Osteoarthritis
What is osteoarthritis?
Most often, the term “osteoarthritis” is shortened to “arthritis” in everyday language. It is a broad term used to describe the process of wear and tear at any joint in the human body. Arthritis occurs when there is progressive breakdown of the cartilage and bones that make up joint surfaces. Common areas of arthritis include the hips, knees, big toes, spine, wrists, and fingers.
Common Symptoms
- Joint stiffness
- Aching joint pain
- Decreased range of motion
- Swelling at the joints
Treatment Strategies
Although arthritis is an irreversible process, there are many strategies to manage the pain, discomfort, and loss of function that many people experience. A combination of self-management strategies and physiotherapy, chiropractic, or massage therapy can be extremely effective in the management of arthritis.
Some of the treatment techniques that may be beneficial include:
- Manual therapy
- Exercise based therapy
- Acupuncture
- Dry needling
- Electrotherapy
- Ultrasound/LASER
- Active release technique
- Instrumental assisted soft tissue mobilization
- Flexion distraction
- Selective functional movement assessment
- Therapeutic massage
- Myofascial release
- Deep tissue massage
- Relaxation massage
- Hot stone massage
- Reflexology