Arthritis or inflammation of the joints may affect many joints or one. There are over hundreds of arthritis types, with various causes and treatment procedures. However, the most frequent of these are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

In the case of rheumatoid arthritis, you are recommended to get physiotherapy for rheumatoid arthritis and in case of osteoarthritis, you must get physiotherapy for osteoarthritis.

They might appear suddenly or may progressively show up over time. While arthritis is most commonly found in adults over age 65, it may also impact adults, teenagers, and sometimes children. Arthritis has higher incidence rates in overweight people and in women compared to men.

physiotherapy for arthritis is highly recommended to the arthritis patients.

• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA): Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common type it is caused when the immune system (the body’s defense system) is not working properly. RA causes pain and swelling in the wrist and small joints of the hand and feet. Treatments for RA can stop joint pain and swelling.

Getting physiotherapy for rheumatoid arthritis will help one in easing the pain and swelling.

• Osteoarthritis: Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting millions of people worldwide. It occurs when the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of your bones wears down over time. Although osteoarthritis can damage any joint, the disorder most commonly affects joints in your hands, knees, hips and spine.

Get physiotherapy for Osteoarthritis depending on where the the pain is, for example: If pain and swelling are in the knee you must get physiotherapy for knee osteoarthritis.

Joint pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints are the most common symptoms of gout. The overall movement may reduce, and the patient might notice redness of the skin around the joint. Impacted patients notice that their symptoms are worse in the daytime.

RA patients might feel exhausted and a reduced desire because of inflammation that the immune system’s action triggers. The patient might also turn anaemic — meaning that the red blood cell count declines — or possess a low-grade fever. Remaining untreated, RA may impact patients with severe deformities.

Treatment and physiotherapy for arthritis are dependent upon the type and degree of arthritis and the impact it has had on the patient. Treatment of arthritis aims to alleviate pain in the joints. What may be suitable for one individual, might not work for others and hence it is very important to work with the treating doctor to obtain a customized treatment plan. Applying ice packs or heating pads locally is useful and arthritis patients also get relief by using canes or other assistance apparatus while walking by decrease pressure to joints.

In some cases where there is a serve impact, the following may be prescribed by the doctor

Medicine for Arthritis

• Analgesics – reduces pain.
• Menthol or capsaicin – cream obstructs the spread of pain in the joints.
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications – assists in controlling inflammation and resulting pain.
• Immunosuppressant – medicine types that help decrease inflammation around the joints

Surgery for Arthritis

• Sometimes to replace the worn out joint with an artificial one. The most frequent replacements are for knee and arthritis impacted due to OA.
• In severe instances of arthritis on wrists or fingers, the ends of the bones are placed together till they heal and fusion is done. These approaches are only for severe cases of arthritis, in which the arthritis pain is intense and if no sort of medicine or physiotherapy in arthritis aids with the recovery.

Physiotherapy for Arthritis

• Physiotherapy for gout entails exercising the joints to strengthen the muscles.
• Physiotherapy may be started immediately on any impacted joints.
• Physiotherapy is most frequently practiced for arthritis in the knee, back pain, shoulder pain, wrist pain and arthritis throat pain.

Advantages of Physical and Occupational Therapy

In Cases of arthritis, the advantage of engaging with occupational and physical therapy program has tremendous advantages as follows

• The patient gets much more information and education about her kind of arthritis and how to manage the same.
• acquires foot-care information, including advice on well-fitting sneakers with shock-absorbing outer bottoms and sculptured orthotic insoles moulded exactly to the shape of every foot.
• The patient learns procedures to enhance performance through action modifications and also learns methods to ease discomfort.

• Recognizing one is affected by arthritis – A physiotherapist will help understand your arthritis better and its impact on muscles and joints. Understanding arthritis may allow handling its consequences with better preparedness

• Managing pain – Arthritic pain may be widespread in joints or may give muscular pain in one or a few portions of the human body. Medications can help and physiotherapy for arthritis can help you get some other procedures of pain relief that work together with existing medications.

Following may be used.

• • Ice packs may be used to soothe warm joints.
  • Heat packs help relax tense muscles.
  • Splinting of painful or swollen joints might be useful, such as in a flare-up of arthritis. The physiotherapist or an occupational therapist (OT) can prescribe temporary splints.
  • TENS (transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation) functions by blocking pain messages to mind and changing the perception of pain. There is A TENS machine a tiny device that sends pulses to a nerve ending through pads and this creates a soothing sensation.