Keep Moving and Doing What You Love with Arthritis
Arthritis can make everyday activities more difficult. Walking, climbing stairs, exercising, working, using your hands, or getting up from a chair may become uncomfortable when a joint feels painful or stiff. If arthritis is limiting you in West Valley City, Tooele in Northpointe, Tooele on Main Street and Grantsville, UT, physical therapy at Meier & Marsh Physical Therapy can help you improve the way you move and stay active.
Our physical therapists combine clinical excellence with personalized, family-friendly care. We look at how arthritis is affecting your strength, mobility, and function so we can determine what is limiting you and what can be improved.
Understanding Arthritis
Arthritis refers to a group of conditions that can cause changes within the joints and surrounding tissues. Osteoarthritis is one of the most common types and involves changes within a joint that can occur over time.
Arthritis may affect areas such as the:
- Hips
- Knees
- Hands and wrists
- Feet and ankles
- Neck
- Lower back
- Shoulders
Symptoms vary from person to person. You may experience joint pain, stiffness, swelling, reduced movement, or difficulty performing certain activities.
Having arthritis does not determine what you can or cannot do. Two people with the same diagnosis may have very different symptoms, abilities, and goals.
How Arthritis Can Affect Your Daily Life
Arthritis may make it difficult to:
- Get up after sitting
- Walk longer distances
- Go up or down stairs
- Squat or kneel
- Reach or lift
- Grip and carry objects
- Exercise or play sports
- Work in the yard
- Perform physical job duties
- Keep up with children or grandchildren
Our physical therapists want to know what arthritis is preventing you from doing. Your individual goals help guide your evaluation and treatment.
A Detailed Assessment Helps Determine What Is Limiting You
A diagnosis of arthritis tells us part of the story. Your physical therapist also needs to understand how the condition is affecting your movement and function.
These findings help your physical therapist determine what is limiting you and which problems can be addressed through physical therapy.
Depending on the joint involved, your evaluation may include:
- Range of motion
- Muscle strength
- Joint mobility
- Balance and movement control
- Walking or other functional movements
- Activities that increase or decrease your symptoms
- Tasks related to your work, exercise, or daily life
Personalized Treatment to Help You Move Better
Physical therapy cannot reverse the joint changes associated with arthritis. It can help improve strength, mobility, function, and your ability to stay active.
Your physical therapist monitors how you respond and adjusts your treatment as your strength, movement, and abilities improve.
Depending on your evaluation, treatment may include:
- Mobility exercises to maintain or improve movement
- Targeted strengthening to improve your ability to support and move the affected joint
- Manual therapy to address joint or soft tissue mobility when appropriate
- Balance and movement training when needed
- Functional exercises for walking, stairs, lifting, gripping, or other activities
- Activity progression to gradually increase what you can do
- Education to help you understand how to manage changes in symptoms
- Home exercises based on your evaluation and goals
Building Strength for the Activities You Love
Arthritis does not automatically mean you need to stop doing the things you enjoy.
You may want to walk farther, return to the gym, play golf, garden, travel, work comfortably, or keep up with your family. Your physical therapist can gradually progress treatment toward those specific demands.
We can also help you understand how to adjust activities when symptoms change without automatically giving them up.
Clinical Excellence with a Personal Touch
At Meier & Marsh Physical Therapy, our physical therapists use clinical expertise to understand how arthritis is affecting you, not simply what your diagnosis is called.
We explain what we find, why certain treatments are being prescribed, and how your progress relates to the activities you want to regain. Treatment changes based on how you respond.
We love our patients, and we treat you like family. Our goal is to help you improve the way you move, manage your arthritis, and continue doing what matters to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get Back to Moving with Arthritis
Arthritis does not have to define how active you can be. Improving strength, mobility, and function can help you better manage your symptoms and get back to more of the activities you love.
Contact Meier & Marsh Physical Therapy today to schedule an evaluation for arthritis in West Valley City, Tooele in Northpointe, Tooele on Main Street or Grantsville, UT. Our physical therapists can determine what is limiting you and develop a personalized treatment plan to help you get back to normal.
Your Next Steps…
- Request An Appointment
- Receive A Custom Treatment Plan
- Work Hard and Progress In Your Recovery
- Recover & Enjoy Life Pain-Free
