Osteoarthritis: No effort, no improvement

By Keltie Cheney, Physiotherapist

I am as guilty as anyone of trying to find the easiest way to get what I want accomplished and expecting the best results despite it. However, as a physiotherapist, I am a big promoter that the power to improve one’s health is proportionate to how much effort the individual puts into their treatment and home care.

I see a lot of people with knee and hip pain and most of them start out with “I’m not sure if there is much you can do about it since I have Osteoarthritis (OA) in my joint(s)”.  There is evidence to show that people with OA can improve function and pain levels, though they often don’t know what can be done or they don’t want to put in the effort to do it!

I can understand why people may not want to do what may be very beneficial because just taking pain medication may seem easier than physical effort. This article explains quickly what I mean.

Even though weight loss and exercise have been proven techniques to decrease pain and improve function, many people just don’t do it. Weight loss is a slow process and many types of exercise can appear intimidating, over-whelming, inconvenient, or even pain-inducing. At One to One Wellness, our clients experience how low-force strength training, along with prescribed and specific cardiovascular exercise, can create enormous gains. It is important for people suffering with OA that exercise is non-intimidating, welcoming, convenient, and above all, comfortable.

Feel free to ask a physiotherapist how to get you more active on your own journey to improving the symptoms associated with OA.  A little bit work can go a very long way!