Category: Arthritis

Why you should be treating arthritis pain without the meds
Osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis. Gout. Psoriatic arthritis. There are many different types of arthritis that could be making your movements painful.

Arthritis is a catchall term used to describe more than 100 different kinds of joint pain and joint disease. The broadness of this category is likely one reason that more than 54 million Americans suffer from some type of arthritis. Arthritis medications and pain medicines are often the first line of defense against arthritis symptoms. However, they can cause some nasty side effects. If you’re looking for a treatment for arthritis that helps you go without medicines, consider using physical therapy.

Why you should be trying to treat arthritis pain without medications

There are many reasons that you should be trying to treat your arthritis pain without meds. One of the biggest reasons is that the meds used for arthritis often have serious side effects. Depending on the type of arthritis you have, doctors may prescribe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids or antirheumatic drugs. All these medications carry a risk of side effects.

Some of the common side effects these medicines can cause are:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Rashes
- Dizziness
Taking meds to battle arthritis symptoms can also increase your risk of developing other serious health conditions. Many patients taking arthritis meds are at higher risk of:
- Blood clots
- Heart attacks
- Strokes
- Cataracts
- Osteoporosis
Ready to improve your arthritis symptoms without taking more meds? Excel Sports & Physical Therapy is here to help you!

Physical therapy can be an effective option for treating arthritis symptoms without medication. One medical study reports that it helped hip osteoarthritis patients reduce their pain by more than 30% after 12 weeks. Our team at Excel Sports & Physical Therapy is committed to helping you get great results from your arthritis therapy. We’ll start by performing a free screening of your arthritic joint(s). This gives our team the chance to learn exactly how arthritis is affecting you. Next, our therapy specialists will design a personalized arthritis therapy plan to fit your specific needs.

Things keeping you at home? No problem! Our team is currently offering virtual care and at-home therapy that can help you, and both services are intended to help you get high-quality therapy without even leaving your home.

Are you ready to start getting our help with your arthritis treatment? Contact our team today for more information or to schedule a free screening.
July 3, 2020
Four ways to treat arthritis pain
You have more options than ever for treating the day-to-day aches and pains of arthritis in the current generation of medicine. When combined with professionally monitored physical therapy, you can use all of the following tips to relieve the symptoms of arthritis while improving the strength and the mobility of your muscles.
1. A weight loss program
In many cases, arthritis is either caused or exacerbated by the condition of obesity. Your physical therapy can include a program of weight loss or maintenance. This allows you to take the pressure off your joints and free up the flow of blood and nutrients to your entire body.
1. Changing your footwear
It’s especially important to pay attention to your footwear if you have arthritis in the knee. Your therapist can suggest special footwear or insoles that can help to treat and relieve the pain and other immediate symptoms of arthritis. Additionally, such changes can help reduce pressure on weight-bearing joints. They can also help improve your walking ability.

One of the most important suggestions to consider, if it’s given, is a knee brace. Osteoarthritis that occurs with knee instability is one of the more debilitating conditions that can be caused by the arthritis condition. You’ll also reduce your risk of further injury if you correct your walking patterns with a knee brace.
1. Exercising consistently
Few treatments for arthritis pain are more effective than exercising on a consistent basis. Overall, any physical therapy program is meant to change your lifestyle, not provide a short-term solution. Your physical therapist will be able to help you with the technique of exercising, but it’s up to you to do those exercises every day once you’ve learned them.

An exercise program that is properly implemented can help you to reduce the pain of arthritis. It may also be able to improve your muscular strength and help to reduce the symptoms of arthritis in the future.
1. A strong self-management program
Your physical therapy program is designed to equip you with ongoing arthritis pain treatment techniques and new habits. Your goal should be to put these techniques and habits to work in your everyday life. However, you must keep your eyes open and note down which techniques work for you. You may even want to take physical notes when working with your therapist.

Rehab Access offers physical therapy-based arthritis pain treatment

Don’t let arthritis pain stop you from enjoying life. Our team at Rehab Access can develop an arthritis pain treatment plan that you can use consistently. Your plan will be designed to reduce your day-to-day pain and help you develop habits that will improve your body overall, not just relieve symptoms.

To get you started with your arthritis therapy, we offer complimentary screenings. Our team can also help you treat arthritis symptoms from home if you find going out difficult. This is possible thanks to our virtual care service. During a virtual care appointment, you’ll work with a physical therapist over a secure online video connection.

Ready to take the next step to reduce your arthritis symptoms? Contact our team today for more information about how we can help you or to schedule an initial appointment.
July 2, 2020
Physical therapy-based treatment options for your arthritis pain
Joint pain. Stiffness in your joints. Difficulty walking or playing with your grandkids. These are just some of the effects arthritis can commonly have.

For the more than 54 million Americans who have arthritis, physical therapy can be an excellent option. Using physical therapy to treat arthritis might not be a new suggestion for you. Physical therapy has been a respected treatment option for decades, and it’s known for helping joint pain and stiffness.

You may have resisted trying this treatment option because the idea of putting yourself through painful exercises is not an appealing one. Yet physical therapists can make those moves much less grueling than you might think. Physical therapy is not meant to be painful. More importantly, three types of physical therapy for arthritis pain exist that you may not even be aware of.
1. Learning new ways to get around
Occupational therapy is a type of physical therapy that has several applications for arthritis patients with pain. For example, your physical therapist can use it to help you find new ways to accomplish your daily tasks without pain. In addition, these specialists can identify body positions, along with non-ergonomic work setups, that contribute to pain.

Your therapist can also help you find ingenious workarounds for many of the moves that increase aching in joints that you might never have guessed. Some of these workarounds include better ways to:
- Go up and down the stairs
- Empty the dishwasher
- Hold and play with your grandchildren
- Grab objects without bending over
1. Helping you find ways to lose weight
Physical therapists can help patients figure out how to manage and lose weight, which is a key goal of physical therapy for arthritis pain. There are many people who are carrying around a few extra pounds. In fact, it’s estimated that 39 million of the adults with arthritis are also overweight.

Losing some of this extra weight can greatly benefit patients with arthritis. Even just a small decrease in weight can have huge effects since 1 pound of extra weight equates to 4 pounds of added pressure on your joints. This means that losing just 5 pounds could reduce the pressure on your joints by about 20 pounds.
1. Revealing helpful exercises
What you may think of as “traditional” physical therapy can also do a world of good for arthritis pain. Gentle exercises, which you can also do at home, can help you limber up your stiffened joints and muscles. Research has shown that physical therapy exercises helped hip osteoarthritis patients reduce their pain by more than 30%.

Such exercises can also help to:
- Strengthen surrounding muscles for better joint support
- Increase joint range of motion
- Improve your ability to do normal daily tasks
Excel Sports & Physical Therapy offers treatment for arthritis pain

Looking for effective physical therapy for arthritis pain? Our team at Excel Sports & Physical Therapy is ready and willing to help you. We offer free screenings designed to reveal how arthritis is affecting you and what type of arthritis you’re dealing with. Our team can use this data to build you an individualized therapy plan, which can help reduce your pain and stiffness. We’re even currently offering at-home therapy and virtual care services to help you get therapy from home.

Contact our team today for more information about our arthritis therapy services or to schedule your initial appointment.
July 2, 2020
How would you feel without arthritis pain? Find out with physical therapy!

Chances are using physical therapy to treat arthritis pain isn’t a new suggestion for you. PT has been a respected treatment option for decades, and is known for helping joint pain and stiffness.

You might have resisted because the idea of putting yourself through painful exercises is not an appealing one. Yet, physical therapists make those moves much less grueling than you might think. More importantly, several types of physical therapy for arthritis pain exist that you may not even be aware of.

Getting in a daily walk

Physical therapists offer many techniques that can help treat arthritis pain. One therapy technique that your therapist may recommend is something you can do every day: take a walk. In fact, studies show that getting plenty of steps can lead to improved joint function. Researchers from one study reveal that every 1,000 steps that knee osteoarthritis patients walked led to an up 18% increase in knee function.

Learning new ways to get around

To deal with arthritis pain, your physical therapist can help you find new ways to accomplish your daily tasks without pain. For instance, your therapist might teach you how to use a grabber to avoid bending over. These specialists also identify body positions, along with non-ergonomic work setups, that contribute to pain. There are ingenious workarounds for many of the moves that cause aching joints that you might never have guessed — whether it’s going up the stairs, emptying the dishwasher or holding your grandchildren.

Making all the right moves

What you may think of as “traditional” physical therapy can also do a world of good for arthritis pain. Gentle exercises, which you can also do at home, help limber up your stiffened joints and muscles. In fact, one study reports that a home exercise program reduced pain by 26% after four weeks. They also strengthen surrounding muscles for better support, and increase your range of motion. All are designed to help arthritic patients move more freely, and with less pain.

Whatcom Physical Therapy can help you find personalized arthritis treatment

Are you ready to find a physical therapy team that can help you treat arthritis pain? Our team at Whatcom Physical Therapy is just the team you need on your side. We offer free screenings designed to help reveal the type of arthritis and symptoms you’re living with. Our therapy specialists also excel at constructing individualized therapy plans intended to reduce arthritis symptoms.

Things keeping you at home? No problem! Our team is currently offering virtual care sessions that allow you to get the therapy you need without leaving home. Even better, you don’t need a doctor’s referral to use any of our therapy services.

Take the next step to start getting our help with your arthritis. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.

July 2, 2020
Three physical therapy methods that are effective for arthritis pain
Chances are, using physical therapy to treat arthritis isn’t a new suggestion for you. Physical therapy has been a respected treatment option for decades and is known for helping joint pain and stiffness. You may have resisted because the idea of putting yourself through painful exercises is not an appealing one.

Yet, physical therapists make those moves much less grueling than you might think. More importantly, several types of physical therapy for arthritis exist that you may not even be aware of. Here are three ways that physical therapy can help treat your arthritis pain:
1. Learning new ways to get around
Walking your dog. Weeding the garden. Frolicking with your grandchildren. These are all normal daily activities that arthritis pain can make more difficult. To deal with arthritis pain, your physical therapist can help you find new ways to accomplish your daily tasks without pain.

These specialists also identify body positions, along with non-ergonomic work setups, that contribute to pain. There are ingenious workarounds for many of the moves that cause aching joints that you might never have guessed — whether it’s going up the stairs, emptying the dishwasher or holding your grandchildren. In addition, your therapist can recommend and demonstrate assistance devices that can make your daily tasks easier on your joints.
1. Spending time in the pool
Your physical therapist may also recommend spending time in the pool as part of your arthritis pain treatment plan. This therapy technique is known as aquatic therapy.

Aquatic therapy typically takes place in a heated pool. The heat can help loosen up your joints, but that’s not the only way this technique can help you. Your therapist will also have you perform certain exercises while you’re in the pool. One medical study on aquatic therapy for hip and knee osteoarthritis patients revealed that 12 weeks of it helped:
- Decrease pain scores by five points on average
- Improve joint function scores by five points on average
- Increased quality-of-life scores by seven points on average
1. Making all the right moves
What you may think of as “traditional” physical therapy can do a world of good for arthritis pain. Gentle therapeutic exercises, which you can also do at home, help you limber up your stiffened joints and muscles. They also strengthen surrounding muscles for better support and increase your range of motion. In fact, researchers report that a four-week physical therapy plan helped improve pain and function by 52% in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Need physical therapy for arthritis pain? Peak Performance has you covered

Are you looking for effective physical therapy for your arthritis pain? Our team of physical therapy specialists at Peak Performance can help you get the therapy you’re looking for. We offer free screenings that are intended to reveal how arthritis is affecting you specifically. Using this data, our team can then construct an individualized therapy plan for you that’s designed to reduce your pain and other arthritis symptoms.

Things keeping you at home? No problem! Peak Performance is currently offering at-home therapy and virtual care sessions that can help you get therapy right from your home. Additionally, you won’t have to go to your doctor for a referral before starting your therapy with us.

Contact us today for more information about our arthritis therapy options or to schedule your initial appointment.
July 2, 2020
Is it arthritis if my knee hurts when straight but not when bent?
Often, when people suffer from knee pain, they experience pain as a sensation when bending the knee. However, some conditions cause the knee to hurt more when it’s straight rather than when bent.

If you suffer from knee pain when it’s straight but not when bent, you may be wondering about the cause and how it can be treated. Some have concerns that this pain could be the sign of arthritis. While it’s possible that your knee pain when straightening your knee could be related to arthritis, it’s more likely related to runner’s knee or jumper’s knee.

Potential reasons your knee hurts when straight but not when bent
- Runner’s knee — Also known as patellofemoral pain syndrome, runner’s knee is a condition in which your kneecap shifts out of place. When the kneecap is out of its position, it’s very painful and can affect your ability to straighten your knee.
You may develop runner’s knee if the tendons holding your kneecap in place become too tight or too weak. Injuries to the knee or frequent running on overpronated feet can lead to the development of this condition.
- Jumper’s knee — Also known as patellar tendinitis, jumper’s knee is a condition in which the tendons around the kneecap become inflamed. Inflammation on these tendons can develop from overexertion of the knee in activities that involve a lot of force, like jumping. When you have jumper’s knee, it can be painful to fully extend your leg.
Visit Peak Performance Sports & Physical Therapy for knee pain treatment

Are you suffering from pain when straightening your knee? This pain might keep you from enjoying most of your favorite life activities. Our physical therapists at Peak Performance want to help.

Our team can examine your knee condition and determine a course of treatment that can help reduce and prevent your knee pain. The treatments we provide are always personalized to the needs of each patient, including methods like:
- Therapeutic exercise and stretches
- Joint mobilization
- Soft tissue mobilization
- Gait analysis
- Balance exercises
- Posture education and more
Contact our team today for more information about knee pain or to schedule an initial appointment.
June 3, 2020
Fun activities you can still enjoy when living with arthritis in the knees
If you’re living with knee arthritis, you may feel like you can’t do many of the activities you enjoy. However, it’s possible for you to still do many fun activities with arthritic knees.

Researchers estimate that more than 80% of patients who suffer from osteoarthritis have it in their knees. People with this issue often feel like they should just stay still as much as possible, the thought being that less movement equals less pain. However, the opposite is usually the case. Moving the arthritic joint regularly can help lubricate it and reduce pain. Additionally, there are plenty of fun activities that can offer these benefits when you’re living with knee arthritis.

Three activities you can enjoy while living with arthritis in your knees

Knee arthritis sufferers might be surprised to find that they can still do many fun activities. You might have to make some adjustments to activities you enjoy, but they can still be as fun as before. Three activities you can still do when living with knee arthritis are:
1. Hiking — You might not be able to go on long hikes or hike difficult trails, but hiking can still be a fun activity for knee arthritis sufferers. There are some adjustments you can make to minimize the impact of this activity. One is to use walking poles as these can help take some of the impact produced by each step. You should also wear sturdy, comfortable shoes. Be sure to stretch before your hike and plan hikes that are short and on even terrain. Knee braces can also be worn to minimize the impact hiking has on your joints.
1. Cycling — This activity allows you to improve your cardiovascular fitness and leg strength. It’s also low impact, which is important if you have knee arthritis. Cycling can be especially fun for arthritis patients because it allows them to experience the sensation of speed. This can be especially uplifting if you feel like arthritis has slowed you down. If you have knee arthritis, you can benefit from making several modifications to your cycling. Some of these include sticking to paved surfaces, stretching beforehand and making sure your bike is properly adjusted.
1. Swimming — Moving around in water can be a way to have fun and move your joints while putting less stress on them. The buoyancy of water helps support the body’s weight. This means that if you’re in water up to your neck, 90% of your body weight is supported. You should still stretch before swimming, and you may also want to consult a swim instructor on the best strokes to use. Additionally, the instructor can help you ensure that your form is correct.
Whatcom Physical Therapy can help make living with knee arthritis easier

Do you want to find more ways to make living with arthritis in the knees easier? Our team at Whatcom Physical Therapy is ready and willing to help you. We offer free screenings that can help us learn how arthritis is affecting you. Using this information, our specialists can then create a personalized therapy program designed to reduce your pain and improve your quality of life. We even offer virtual care that can help you get the therapy you need while things are keeping you at home.

Don’t wait to start getting our help with your arthritis. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.
June 3, 2020
Three tips you need to know for managing hip arthritis pain
Waking up to pain and stiffness in your hip. Feeling pain in the hip when walking or climbing stairs. Hip pain after sitting for a while. All these issues are ones people with hip arthritis can face on a daily basis.

It’s estimated that more than 54 million adults in the U.S. have some form of arthritis. Hip arthritis is more common in older people, and one medical study reveals that about 25% of people who live to age 85 will develop hip arthritis. Physical therapists can help you find tips for managing the pain and other symptoms of hip arthritis.

Three tips our therapists recommend for managing hip arthritis pain

For many patients, pain is the most common symptom of hip arthritis. In fact, a medical study reveals that 50% of adults with arthritis have pain on most or all days during a three-month period. Pain of this duration is known as persistent pain.

Our physical therapy specialists can offer hip arthritis patients a number of tips for managing their pain. Three of the most effective are:
1. Pay attention to your body — Many people, including arthritis patients, have gotten out of the habit of listening to their body. However, paying attention to what your hips are telling you can have many advantages for hip arthritis patients. It can help you learn your activity limits. This can help keep you from overdoing it and increasing your pain. Being attentive to your body can help you learn the best positioning for your arthritic hip. In turn, better positioning can make walking, sitting and standing up less painful.
1. Manage your weight — Researchers estimate that about 39 million arthritis patients are also overweight or obese. Most patients don’t realize how important managing their weight can be for reducing their pain. Medical studies show that just one pound of additional body weight can add four pounds of pressure to your joints. Conversely, every pound of weight lost reduces joint pressure by four pounds. In turn, the reduction in joint load can help decrease your arthritis pain.
1. Quit smoking — Smoking is known to cause issues like chronic lung diseases and cancer. But it can also cause your hip arthritis to worsen. A medical study reveals that people who smoke are more than twice as likely to have significant joint cartilage loss than nonsmokers. Additionally, this study reports that smokers had higher pain scores.
Advent Physical Therapy can help you manage your hip arthritis pain

Are you looking for help in managing your hip arthritis pain? Our Advent Physical Therapy team offers just the type of help you’re searching for. Our clinics offer free screenings that can reveal how hip arthritis is affecting you. With this information, our therapy specialists can build you a personalized treatment plan designed to manage or even reduce your arthritis symptoms.

Don’t wait to start getting our help with your arthritis. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule a free screening.
April 4, 2020
Four tips from a physical therapist for living with arthritis in the back
Arthritis in the back, also known as spinal arthritis, can make life difficult for so many reasons. In addition to localized aches and stiffness, the inflammation of spinal facet joints and development of bone spurs can cause nerve compression that leads to debilitating and painful radiating symptoms. Although these symptoms can be difficult to live with and can affect your ability to perform daily activities, it’s important to keep a positive mindset.

While arthritis in the back is not a reversible condition, patients who have been diagnosed with this condition can still learn to manage it. One great form of treatment for people living with arthritis of the back is physical therapy. By working with an experienced and licensed therapist, spinal arthritis sufferers can receive care that helps them improve function, relieve pain and increase mobility.

Practical treatment advice for patients with arthritis in the back

Here are some frequent tips and recommendations that patients seeing a physical therapist for back pain relief can encounter:
1. Stay active — While the symptoms of arthritis may make it feel like exercise is the last thing you want to do, not becoming overly sedentary can be highly beneficial over the long term. Regular activity keeps blood flowing to your back, helps relieve stiffness and can reduce muscle atrophy.
2. Strengthen your core — Supporting muscles do so much to relieve pressure on the spine. A strong core helps arthritis by reducing stress on the joints, which can lessen symptoms.
3. Improve your posture — Another source of unneeded strain on the spinal joints is slouching and other postural issues. Good posture lengthens the spine, which helps to evenly distribute your weight and take pressure off the joints.
4. Stay flexible — Regular stretches help mobilize the joints and soft tissue in the spine to help improve mobility and function in the back.
A physical therapist has the training and experience to help you achieve all of the above in a safe and supervised environment. Therapeutic exercise is extremely important, but it must be done correctly to be fully effective. Physical therapists can also perform passive techniques to help relieve arthritis that cannot be performed alone.

Get expert treatment for arthritis in the back

At Whatcom Physical Therapy, our caring and dedicated team has decades of combined experience in helping patients successfully live with arthritis in the back. This condition does not have to take you out of your life. With personalized care and guidance, we can help you achieve your treatment goals and find long-term relief.

Contact us today to learn more and schedule your initial appointment with one of our friendly representatives.
March 7, 2020
Arthritis in the knees? Here are three exercises to avoid
People dealing with knee arthritis might be happy to know that they’re not alone. Medical studies report that 10% of men and 13% of women who are 60 years old or older have knee osteoarthritis.

One issue that many knee arthritis patients face is the pull to move less because of their symptoms. After all, people could experience more pain and stiffness with certain movements. An example is that walking for a long time can lead to increases in these symptoms. Physical therapists can help you find ways to get moving again. However, these specialists also know there are certain exercises you should avoid if you have knee arthritis.

Three exercises knee arthritis patients should avoid

Therapeutic exercises are a commonly prescribed physical therapy method for arthritis; these exercises are designed to improve your symptoms. In fact, a medical study shows that therapeutic exercise combined with other therapy methods led to a 69% improvement in knee arthritis pain. It’s clear that physical therapists can help you find exercise to help your symptoms, but they can also help you avoid ones that could worsen them. Here are three exercises your therapist may encourage you to avoid when you have knee arthritis:
1. Deep squats — Deep squats involve bending the knee to a 90-degree angle. In many cases, people also do this exercise with added weight. The added weight can increase the stress on arthritic knees, which could increase your pain. Additionally, deep squats depend on knee stability and good form. People with knee arthritis might find it difficult to maintain good form during this exercise. In turn, this can increase your risk of worsening your arthritis symptoms.
1. Deep lunges — This exercise can cause problems for knee arthritis patients as well, as it also requires bending your knees to 90 degrees repeatedly. Unstable joints in arthritis patients might cause issues when trying to do deep lunges. Like deep squats, knee arthritis patients should consider avoiding this exercise.
1. High-impact sports — Sports are used by many people to get some exercise. Unfortunately, certain high-impact sports can lead to increases in your arthritis symptoms. Some can even increase your risk of developing knee arthritis. One study reports that soccer is a sport that can increase the risk of knee arthritis. This study shows that up to 49% of former soccer players had arthritis in their knees.
Peak Performance can help you learn which exercises to do and which to avoid with knee arthritis

Are you unsure which exercises are safe and which should be avoided with your knee arthritis? Our team at Peak Performance is primed to help you. We’ll start off your therapy process by having you come in for a free screening. This will give us the chance to see what symptoms your knee arthritis is causing. Then, our team will build you an individualized therapy plan designed to treat your symptoms.

Take the next step to start getting our help with your knee arthritis. Contact us today for more information or to schedule your free screening.
March 5, 2020
Four tips for living with arthritis in your back
Like other joints throughout the body, the many joints in your spine are prone to developing arthritis. The most common form of this condition is spinal osteoarthritis, which occurs when the protective layer of cartilage that allows for smooth motion between spinal facet joints wears down and causes inflammation. If you have been diagnosed with this condition, you know how difficult the symptoms, including aches, stiffness and radiating pain, can be.

While there is no way to reverse the natural aging process, there are ways to effectively manage and live with arthritis in your back. One of the best methods of treatment for long-term health is physical therapy. Read on for a better understanding of the specific ways that a physical therapist can help you deal with this condition. We’re always here to help, and if you have any questions or would like to learn more, don’t hesitate to reach out.

What therapists recommend for spinal arthritis patients

Physical therapy takes a natural and holistic approach to help patients who are living with arthritis in the back. After performing a comprehensive evaluation, your therapist can work with you to develop a plan that includes therapeutic exercise, manual therapy and other methods designed to increase functioning and relieve symptoms.

Some of the primary objectives and advice that physical therapists are likely to recommend include:
1. Staying active — To fight the aches and stiffness that come with spinal arthritis, staying mobile is one of the best things you can do. Your therapist can work with you on active and passive techniques as well as recommend daily exercises to keep the spine flexible and mobile.
2. Strengthening your core — Strong supporting muscles play a key role in holding up the spine and taking pressure off the joints. Physical therapy programs will involve targeted treatments to strengthen core muscles and stabilize the spine.
3. Improving your posture — Along with a stronger core, actively focusing on posture improvement can help to evenly distribute weight and put less stress on the spinal joints, which can help with arthritis in the back symptoms.
4. Practicing a healthy lifestyle — From managing your weight to ergonomic adjustments to eating anti-inflammatory foods, your therapist can provide education on how lifestyle factors contribute to arthritis in the back.
Our experts can help you live with arthritis in the back

At SOL Physical Therapy + Performance, our compassionate therapists have years of experience helping patients with arthritis successfully manage their condition and improve their quality of life. We’ll help you design a custom treatment plan that is right for your needs and wellness goals.

Don’t let arthritis stop you from living. Contact us today to schedule your initial appointment.
March 4, 2020
Two simple and safe exercises for neck arthritis
Most people are aware that the risk of developing arthritis in some part of their body is quite high. In fact, it’s estimated that osteoarthritis affects more than 30 million Americans. However, you might not know just how common cervical or neck arthritis is. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) reports that cervical arthritis affects more than 85% of people over 60.

Physical therapists offer several treatment options for cervical arthritis, but one of the most effective options is therapeutic exercises. These exercises will be combined into a personalized treatment plan for your arthritis symptoms, and your therapist will choose exercises that are simple and safe for your neck arthritis. Two of the exercises they may include in your therapy plan are:

1. Head tilt

The head is supported by the muscles of the neck, and moving your head can help strengthen and stretch these muscles. However, you might not be able to do strenuous exercises because of the pain and stiffness of your arthritis. One therapeutic exercise that can help strengthen and stretch your neck muscles safely and simply when you have arthritis is the head tilt.

How to do the head tilt exercise
- Start by standing or sitting in a stable chair. Your posture should be upright, and your ears should be centered over your shoulders.
- From this starting position, slowly tilt your head to the left until you feel a stretch in the right side of your neck.
- Hold this position for eight to 10 seconds.
- Return to the starting position, and tilt your head to the right.
- Hold this stretch for eight to 10 seconds.
- Continue to repeat these steps until you’ve stretched both sides of your neck five times.
2. Head rotation

Not moving the head when you have neck arthritis can make it stiffer and more painful, but doing simple and safe exercises your therapist prescribes for neck arthritis can reduce these symptoms. One study reports that joint movement increased the production of lubricating fluid within the joint by 27%. An exercise that can help neck arthritis patients improve their neck joint lubrication is the head rotation.

How to do the head rotation exercise
- Begin by sitting in a stable chair. Keep your back straight and your head centered over your shoulders.
- Without tilting your head, rotate your head to the left as far as you can. Stop at once if you feel increased pain.
- Hold this position for two to three seconds, and return to the starting position.
- Rotate your head as far as you can to the right.
- Hold this position for two to three seconds.
- Keep repeating these steps until you’ve rotated your head in both directions eight to 10 times.
Continuum Wellness can help you find exercises that are safe and simple for neck arthritis

Do you want to find an exercise program that’s simple and safe for your neck arthritis? Our team at Continuum Wellness is primed to assist you. We offer free screenings designed to reveal how neck arthritis is affecting you. Our team will then build you a personalized treatment plan using therapeutic exercises and other beneficial therapy techniques.

Contact our team today for more arthritis treatment information or to schedule a free screening.
March 1, 2020