Arthritis is very common with increasing age. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis in the UK affecting up to 8.5 million people. It is common in adult women in their late 40's onwards than men. It is caused by multiple reasons such as our genetical inheritance, history of trauma, lifestyle factors and more importantly our body conditioning. Although it affects mostly the large joints such as hips, knees and shoulders; it may also affect small joints such as the base of thumb and the big toe.
Being diagnosed with arthritis can be a frightening experience, and many people can feel it means the end of being able to live a normal life. There is evidence to say it is possible for arthritis to be present without pain, meaning you should be experiencing more symptoms such as restricted mobility, stiffness, swelling and weak muscles than it simply showing on an x-ray or a scan.
Our role at Relive physiotherapy is to establish the level of pain and disability from the painful joints. In most cases, we can set up a treatment programme that allows you to return back to activities and helps you to regain the control on your problem. Evidence supports the promotion of a healthy lifestyle and strength conditioning can have a strong impact on reducing the pain and immobility.
