5 Reasons Physical Therapy Should Be Part of Your Joint Pain Management Plan

Around one in four American adults experiences joint pain or stiffness regularly, often due to chronic conditions like osteoarthritis or gout. When joint pain strikes, it’s time to review the behaviors that might be making them worse, like poor posture, and consider treatments with joint pain management.

Many regenerative therapies, including prolotherapy and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, initiate healing within painful joints and can even delay or prevent the need for surgery. Double board-certified pain management expert Glenn M. Flanagan, MD, follows up these treatments with a unique physical therapy plan to optimize your treatment outcome. Through physical therapy, you can improve or maintain your joint mobility and strength while also reducing pain. 

Following your treatments for shoulder pain, hip pain, and other types of joint pain at Naples Regenerative Institute in Naples, Florida, physical therapy facilitates continuous healing and improvements. Consider these five reasons why physical therapy is crucial for any joint management regimen. 

1. Strengthening the muscles around a painful joint

Even though a joint is painful, you need to keep moving it. When you stop exercising a painful joint, it becomes less mobile due to weakening muscles supporting it. Personalized physical therapy helps you maintain the ability to flex and stretch your painful joint so you don’t experience a decline in its function. Stronger muscles around a joint offer increased support while also reducing stress on the joint. 

2. Maintaining your balance

This is especially important if your joint pain is in the lower extremities. The pain and weakness affecting your knee, hip, or ankle may make it difficult for you to walk or stand upright. While the decline of your balance may be gradual, it puts you at an increased risk of falling and sustaining other injuries.

As you go through physical therapy, Dr. Flanagan may recommend exercises and strategies to help you maintain your balance. 

3. Improving your posture

Posture improvements don’t just alleviate undue stress on painful joints, they also help you avoid additional back or joint pain in the future. During physical therapy, you’ll work on becoming more mindful of your posture. When your spine is in alignment, so are all of your other joints. 

Perfect posture maintains the natural curvature of your spine. Carry your head directly above your shoulders and your shoulders directly above your hips. 

Beyond controlling and preventing joint pain, optimal posture also improves breathing, aids digestion, and increases flexibility. 

4. Reduced need for medications

You may or may not need to take medications to manage joint pain. Unfortunately, some medications carry the risk of dependency: If you hesitate to use such medications, you’re not alone. 

By engaging in a regenerative treatment plan followed by consistent physical therapy, you can decrease your joint pain and maintain joint function without relying on medications. You avoid the potential side effects and complications of those medications too. 

5. Delaying surgery

Some painful joints eventually need surgery, including minor procedures, like arthroscopy, to full joint replacements. Even minimally invasive surgeries come with risks, have lengthy recovery times, and require lots of preparation. In fact, you may not be a candidate for joint surgery at all. 

Thanks to physical therapy, you may be able to avoid needing joint surgery or delay it for years to come. Consistent physical therapy keeps your joints functional.

Do you experience regular joint pain?

If you experience joint pain, now is an excellent time to start planning rehabilitative physical therapy. Schedule an appointment online or over the phone at Naples Regenerative Institute to consider your treatment options today.