Relieving Arthritis Pain with Osteopathy

Arthritis is a painful and common problem that affects both men and women of all ages. There are many different types of arthritis, with the most commonly heard of and diagnosed being “Osteoarthritis” and “Rheumatoid Arthritis”.

A diagnosis of arthritis can come from your GP or specialist and be confirmed by special tests such as X-ray, MRI and blood tests. Physical examination as well as signs and symptoms also give rise to the diagnosis of the type of arthritis that may be present and causing pain.

Management of your arthritis is so important for pain, lifestyle and how it can affect the most common tasks of daily living.  Having the right advice can include when and how to:

• Take appropriate medication
• Use heat or cold packs
• Perform stretches and strength work
• Perform appropriate physical activity such as cycling, hydrotherapy, pilates, yoga and walking
• Have hands on Osteopathic treatment for symptomatic pain relief

When patients come to see us, their Osteopath, for pain relief and management of their arthritis, symptoms they can present with may include:

• Joint pain
• Muscle spasm, tightness and weakness
• Joint stiffness
• Joint crepitus
• Joint locking
• Restricted range of motion in the joints
• Joint and muscle inflammation
• Redness and heat coming from the affected joint/s
• Pain may be described as dull and achy, constant and restrictive – but it can vary from person to person and case to case! as with all medical presentations!!

Activities they may describe to us that aggravate their arthritis can include:

• Sitting too long
• Standing too long
• Being immobile for over 30-60 minutes
• Driving
• Activities that are of a repetitive nature
• Lifting/carrying heavy objects
• Walking for a long period of time
• Climbing up or down stairs
• Being worse first thing in the morning when getting out of bed

Further aggravating factors for arthritis can include:

• Weight gain
• Poor diet such as high fat and sugar diet, lack of vitamin and protein intake
• Stress
• Poor quality or not enough sleep

Hands on Osteopathic treatment aims at improving local joint mobility and muscle flexibility, as well as decreasing local inflammation and muscle spasm.

We do this by using hands on techniques such as:

• Massage,
• Joint mobilization,
• Joint articulation,
• Myofascial release
• Muscle energy techniques
• Stretching
• Dry needling
• Exercise prescription

We are an experienced team of Melbourne Osteopaths highly skilled at diagnosing and treating all types of arthritis and our patients always feel better when they finish at their appointments with us! Let us educate and treat you too for your arthritis and associated aches and pains.