Arthritis is a disease that affects your joints (areas where your bones meet and move). Arthritis usually involves inflammation or degeneration (breakdown) of your joints. Arthritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more of your joints. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. These changes can cause pain when you use the joint.
Arthritis is most common in the following areas of the body: wrists, elbows, knees, ankles, feet, shoulders, hips.
The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Osteoarthritis causes cartilage — the hard, slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones where they form a joint — to break down.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which the immune system attacks the joints, beginning with the lining of joints.
While there’s no cure for arthritis, joint pain and other arthritis pain symptoms can often be managed successfully with a combination of physical and occupational therapies.
Physiotherapy works to strengthen joints that have been weakened by damage and inflammation. Physical therapy exercises can help reduce joint pain and stiffness, as well as improve range of motion, making you more mobile.
Occupational therapy teaches patients how to manage arthritis pain, and work around it to achieve a higher level of mobility and comfort. An occupational therapist can show you how to best protect your joints from strain and damage that can lead to more joint pain.
There are certain activities and positions, for instance, that are known to worsen arthritis pain, and in occupational therapy, you’ll learn what those are and how to avoid them while engaging in your usual everyday activities.