What is Arthritis?
Arthritis is a condition that causes damage to the cartilage (soft tissue between the bones in joints). It can affect any joint in the body. There are three different types of arthritis that can affect the knee joint.
- Osteoarthritis – this commonly onsets slowly as people age. The cartilage between joints begins to wear and break down.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis – An inflammatory disease which tends to affect more than one joint. In this condition your immune system destroys the cartilage.
- Post Traumatic Arthritis – this type of arthritis may onset following the injury of your knee, for instance after fractures or sprains. It is similar to osteoarthritis.
Above: Osteoarthritis is a common condition in invidiuals aged 65 and above
What causes Arthritis?
Different types of arthritis have different causes.
Osteoarthritis as mentioned before tends to be the result of ageing and a reduced ability of the cartilage to repair itself.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is thought to be the result of a gene that is activated by illness. This is thought to be the cause of the immune system directing a response to break down the cartilage.
Post Traumatic Arthritis as mentioned previously is the result of previous injuries that may have occurred from impact, repetitive strain or abnormal positioning of the joint.
What are the symptoms of Arthritis?
If you have arthritis, you may be experiencing some of the following symptoms:
- Tenderness
- Stiffness in your ankle
- Pain in your ankle that worsens when you weight bear
- Swelling around your ankle/foot/lower leg
- A reduced ability to walk as a result of the above symptoms
- You may also hear clicking or crunching noises when moving your joints
How is Arthritis Diagnosed?
At Liverpool Physio, our experienced physiotherapists can carry out a high quality assessment to rule out if your symptoms are the result of any other injury, and help to find out if you do have arthritis in your joints. You may require an X-ray, MRI or CT scan to assess the extent of the cartilage degeneration.
Above: Treatment of osteoarthritis in the knee.For more information on how Physiotherapy can help treat arthritis, or to book yourself an appointment or, please contact us via email at office@liverpoolphysio.co.uk or ring us on 0151 558 0077
What would a physiotherapy assessment for Arthritis involve?
At Liverpool Physio we aim to deliver an effective physiotherapy service. To ensure you get the most from your treatment, our physiotherapists will take time to understand your symptoms and problems. Your first appointment will consist of an assessment which is broken down into two parts:
Subjective
Half of this session will be spent in discussion to find out when your symptoms began and what problems they are causing you in detail. Our physiotherapists will want to gain an understanding of the patterns of your pain and stiffness and learn information about any previous injuries you may have had.
Objective
Following this, with consideration of your current pain, your range of movement, walking and muscle strength in your joints will be assessed. Our physiotherapists may also carry out a series of special tests on your joints to confirm the presence of arthritis.
What would physiotherapy treatment for Arthritis involve?
Depending on the extent of the degeneration of the cartilage in your joint, the type of arthritis and your impairment, our physiotherapists can tailor you a treatment that may include the following:
- Advice on orthotics
- Muscle stretching
- Muscle strengthening exercises
- Balance training
- Functional exercises
- Hydrotherapy
- Massage
- Ankle mobilisations
- Heat treatments
- Temporary taping
How can I arrange a physiotherapy assessment for Arthritis?
If you are experiencing pain or aching in your joints, swelling, stiffness or other signs of inflammation, you would benefit from having an assessment by one of our experienced physiotherapists.
You can contact us directly to arrange an assessment and we can advise you if further treatment is recommended, or give you details on self-management for minor cases. To arrange an appointment please email office@liverpoolphysio.co.uk or call 0151 558007I .
Summary
Arthritis is a problem that will persist and continue to cause pain and stiffness without treatment. Here at Liverpool Physio we can provide you with a range of treatment to meet your needs including massage, targeted exercises, and pain relief techniques.
For more information on how Physiotherapy can help treat arthritis, or to book yourself an appointment or, please contact us via email at office@liverpoolphysio.co.uk or ring us on 0151 558 0077.
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