After most bone and muscle injuries, patients benefit from physical therapy to minimize pain and restore movement. Initial physical therapy treatments may focus on controlling pain and improving healing of the bone, tendon, or muscles, with the use of ice or electrical stimulation treatments. Massage may also be used to ease muscle pain. A physical therapist guides the patient in exercises to gradually stretch and strengthen the muscles. Range of motion exercises are often prescribed to patients to help improve joint function after an injury. The goal of these exercises is to maintain flexibility and gently increase the range of joint and muscle movement while decreasing pain, swelling, and stiffness. The exercises may vary depending on the part of the body that was injured. There are are three common types of range of motion exercises: Passive range of motion exercises are performed while the joint is moved by an assistive device or by a therapist Active range of motion exercise...
Arthritis is a condition that causes pain, stiffness and swelling in the joints. Osteoarthritis is a common form of arthritis caused by the wearing down of the cartilage that protects the bones of a joint. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition caused by an inflammation in the lining of the joints. Both forms of arthritis, cause pain, tenderness, and swelling, and may result in loss of movement in the affected joints. Over time, joints affected by arthritis may become severely damaged. Arthritis occurs more frequently in older individuals, however it sometimes develops in athletes from overuse of a joint or after an injury. It can however, affect people of any age, including children. Therapeutic Methods for Treating Arthritis A physical therapy program may be effective at keeping joints flexible, increasing mobility, relieving pain and possibly slowing the degenerative process of the disease. Physical therapists can teach proper body mechanics and posture, which may hel...