There are a number of distinct arthritic conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis and the seronegative arthritides, but the most prevalent by far is osteoarthritis (OA).
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease involving erosion of joint cartilage, progressively causing joint pain, stiffness and movement restriction. It tends to predominantly affect large weight-bearing joints – hips and knees – and concerns predominantly older people, but it can also result from trauma – e.g. fall, impact, repeated stress, ligament laxity.
Whilst the first priority centres on an accurate diagnosis, osteopathy – supplemented by hydrotherapy and specific exercise – helps to alleviate the symptoms of OA by focussing on the need to preserve good musculoskeletal function and range of movement not just in the joint(s) affected, but also more generally to maintain good whole-body function.
Manual therapy, physical exercise, hydrotherapy and diet all have a contribution to ensure that osteoarthritis does not take the upper hand and deeply affect our patients’ quality of life.
Our Treatments
Read more about how we use osteopathy, therapeutic massage and our approach to nutrition advice.
Read more on our blog
Recent entries from our blog (related to arthritic pain):
The list of conditions that osteopathy successfully treats is virtually endless. If you are unsure about whether we can help you, why not simply