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What is joint mobilization?
You have hundreds of joints in your body, which come in a variety of types and sizes (such as a “hinge joint” in your elbow, a “ball and socket joint” in your hip, or a “saddle joint” in your thumb). Joints, formed by the articulating surfaces of two or more bones, depend on a combination of both stability and mobility in order to help you function efficiently and comfortably. Importantly, joints are supported by a wide variety of physiological structures including capsules, ligaments, tendons, cartilage, and muscle fibers, all of which can become injured and potentially benefit from physical therapy services, including a service known as joint mobilization.
Joint mobilization is a type of manual therapy performed here at our physical therapy clinic. It involves the passive movement of specific joints using the skilled application of force, direction, and technique. A physical therapist can use his or her hands to mobilize an affected joint, or may elect to use certain tools, including straps, to help deliver the desired treatment effect.
The specific type, magnitude, speed, and frequency of joint mobilization performed depends on several factors, including the goal of treatment, the type of joint being targeted, and even your own unique anatomy. The primary effects of joint mobilizations include pain reduction, improved range of motion, and improved quality of joint movement itself (known as arthrokinematics).
What conditions can benefit from joint mobilization?
Sometimes, a joint can become irritaed, swollen, or misaligned as a result of injury, stress, poor posture, repetitive movement, or even as a result of age-related wear and tear. When this happens, the joint may not move correctly and become stiff and painful. Nearby structures including muscles, tendons, and ligaments may become tense or injured as a compensatory effect of trying to support or stabilize the injured joint. This can lead to muscle weakness or even impingement and damage to nearby nerves.
Joint mobilization isn’t appropriate for all patients, and our skilled and experienced physical therapists can determine if it’s right for you or a loved one. Specific conditions which our physical therapy team successfully manage with joint mobilizations include:
- Arthritis (especially of the shoulder, spine, elbow, hip, and knee)
- Rotator cuff tears and sprains
- Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder)
- Medial or lateral epicondylitis (golfer’s or tennis elbow, respectively)
- Ankle sprains
- Sciatica and other types of nerve impingement syndromes
- Facet joint locking and other types of spinal misalignments
- Whiplash
Joint issues are often the hidden underlying factors driving other types of injuries and ailments including muscle strains, ligament damage, and bursitis, so this is why we strongly encourage you to consult with a physical therapist with any type of acute or chronic dysfunction. Your joints could be contributing to your pain without you even realizing it!
What should I expect during a joint mobilization treatment with a physical therapist?
If you come to see a physical therapist at our Hazel Green, AL or Fayetteville, TN clinic with acute or chronic joint pain, then you can first expect to be thoroughly examined on an initial examination. We’ll be assessing and evaluating everything from your range of motion, strength, coordination, pain level, posture, and even relative tissue tension and feel in order to help us devise an accurate diagnosis. Based on our exam findings, as well as the information we glean from questioning you about your current and past medical history, we’ll be able to devise a customized treatment plan to meet your unique needs. Since joint mobilization techniques have been shown to be effective for a variety of conditions, we very well may decide to implement this type of manual therapy in your plan of care.
To prepare for a physical therapy session with joint mobilization, be sure to wear comfortable and loose-fitting clothing. Your therapist will need to be able to see or at least easily palpate (feel) the specific joint he or she is mobilizing (keeping in mind of course, that your privacy and comfort is of utmost concern to our staff). Your physical therapist will be sure to offer you clear details on how to sit or lie during the session, what you should expect to feel, as well as what to do following your session in order to maximize effects and prevent recurring pain or dysfunction. To complement and optimize the effects of joint mobilizations, we’ll also instruct you in additional services which may include therapeutic exercises for strengthening and range of motion, modalities, and postural and neuromuscular retraining.
Are you wondering if joint mobilization is right for you? Contact our Hazel Green, AL or Fayetteville, TN clinics today. Our friendly staff is happy to answer your questions, help you schedule an appointment, and educate you about our wide range of physical therapy services we offer. Drug-free relief from your joint or muscle pain is possible, so contact TheraFit™ Physical Therapy & Fitness Center in Hazel Green, AL, and Fayetteville, TN to get your healing journey started today.
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Has getting in and out of your favorite chair become one of your least favorite activities? Do your joints feel decades older than the rest of you? Do you wish you could enjoy all your favorite activities without paying the price in pain and stiffness? If so, you’re probably one of the millions of Americans struggling with arthritis. The Cleveland Clinic states that as many as 1 in 5 people in the U.S. experience some form of this joint disorder. Drugs may promise temporary pain relief, but their risks and side effects can outweigh the limited benefits they provide for your aching joints. But there’s a way to obtain a healthier, more effective form of relief — by contacting our Hazel Green, AL or Fayetteville, TN physical therapists today and scheduling a course of physical therapy.What Is Arthritis?
Arthritis is a more complicated challenge than many people realize, if only because the term really just describes any condition that causes chronic joint pain and inflammation. Over 100 different disorders fall into this broad category, including:
Osteoarthritis –
A degenerative joint condition and the most common form of arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis –
the second-most common form of arthritis, in which auto-immune reactions target (in in some cases, disfigure) the joints
Psoriatic arthritis –
Another type of arthritis triggered by the immune system, seen in individuals who also have psoriasis.
Gout –
A painful form of arthritis that likes to attack the joints of the toes.
What Causes Arthritis?
Different kinds of arthritis can attack different segments of the population, from children to the elderly. While osteoarthritis typically develops as the joints undergo a lifetime of wear and tear, it can also occur more quickly in joints that receive lots of punishment through repetitive motion (such as the knees and ankles of runners or the shoulders and elbows of baseball pitchers). Obesity can also contribute, since extra weight means extra stress on joints. (Obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and poor diet also figure heavily in gout.)
The body’s own defense mechanism can turn into your joints’ worst enemy. In rheumatoid arthritis, for instance, the immune system launches a misguided attack against the tissues of the joints. Even a more accurately-targeted response against a proper germ can produce the inflammation of infectious/septic arthritis.
How Physical Therapy Helps Arthritis
Standard medical recommendations for arthritis include drugs and, in the most extreme cases, surgery. Most of the medications available for arthritis can do nothing more than ease pain and swelling for a few hours — with no meaningful aid to joint health and flexibility. At the other end of the scale, invasive surgery to fuse arthritic joints creates its own set of painful issues while permanently robbing you of joint motion. Physical therapy can help you achieve more pain-free flexibility and mobility, on a lasting basis, without any of the downsides of these other treatments.
Our Hazel Green, AL or Fayetteville, TN physical therapists will get to know your arthritis in as much detail as possible before recommending a physical therapy program. Once we understand the underlying cause of your pain, and exactly how that pain is affecting your quality of life, we can devise a personalized treatment regimen which may include:
Exercise –
The Arthritis Foundation heartily recommends physical therapy exercises for osteoarthritis; this approach can also prove invaluable for rheumatoid arthritis. Depending on the severity of your condition, we may prescribe underwater exercises, passive range of motion exercises, strengthening exercises to stabilize the joints, and/or light aerobic exercise to get the blood flowing and boost your cardiovascular wellness.
Soft tissue therapies –
Manual therapy techniques such as Swedish massage therapy or deep tissue therapy can do a great deal to relieve this pain, stiffness, and inflammation. Low-level laser therapy, electrical muscle stimulation, ultrasound, and other soft tissue therapies can also help.
Dietary and lifestyle changes –
Our Hazel Green, AL or Fayetteville, TN physical therapist can recommend specific strategies to get your weight down, improve your nutritional balance, and adopt a more joint-healthy lifestyle.
Put yourself on the natural, healthy path to pain relief. Contact our Hazel Green, AL, and Fayetteville, TN physical therapy clinics today to request an initial appointment!
