Physical therapy can help teach patients how to protect their joints. They
can also help to increase their patients' strength, function, and health and
most importantly to decrease their pain. Managing your OA is very important
in order to decrease your disabilities and improve your quality of life.
Some people with OA have "flare-ups" where they have more pain than
normal. Physical therapists have treatment techniques that can help to decrease
your pain and return you to your normal level of functioning.
Physical therapists can also help to decrease the risk of developing severe
OA by educating patients about their risks and what they should and should not
do.