Here in Ratoath Physiotherapy we see and treat a lot of people with Arthritis. Too often we hear patients have gone for review with a consultant and are told following some imagining that they have Arthritis and they require a joint replacement or their Arthritis is not sufficiently bad enough yet and told come back when it gets bad.
Unfortunately, this leaves a lot of people feeling help less regards their newly revealed diagnosis of Arthritis. They are left with a sense of impending doom, that they have this worn out joint that is forever going to be sore and painful until it is replaced by an artificial joint.
As a result, a large cohort of these people will suffer away afraid to exercise because or their fearful beliefs that exercise will cause further damage to their joints. They will commonly be heard stating ‘sure what can I do’, ‘just got to wait till my surgery’. However, the truth in most cases is quite the contrary.
The beauty of working as a physio is that we can affect change in our patients. Humans are very adaptable and incredibly resilient, we are not simply machines that require a new part once one is worn out. We see the proof of this on a daily basis, a few examples could be a woman who is Osteopenic can improve her bone density through appropriate exercise prescription and lifestyle changes, patients who have Degenerative meniscal tears in their knees can regain full pain free joint range of motion by strengthening surrounding knee and hip muscles despite the tear never healing, or even patients who experience large disc bulges in their spine can return to living a pain free healthy life even before the bulge has fully resolved/recentralized on re-imagining. As Charles Darwin once said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”
Everyone benefits from exercise but, for people with arthritis, the benefits of regular exercise are enormous. It increases strength and flexibility, reduces joint pain, and helps combat fatigue.
Of course, when stiff and painful joints are already bogging you down, the thought of walking around the block, swimming a few laps or performing strengthening exercises might seem overwhelming. But you don’t need to run a marathon or swim as fast as an Olympic competitor to help reduce arthritis symptoms. Even moderate exercise can ease your pain. It is widely recommended that adults should undertake a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise at least five days a week. You can do this in blocks of five to ten minutes if it is too much for you to do in one go.
Following a regular exercise programme enables people with Arthritis to live a more pain-free, independent life. Here at Ratoath Physiotherapy our chartered physiotherapists will assess you and design a personalized exercise plan for you to prolong the life of your joints and start improving your quality of life.
So why not ring or log online and book an appointment to start addressing your arthritic pains and aches today.