Physical Therapy , Joint Pain , Chronic Pain , Arthritis Relief

What Physical Therapy Can Do For Arthritis

(Used with permission from the American Physical Therapy Association Private Practice Section)

WHAT EXACTLY IS ARTHRITIS?

What Physical Therapy Can Do For Arthritis

Arthritis is a chronic condition that causes inflammation of the joints. It can cause pain, stiffness, and swelling. The hips, knees, hands, and spine are the most commonly affected joints. Arthritis is not a single disease but an umbrella term that includes a variety of different types. Some of the more common examples are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.

RE-THINK YOUR TREATMENT While physical therapy might not be the first treatment you think of for arthritis, it probably should be. A lot of people with arthritis choose to use medication to manage their pain, stop activities that hurt, and wait for things to get bad enough to have a joint replacement. But this isn’t a great plan – all medications have side effects, even over the counter ones. Reducing activity leads to muscle atrophy and even stiffer joints. Even though joint replacement surgery usually has good outcomes, it does come with its own set of risks and a painful recovery.

WHY EXERCISE? Physical therapy has been extensively researched as a treatment for arthritis, and demonstrates good outcomes. Physical therapists typically start with exercise as the base for arthritis treatment. Exercise helps to regain lost joint motion, decrease feelings of stiffness, and strengthen muscles surrounding the affected joint. These benefits are all somewhat obvious.

What surprises many people is that exercise has been shown to be as effective as medication for pain relief in many types of arthritis, without the side effects.

WHAT ELSE CAN PT DO? Physical therapy has more to offer people with arthritis than just exercise though. Education helps people understand their condition, what to expect, and how to manage it. As experts in human movement, physical therapists are especially good at helping people modify the way they perform certain tasks or activities to reduce strain on joints affected by arthritis. They can also suggest ways to modify the environment at work or home to reduce pain and improve function. They may also suggest things like braces, orthotics, or other devices that can help maintain mobility and reduce pain. On top of all of that, PT has been proven to be a cost effective treatment, too.

TRY PT FIRST With so many techniques that are proven effective in helping people with arthritis, physical therapy is a recommended first line treatment for many types of arthritis. Now that you have a better understanding of what PT can do, hopefully you’ll think of PT first when you think of arthritis too.

References:

Research (peer-reviewed)
1. PT for juvenile RA – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1946625/
2. PT for hip and knee OA – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33034560/
3. Systematic Review for Juvenile RA – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28729171/
Articles and Content
1. Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Physical Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis- https://www.rheumatology.org/About-Us/Newsroom/Press-Releases/ID/718
2. Can physical therapy reduce arthritis pain? – https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/physical-therapy-for-arthritis

Health & Wellness , Physical Therapy , Shoulder Pain Relief , Golf Performance , Sports

Titleist Performance Institute Screen for Golfers

Written by Jeff Eisel, PT, DPT, TPI level 1 Certified

What are your golf goals for this year?

Lower handicap?

Longer off the tee?

Tame the slice?

Limit Shanks?

More consistent ball striking?

Creating clarity in where you are now and where you want to be this year, next year, in 5-10 years is paramount in order to create an organized and meaningful path toward your golf goals. It can be frustrating putting in range time trying to emulate a professional golfer’s swing or mimic swing mechanics from YouTube. This is because if you CAN’T PHYSICALLY create the movements you’re supposed to be working on, you WILL continue to struggle.

Understanding what is preventing you from improving is the first step in moving forward.

Pain, the apprehension of pain invading your swing thoughts, motion limitations, tight muscles, and strength deficits all contribute to common swing faults that limit your ability to produce your best and most consistent swing.

So what can we do about that?

The Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) Screen is a tool developed by Titleist and used to identify physical limitations that are preventing you from optimizing your on course abilities. The TPI screen acts as a roadmap to bridge the gap between where you are now, and where you want to be. A series of 14 golf specific movements will determine what physical limitations are likely affecting your swing. Based on years of data compiled by Titleist on everyone from PGA pros to weekend warriors, your specific TPI screen results are linked to the most likely swing faults that will affect how you strike the ball. Using this tool to optimize your motion and your ability to control it will help produce a more sound and reproducible swing.

A Team Approach

I am the only TPI Certified Expert in the Tri-state area, and as your therapist, I will work with you to develop a home exercise program specific to your deficits. Oftentimes, new motion and abilities will require skill development to control that newly acquired motion. This is where the importance of your golf professional becomes imperative and meeting with your golf pro to work on swing mechanics will be an important part of the process. Tour pros get the advantage of having a team of people helping to enhance their game and there is no reason why you shouldn’t.

This is the year.

Jeff Eisel
DPT, TPI level 1 Certified

For more on the Titleist Performance Institute click on the link below
https://www.mytpi.com/about

Health & Wellness , Physical Therapy , Chronic Pain

Mindfulness – what exactly is it and how do I do it?

Written by Anne Kruse, PT, DPT, Cert MDT, Therapeutic Pain Specialist

When I first encountered the idea of mindfulness I was a busy mother of an infant and a two year old. I was asked by my employer to take coursework in T’ai Chi so I could teach it as part of my job. At that time in my life it seemed exactly like that, just part of my job. But as time has gone on and my practice evolved, I now have a greater understanding of mindfulness.

Mindfulness isn’t a new concept. It has roots in Buddhism and has been integrated into many mind-body therapies such as T’ai Chi and yoga. As much as I hate to say it, I initially thought practicing mindfulness was a waste of my precious time; I had a list of chores to do each day upon returning home from work and didn’t want to miss a moment with my children before bedtime. With more practice I eventually realized that was the key, being in the present.

Mindfulness is defined as awareness of the present moment.

The definition sounds simple enough, but many of us spend a significant amount of time stewing over the past and/or worrying about the future. It is easy to tell someone to let the past go and to stop worrying about the future but it can be difficult to make those changes.

So how can we begin a simple daily practice of mindfulness?

Begin by spending a few minutes being still, quieting the questioning and judgmental thoughts about the past and worries about the future and replacing those thoughts with focusing on something in the moment. Attempt to let your thoughts come and go freely without trying to interpret them. If that proves challenging, choose one specific activity, and focus on it. For example, you could take one bite of food and really think about what it feels like when you first place it in your mouth, what is the texture, the temperature, the flavor and then pay attention to how those things change as you begin to chew the food.

Why is mindfulness important?

(THIS IS THE KEY!)

Worrisome and judgmental thoughts stimulate our sympathetic nervous system which drives our fight-flight-or-freeze response. This response is intended to be a short-lived response to a potential threat. If we are in a constant state of worry and negativity, it results in the fight-flight-or-freeze response running continuously which can lead to changes in our health.

Constant stress can contribute to brain health issues like depression and anxiety, cardiovascular issues, sleep disturbance, digestive issues, and an increased pain response to name a few health concerns.

So, what better time than the present to begin. Mindfulness is easy to do, free and can be done at any time, in any place and in any situation. Like anything, in order to be good at it, it takes practice. So don’t get frustrated when your thoughts stray, just bring yourself back to the present and before you know it, you’ll be living life in the moment.