Movement dysfunctions also place unnecessary stress and strain on the joints causing poor mechanics.
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Autoimmune diseases or conditions that place an increased breakdown on the joint structures such as Ehler’s Danlos.
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Prior injuries such as fractures or ligament tears may predispose someone to osteoarthritis.
Arthritis Treatment Options
The first step in osteoarthritis treatment is to identify any possible movement dysfunctions to prevent further wear and tear. Assuring proper body mechanics will provide a healing environment, stimulate new cell growth and properly distribute forces as you move.
Studies show manual therapy combined with exercise can provide significant pain relief. This combo of manual therapy and exercise for arthritis treatment also improves range of motion and increases function. In many cases, joint replacements can be avoided.
In cases with prior or scheduled joint replacements, Apex Manual Therapy equips patients with the tools needed to excel in recovery and address the cause of pain and degeneration. The cause can be different from person to person; therefore, a customized treatment plan is designed with patient-specific goals in mind.
Our fellowship-trained therapists hold the highest level of training in orthopedics and manual therapy to provide you with the gold standard of treatment.
Schedule a Free Consult Today to Take Control of Joint Pain
