Physical Therapy For Arthritis Pain
Many people suffer from arthritis in their shoulder. Physical Therapy will help you strengthen the shoulder allowing you to move the shoulder without increased pain. Since arthritis is a degenerative condition, by actively strengthening the shoulder, you can slow the pace of the arthritis and build a strong shoulder to support your movements.
The first thing is to avoid activities that you know cause pain to your shoulder, which will help to alleviate the strain on the injured area. Some general rules include lifting objects close to the body, avoid pushing exercise in the gym, and maintain good posture at all times. Many people are unaware of their posture, either while sitting or standing, that could be contributing to shoulder pain. Our physical therapists will go over correct posture with you to help you decrease shoulder pain.
Strengthening and stretching exercises help preserve motion. At physical therapy, first we will apply heat, which will prepare shoulder tissues for stretching and strengthening. Here are examples of a few exercises to help you retain the motion of your shoulder and limit pain. Please allow your physical therapist to first explain these exercises to you because some of these exercises should only be done as some of your pain settles.
- Outward Rotation Exercise- Hold your elbows at 90 degrees, close to your sides. Grasp the rubber band provided with your hands and then with your forearms rotate outwards only for two to three inches. Then hold for a total of five seconds.
- Exercise With Lifting - Bending your elbow to an angle of 90 degrees, put the given rubber band near to the elbows. Then, lift your arms up and about four inches away from the body. Hold for five seconds.
- Stretch with Towel - Taking a long towel provided, grasp it with both of your hands. Hold the towel at a 45-degree angle and use the upper arm to pull the arm toward your lower back. This is able to repeated in the horizontal position.
As professional physical therapists, we have patients everyday with arthritis and it is important to fully understand how to improve this condition. Seeing a professional will give you this knowledge and even train you how to increase your mobility at home with a few simple exercises. If you are experiencing pain, it is time for some physical therapy, which is a proven method to reduce the ongoing process of arthritis and decrease one’s level of pain.
Schedule Your Evaluation Today!
Cross Bay Physical Therapy is located in Howard Beach, Queens. Call 718-835-0754 and schedule your evaluation today!
By Benjamin Bieber