I was going to return to looking at our home visit physiotherapy service in this blog but then I received an email update from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) highlighting a really interesting and useful bit of research for physiotherapists. So, rather than bang on about how fantastic our physiotherapy service in Tamworth is (and by the way it is fantastic!) I thought it might be interesting to look at how exercise can help people with osteoarthritis and the myths that they can harbour about exercise.

Osteoarthritis is a condition of “wear and tear” of the cartilage in the joints which causes inflammation and discomfort and can sometimes lead to joint replacements. It can be particularly difficult and painful in the knees or hips and can lead to reduced mobility and fitness. There is a wealth of evidence now that exercise should always be the first line of treatment alongside analgaesia and that surgery should be only considered when these options have failed. A recent review from the NIHR (full info here: https://discover.dc.nihr.ac.uk/content/signal-000637/people-with-osteoarthritis-can-benefit-from-exercise-but-may-harbour-myths-about-safety?utm_source=NIHR+Dissemination+Centre+mailing+list&utm_campaign=90a6de9fd5-RSS_All_Signals&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_286155606c-90a6de9fd5-167880967  ) showed that exercise can help reduce pain, improve their belief in their own capabilities and help improve social function. Now this is stuff that has been around for a while now but what I found interesting were a couple of specific findings relating to people’s perception of pain, exercise and damage. Firstly:

“Pain during exercise was also often thought to be causing additional joint damage, so people avoided activity for fear of causing more harm.”

 

The sentence above highlights something that as a physiotherapist, working with patients with joint arthritis, I see on a daily basis and have to work hard to challenge and help the patients understand that exercise can help even if it might hurt. To be fair though, this is a perfectly understandable thought, as if your joint is getting worn out then surely doing more on it will only wear it out more? Well, this deserves a whole blog in itself, but the short answer is no! Exercise and strengthening will help strengthen the muscles around the joint and also using the joint more is very unlikely to change or accelerate the process of osteoarthritis.

The paragraph below is also interesting:

“Participants also said that clear instructions from healthcare professionals outlining exactly what exercises to do, what to avoid, and what they might experience during the exercise helped to reassure them that exercise is safe and beneficial. Most interviewees thought that rehabilitation programmes that included a way to participate in exercise had physical, emotional and social benefits. Providing exercise recommendations that are tailored to individual preferences, abilities and needs was also important.”

 

I think that most physiotherapists reading the statement above will feel a real resonance with what is said and will have experienced the power and importance to patients of providing clear instructions and guidance. Often patients with arthritis will believe that they can’t walk or exercise and that they are simply waiting for a joint replacement. They are often extremely fearful and may have read some horror stories on the internet. Giving patients guidance and exercises that they can do safely and helping them become more mobile and stronger is a huge part of the physiotherapist’s role.

Okay, I hope you have found this blog useful. If you or anyone you know is suffering with osteoarthritis and would like help with physiotherapy then please get in touch. We provide home visit physiotherapy in Lichfield, Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Cannock, Walsall & Rugeley to name but a few of the areas we cover.