St Albert Physiotherapy Ways Physiotherapy Can Help You | Page 7

Arthritis Numbers On The
Rise: Can Physio Help?
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Besides drugs and surgery, healthcare professionals most often recommend
physiotherapy. Here, the practice aims to prevent or delay disability depending
on the severity of the case, increase the body’s functions, alleviate pain, boost
flexibility and strength and encourage the patient to adopt a healthy and active
lifestyle by encouraging regular exercise and a balanced diet.
Here, it is important to distinguish between the many sub-treatments of
physiotherapy that are usually used in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. One
would be cold therapy which, as you probably guessed, involves ice. The
average temperature of the body’s joints is usually around 33 degrees, while in
rheumatoid arthritis it can spike up to 36 degrees, thus damaging the cartilage.
Ice helps regulate the temperature and can help constricting blood vessels
resulting in a decrease in inflammation and pain levels. At the opposite poll and
depending on the case, a physiotherapist can also prescribe heat therapy which
works by reducing muscle spasms and improving the tissues’ elasticity.
Another option which is very much enjoyed by patients and reported to have
amazing health benefits is electrostimulation physiotherapy. This technique
works through minor electrical currents applied on the skin through electrodes.
Unfortunately, this option provides short-term effects, of just over 12 hours which
means that the patients will eventually feel the pain again. Nevertheless, it is a
preferred medical solution as opposed to painkiller prescription.