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Joint Pain and Arthritis

Empathy Physical Therapy treats arthritis, tendinitis, bursitis and shoulder, elbow, hip and knee pain with one-on-one physical therapy in your home. Painful, stiff joints make everyday things harder than they should be. Physical therapy can reduce pain, improve how your joints move and build the strength that supports them.

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What we treat

Click any condition below to read more about it and how we approach treatment.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. The cartilage that cushions a joint gradually wears, which can cause pain, stiffness and swelling, most often in the knees, hips, hands and spine. It’s often worst after rest or at the end of a busy day.

Movement is one of the most effective treatments for osteoarthritis. Treatment focuses on strengthening the muscles around the joint, improving mobility, and finding the right kind and amount of activity for you. For many people, physical therapy delays or avoids the need for joint replacement, and when surgery does happen, it becomes prehab

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition that causes joint inflammation, often in the hands, wrists and feet, and often on both sides of the body. Symptoms come and go with flares.

Physical therapy works alongside your rheumatologist’s care. The focus is on protecting joints, maintaining strength and mobility, managing fatigue, and adjusting activity during flares so you can keep doing what matters to you.

Tendinitis is irritation of a tendon, the tissue that connects muscle to bone. It usually comes from overuse or a sudden jump in activity and causes pain with movement or use. Bursitis is irritation of a bursa, a small fluid-filled cushion near a joint, and is most common at the shoulder and the outside of the hip.

Treatment calms the irritated tissue, then gradually builds tendon and muscle strength so the problem is less likely to return. Hands-on work and dry needling may help along the way.

Bone spurs are small bony growths that often form with arthritis. Many cause no symptoms, but some limit motion or irritate nearby tissue. Physical therapy works to improve movement, strengthen the surrounding muscles and reduce irritation. For heel spurs, see foot and ankle.

JOINT PAIN BY AREA
Shoulder Pain

Pain reaching overhead or behind your back, weakness or pain at night. Common causes include rotator cuff problems, impingement, frozen shoulder, bursitis and arthritis. Treatment restores motion and builds strength around the shoulder blade and rotator cuff.

Tennis elbow causes pain on the outside of the elbow; golfer’s elbow on the inside. Both are tendon problems from repeated gripping or wrist use, and not just in sports. Treatment focuses on tendon loading exercises, hands-on care and adjusting the activities that aggravate it.

Pain in the groin, the side of the hip or the buttock that makes walking, stairs or sleeping on your side uncomfortable. Causes include arthritis, tendon problems and bursitis. Treatment builds hip strength and mobility and improves how you walk.

Pain with stairs, squatting, kneeling or getting up from a chair. Common causes include arthritis, kneecap pain, old injuries and overuse. Treatment focuses on strength through the hips and legs, knee mobility and gradually returning to activity.

How we help

Treatment may include manual therapy to ease stiffness, dry needling for muscle tension, and a progressive exercise plan that fits your life and your home. If a joint replacement is in your future, we can also help you prepare for and recover from surgery. Foot or ankle trouble? See foot and ankle pain →

How long does it take?

Tendon problems often need several weeks of steady loading to improve. Arthritis is managed over time, with most people noticing less pain and easier movement within weeks of consistent exercise.

When to see a doctor first

See a doctor promptly for:

  • A joint that is hot, red and swollen, especially with fever
  • A joint you can't bear weight on or move after an injury
  • Sudden severe pain without a clear cause

Common questions

Will exercise make my arthritis worse?

The right exercise usually makes arthritis feel better, not worse. We’ll find the type and amount that works for your joints.

Both can help with symptoms. Many people find heat better for stiffness and ice better after activity. We’ll talk through what works for you.

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