Find Relief from Osteoarthritis Pain

Are you experiencing persistent joint pain, particularly in a weight-bearing joint like your hip or knee? Persistent pain can disrupt daily life, especially when it affects your ability to move freely or do the things you love. If you notice a clicking or grinding sensation in your joints, you may have developed osteoarthritis, a common yet challenging condition and the most prevalent form of arthritis in the United States.

Arthritis is an umbrella term for over 100 conditions that cause joint inflammation and lead to pain and restricted mobility. The source of that inflammation will vary depending on the type of arthritis. In osteoarthritis, the joint’s cartilage and bone tissue gradually break down, which can make movement painful and reduce your mobility.

Osteoarthritis has no cure and can profoundly impact your overall quality of life, making it harder for you to stay active, keep up with chores, and enjoy time with your loved ones. Fortunately, at McCabe and Brady Physical Therapy our McKenzie trained therapists offer effective, non-surgical options to help you manage your symptoms so you can stay active and continue doing the things that matter to you.

If you’re tired of living with osteoarthritis pain, call us to schedule an appointment today!

Understanding Osteoarthritis: Symptoms and Causes

The primary symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain and stiffness in the affected joint. These symptoms often manifest in the following ways:

Pain with activity and possibly while at rest
Pain when you press on the joint
Joint stiffness first thing in the morning
Joint stiffness after sitting or lying down for long periods
Noises in the joint, including creaking, cracking, or crunching

While any joint can develop osteoarthritis, it most commonly occurs in weight-bearing joints like the hips, knees and ankles. However, it’s also fairly common in the shoulders, spine and hands. The causes of osteoarthritis are complex, and several factors can contribute to it. For many people, osteoarthritis results from a combination of factors such as age, prior joint injuries, and genetics. Age is one of the biggest factors, with the majority of people with osteoarthritis being 55 years or older. While aging raises your risk, not everyone develops it, and staying active can help. Other possible factors include past injuries to the joint, gender (women are more likely to develop it than men), body weight, and even genetic predispositions.

How Physical Therapy Helps Manage Osteoarthritis Symptoms

The good news is that you can control osteoarthritis symptoms with the help of physical therapy. Although movement can be painful, targeted exercise is one of the best ways to manage your osteoarthritis without medications. Our McKenzie trained physical therapists will help you find an exercise program that suits your needs.

Here’s how we’ll do it:

Comprehensive Evaluation: We’ll start by assessing how osteoarthritis impacts you personally with tests for strength, mobility, and balance. We’ll discuss the activities you find most challenging so we can focus on what’s most important to you.
Provide Pain Relief: We’ll use repeated, directional preferred movements and manual therapy techniques to help manage your pain and promote joint movement. This may involve helping your joint move within its current range using joint mobilizations or working with the surrounding soft tissue to relieve tension.
Build Strength and Restore Mobility: We’ll develop a customized, progressive exercise program to rebuild lost strength and mobility in the affected joint. Building strength can help support and protect your joints, making it easier to move comfortably and to tolerate weight bearing forces.
Develop An At-Home Exercise Program: Between visits, you’ll have a personalized exercise plan to continue performing the pain relieving movements that may have been discovered during the evaluation and the strengthening and mobility exercises at home.
Provide Strategies for Activity Modifications: Finally, we can help you identify and avoid specific activities that might strain your joints. If needed, we can also show you how to use mobility aids, such as a cane or walker, to support you during movement and reduce strain on painful joints.

Don’t Let Osteoarthritis Pain Hold You Back!

Living with osteoarthritis can be challenging, but with the support of our team, you can manage it and stay active. Our McKenzie trained physical therapists at McCabe and Brady Physical Therapy are here to help you live life to the fullest with customized treatment plans, targeted exercise programs, and compassionate care. Physical therapy can help you take control of osteoarthritis pain. Are you ready to move more comfortably and confidently? Call us today to schedule your first appointment!

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Seasonal Recipe

Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread
(recommended: Nutella)

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In another medium bowl combine the butter, chocolate hazelnut spread, sugar, and brown sugar. Using an electric mixer, cream the ingredients together, about 4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Add the hazelnuts and stir until just combined. Using a tablespoon measure, spoon out the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet, spacing the mounds about 4 inches apart. Use the tines of a fork to flatten the cookie dough. Bake until lightly golden around the edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool.

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Go to the Pain, Not Through the Pain

The days of “no pain, no gain” are hopefully in the past. The idea of emphasizing pushing through discomfort to achieve results is not an effective solution for most people dealing with a painful condition, injury, or chronic condition. In fact, recent research suggests that a more holistic approach is effective and, indeed, safer for patients.

Pain is our body’s way of letting us know that something is happening in the body. When a nerve ending is triggered, an impulse travels to the brain, alerting us that something is happening. It is a warning sign or an alarm. How this impulse is interpreted varies from person to person and is influenced by a multitude of factors.

Aggressively pushing through pain can worsen the underlying issues and potentially result in long-term damage. The key is getting help from people who work with painful conditions every day, like our therapists at McCabe and Brady Physical Therapy!

How Physical Therapy Can Help You Find Relief

In cases of musculoskeletal disorders and injuries, applying excessive stress on already agitated tissues can prolong the healing process and even cause further injury. In comparison, going to the pain but not through it means cautiously approaching the edge of discomfort without crossing it, which can help your body progress without delaying your recovery.

Our objective is to work within a “therapeutic window”: a range of activities that stimulates the body’s natural healing mechanisms without triggering negative responses.

At McCabe and Brady Physical Therapy, we educate our patients about pain to help them understand their conditions better and actively participate in treatment. Our therapists can help you learn “pacing,” where activities are broken down into manageable parts, helping you to avoid extreme ups and downs of feeling good one day and an increase in pain and inactivity the next.

By respecting the body’s pain signals and working within a therapeutic window, our approach aims to achieve long-term functional gains without the risks associated with pushing through pain.

Our Patients Get Great Results

“I had total knee replacement on both my knees 3 months apart. My Physical Therapist was Rich Winters from McCabe and Brady in New Britain. I was able to schedule my first session with Rich 4 days after my surgery. He evaluated me, asked questions and listened to what I had to say. He came up with a plan and that has made all the difference in my life today. He challenged me and was extremely encouraging and knowledgeable during my progress. I always walked out of there feeling upbeat and proud of myself. I can truly say that I have my life back and I am so grateful for his wisdom and talent! I would highly recommend Rich Winters and McCabe and Brady for all your Physical Therapy needs. Everyone that works there is friendly and welcoming!”

– Deborah H.

Have You Met Your Annual Deductible?

Take charge of your health today and make the most of your insurance benefits! If you’ve already met your deductible this year or have funds left in your HSA account, you can take advantage of our remarkable opportunity at McCabe and Brady Physical Therapy. Starting now and continuing until the end of 2024, you can address your aches and pains at little to no cost. Don’t let these valuable benefits go unused!

But that’s not all. If you’re looking to enhance your strength and set yourself up for a fantastic 2025, we’ve got you covered. Our exceptional team of experienced physical therapists is here to provide you with specialized treatment services tailored to help you achieve your goals. With our guidance and expertise, you can get a head start on the upcoming year before your deductible renews.

Don’t miss out on this incredible chance to prioritize your well-being and maximize your insurance benefits! Call McCabe and Brady Physical Therapy today to start living a happier, healthier life.

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If you’ve experienced the outstanding care at McCabe and Brady Physical Therapy, why not share it with your friends? Referring them means giving them access to personalized treatment that can make a real difference in their health and well-being. Help them find a trusted healthcare partner—refer a friend to McCabe and Brady Physical Therapy today!

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Find Relief from Osteoarthritis Pain