Osteoarthritis isn’t an issue that you alone are dealing with. It’s estimated that 67 million Americans will be dealing with some type of arthritis by 2025. However, it is possible to learn how to effectively treat arthritis pain, especially when it’s worse in the morning. Physical therapists can help you learn how to effectively treat your arthritis pain even when you aren’t at a PT clinic.
Two steps you can take to figure out how to treat arthritis pain that’s worse in the morning
Many people with arthritis pain tend to stiffen up if they remain in one position for too long. This can also lead to greater pain when they first start moving again, and during sleep time is often the longest period of time that people remain motionless on any given day. As a result, many osteoarthritis sufferers might be wondering how to treat arthritis pain that’s worse when they first wake up in the morning.
Some steps you can take to treat this type of arthritis pain include:
- Changing your sleeping pattern — Many people think that sleeping for eight hours at a time is the only way to sleep. Yet there are other sleep patterns that can help your osteoarthritis. Some of these patterns include options like:
- Biphasic sleep — This sleeping pattern involves resting in two blocks at different times during the day. Often, people will sleep for five to six hours at night. Then, they’ll rest again for 30 to 90 minutes sometime during the day.
- Polyphasic sleep — This sleeping pattern is when a person sleeps more than twice per day. Typically, people who use this pattern sleep for two to three hours at night. They then take between three and six 20- to 30-minute naps throughout the day.
The upside to switching to these two patterns is that you’ll be sleeping in shorter intervals. This means you’ll be in one position for less time, which can reduce your stiffness and pain when you wake up.
- Going to physical therapy regularly — Another way to reduce your arthritis pain generally is to go to regular physical therapy sessions. During these sessions, your physical therapist can teach you how to do helpful therapeutic exercises. They can also help you with techniques such as:
Discover how to treat your arthritis pain with help from SOL PT
Are you ready to learn how to effectively treat your arthritis pain? Our team at SOL Physical Therapy is ready to help you accomplish this important goal. Our top-notch physical therapists excel at creating individualized therapy plans for each of our patients. These plans are designed to offer benefits like:
- Decreased pain.
- Improved ability to do normal daily activities.
- Increased ability to sleep.
- Slowing the progression of your osteoarthritis.
Even better, you can use our virtual therapy service to get help from our team without leaving home.
Contact our team today for more information about our arthritis treatment services or to schedule an initial appointment.
