Arthritis

What is arthritis?

There are 2 main types of arthritis, osteoarthritis (O/A) and rheumatoid arthritis (R/A).

Whilst o/a affects mainly the joint surfaces of approximately 4 million UK citizens, r/a affects the joints and other parts of the bodies of approximately 400,000 people.

O/a is a disease of the joints, and R/A is a disease of the body affecting its connective tissue such as tendons, tendon sheaths, ski, and the eyes.

Arthritis of the joints(o/a) is mainly what we treat, but r/a can be helped in some instances because of the twists that occur in various parts of the body. Please remember it’s the effects of arthritis we can help with, not the disease.

As we get older our bodies start to show more and more signs of wear and tear. They become less elastic and start to stiffen. Aches and pains tend to last for longer and we cannot do all the things we want, or used to do. These changes can be the first signs of O/A

What’s the answer?

The solution is actually relatively simple. Most of us fight problems, but we need to learn to either out-think or out-maneuver the body. By understanding how the body works, we can educate you so you can help yourself in the long term, and in the short term.  We can also help you with basic pain relief, mobility and help reduce stiffness.

Starting with very simple gentle exercises, advice, and treatment. The first thing to do is to get the body starting to move as pain-free as possible.  This will help you get control of your condition and allow you to have a more normal pain-free life. Controlling the pain and stiffness initially is the most important aspect of overall treatment. This is then followed up by showing you what you can do to help yourself, as the next natural step. Once you are in control, normal or slightly adjusted, activities become the norm again for you.

Keeping healthy

The balance of enough movement, enough rest, controlled exercise, stability, mobility, and diet can help keep us keep healthy and fit.

This can help reduce stiffness, pain and gradually get us in control of our pain rather than it being in control of us.

The treatment is usually gentle and aims to maintain health and prevent further injury. Dietary advice may be given and supplements recommended to help maintain healthy bones and joints and to relieve pain.

 

Effective treatment

Treatment therefore must be gentle and specific for effective treatment of  arthritic strains and sprains. As every joint, muscle, tendon and ligament in the body can be affected to some degree.

It is designed to relieve symptoms, reduce pain and discomfort, reduce the inflammatory process and promote tissue healing. It is also designed to improve joint mobility and stability, as pain is more often than not a result of localised swelling of tissue, which then creates localised pressure and pain.

Effective rehab is also essential and can be very effective. We will shoe you what to do.

 

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