Physiotherapy Techniques for Shoulder Arthritis
Have you been dealing with shoulder pain lately, especially when you move your arm? Do you hear grinding or cracking noises in the joint? Does your shoulder feel stiff and restricted (especially in the morning)? If so, you may have developed arthritis in your shoulder–but fortunately, physiotherapy for shoulder arthritis can help you manage your condition!
While there are many different types of arthritis, the two most common are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis–and both can affect the shoulder:
- Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage in the shoulder joint wears down, causing inflammation in the remaining tissue. It typically only affects one shoulder.
- Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks the lining of the shoulder joint, causing pain and inflammation. It typically affects both shoulders and often starts in small joints (such as your hands or feet).
While neither type of arthritis has a cure, physiotherapy at MSK Centre offers several tools to help manage your symptoms so you can live a full, active lifestyle. Our physiotherapists are dedicated to providing you with the best care possible, using evidence-based techniques and personalized treatment plans to help improve your quality of life.
Keep reading to learn more about physiotherapy for shoulder arthritis–or call our Waterloo, ON clinic to set up your initial appointment!
How Does Physiotherapy Address Shoulder Arthritis?
We strive to provide personalized treatment programs for all our patients, tailoring everything to your specific symptoms, challenges, goals, and interests. For this reason, your first appointment will consist of a comprehensive evaluation.
During the evaluation, we’ll take a complete health history, review your symptoms and challenges, and perform simple movement screens to test your shoulder’s stretch, mobility, and range of motion. This helps us understand the particulars of your arthritis and the specific movements causing discomfort.
Based on this evaluation, our physiotherapists will design a customized program tailored to your needs. We can help in two ways: by providing acute pain relief and by helping you find long-term solutions to manage your symptoms.
Acute Shoulder Pain Relief with Physiotherapy
One of the primary ways we can help with immediate pain relief is through manual therapy. These various techniques involve the physiotherapist using their hands to manipulate, mobilize, and massage the shoulder, helping to promote blood flow to the area, improve range of motion, and alleviate pain. This approach can provide immediate relief and help restore normal function and prevent further deterioration.
We might also incorporate treatment modalities such as heat or ice therapy, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation, as these technology-assisted techniques can further reduce pain and inflammation.
We typically begin each of your sessions with manual therapy and/or pain-relieving modalities to help prepare you for more vigorous treatment.
Managing Shoulder Pain Long-Term with Physiotherapy
However, our goal with treatment isn’t just to mask your symptoms–we want to empower you with the tools to manage your shoulder arthritis and, in many cases, slow its progression. One of the primary ways we do this is through therapeutic exercise.
Movement is crucial in reducing the severity of arthritis symptoms. We’ll start with targeted exercises to improve shoulder mobility and range of motion. Next, we’ll help you strengthen the muscles surrounding the shoulder, which helps provide additional support and stability to the joint–relieving pressure and pain.
We’ll also show you ways you can manage your symptoms at home. This includes simple at-home exercises plus information about maintaining proper posture and performing ergonomic adjustments in your daily activities, both of which help you avoid further strain on your shoulder.
Physiotherapy: A Crucial Part of Managing Shoulder Arthritis!
Our Waterloo, ON-based team is dedicated to helping you find relief and regain shoulder function, ensuring a higher quality of life. Don’t let shoulder arthritis limit your activities—take the first step towards improved health and comfort.
If you’re ready to explore physiotherapy for shoulder arthritis, call MSK Centre today.