The word arthritis is used to describe pain, swelling and stiffness in a joint or joints. There are several different types of arthritis—the most common is osteoarthritis, which affects nearly 9 million people in the UK and is the most common cause of chronic joint pain.
What is osteoarthritis?
Factors influencing osteoarthritis
Age: Usually over 45
Gender: More females than males
Weight
Occupation
Genetics
Joint abnormality
Injury or surgery
Osteoarthritis and physiotherapy
Research shows that physiotherapy can be highly effective in the management of osteoarthritis. Our specialist physiotherapists will comprehensively assess you to provide advice and implement an individualised treatment plan. Our aim is to help you manage your condition independently with exercise, education and self-management strategies with the aim of avoiding or delaying surgical or invasive treatments.
Our treatment aims to help symptoms such as:
Joint stiffness
Pain
Swelling
Muscle weakness
Exercise and osteoarthritis
Exercise can improve symptoms of osteoarthritis and overall health and fitness to help maintain a healthy weight—this can also help with other health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. A graded exercise programme will be delivered by your physiotherapist in your session or within the ESCAPE pain programme.
ESCAPE-pain
Enabling Self-management and Coping with Arthritic Pain using Exercise
The ESCAPE-pain programme is designed for people with chronic joint pain from osteoarthritis. It integrates educational self-management and coping strategies with an exercise regimen individualised for each participant. It helps you understand your condition and gives you the tools to manage and cope with pain better. Your physiotherapist will discuss with you a referral to this class, if it is appropriate.
For more information about ESCAPE-pain visit their website where you can start a web-based version of the programme and find lots of useful information and advice on arthritis.
