Arthritis & Joint Pain
Arthritis causes stiff, painful joints, and the right exercise is one of the most useful ways to manage it. Joint Effort Physical Therapy helps people with arthritis and joint pain in Hot Springs, Arkansas, with gentle exercise, joint mobilization and a plan for daily life.
Stiff joints in the morning
If you wake with stiff joints that loosen as the day goes on, arthritis may be the reason, and many people live with it for a long time before getting help. We evaluate which joints are stiff and painful and which exercises will help during everyday activity.
You will learn gentle exercises for range of motion, flexibility and function, and how to protect the joint from future flare-ups.
Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
The two common types behave differently, and physical therapy plays a role in both.
Osteoarthritis
The wear-and-tear kind and the most common. Cartilage thins, often after an old injury or years of repetitive work. People call it bone on bone, although the picture on an X-ray does not always match the pain. Strengthening the muscles around the joint is central.
Rheumatoid arthritis
An autoimmune condition that often affects the same joints on both sides of the body. Rheumatoid arthritis physical therapy works alongside your doctor's care, keeping joints moving and muscles strong between flares.
Why arthritis exercise helps instead of hurting
Moving feels risky when a joint aches, yet the right exercise does not wear a joint out faster. Strong muscles absorb load, and motion nourishes the cartilage.
Our plan restores normal joint motion with manual therapy and joint mobilization, builds the supporting muscles with therapeutic exercise and weight-bearing work, and improves how you walk, bend and move. Pain-relieving options such as deep tissue laser therapy can fit in, too. Geriatric care is available through geriatric therapy.
Arthritis in the knee, hip, hand and spine
Knee arthritis
Aching and swelling that are worse with stairs and getting up from a chair.
- See knee pain care
Can you avoid knee replacement? Preparing for surgery
People often ask if they can avoid knee replacement. We cannot promise that, but strengthening and movement often ease symptoms, and your doctor decides when surgery makes sense. If you do have a joint replaced, starting strong beforehand helps afterward. Rehab after the operation is covered on post-surgical rehab.
Everyday changes we work through with you
Your therapist can look at the details of your day, not just the joint.
- Whether a cane or other walking aid would reduce strain, and how to use it
- Gait training so you walk with less stress on sore joints
- Activity changes that spread the load across the day
- A home exercise plan you can keep doing
- Pacing, so good days do not cause bad ones
Pain that has lasted for years
Long-lasting joint pain can change how the nervous system handles pain. Our chronic pain page explains how physical therapy approaches it.
Arthritis and joint pain care in Hot Springs, Arkansas
Joint Effort Physical Therapy treats Arthritis and joint pain at our Hot Springs clinic, 1880 Airport Rd., Suite C.
Not sure whether your plan needs a referral? Call us. As a courtesy, we verify your health benefits before you arrive.
Meet the people who treat you on our team page.