Joint Pain

Joint pain is a very common problem experienced by many adults and it is often related to a neurological or musculoskeletal condition. Joint pain can restrictan individual's movement, and interfere with their level of functioning in daily occupations such as washing, dressing, cooking and cleaning. Joint pain can affect all areas of the body,common forms of joint pain include hand, back, knee and hip.Fortunately, our Occupational Therapists have the knowledge and skills to help reduce an individual's level of discomfort and improve their mobility.

Our Occupational Therapists are able to provide effective assessments and treatment of individuals with joint pain. Our Occupational Therapists are able to improve function in those individuals with joint pain through the use of aids and adaptations, pain management and graded programmes.

Associated difficulties regarding joint pain

Pain in the joints can occur in all over the body, however the common areas in which joint pain occurs are:

- Joint pain in the hands
- Joint pain in the back
- Joint pain in the knees
- Joint pain in hips

Joint pain in the hands

The hand is a complex part of the body comprising of many different bones, ligaments and muscles and is responsible for a large amount of movement and dexterity. Everyday tasks such as cleaning, dressing, brushing teeth require a great deal of controlled movement and dexterity.A number of common hand conditions include:

• Arthritis
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• De Quervains
• Dupuytren's contracture
• Sporting injuries
• Tendon and ligament damage

Painful joints in the hand can often be disabling and result in individuals experiencing difficulties when carrying everyday activities such as washing, dressing, cooking and using cutlery.

Our Occupational Therapists can improve function for those individuals with joint pain in the hand through adapting the environment, providing specialised hand therapy and through the use of physical aids.

Joint pain in the back

Back pain is a very common problem and affects 4 out of 5 people in the UK. Ranging from mild to severe, and can be both, long or short-term. Back pain can impact greatly on an individual's everyday life making activities such as walking, dressing, and bathing, much more challenging. There are many causes for back pain however it often originates from a damaged tendon, muscle or ligament strain.

Our Occupational Therapists have the knowledge and skills to aid an individual's recovery from back pain through carrying out comprehensive assessments and providing effective treatments. Our Occupational Therapistare able to educate individuals on how to manage their pain much more effectively and carry out their daily activities more successfully.

Joint pain in the knees

The knee is one of the largest and most complex joints in the body. Your knee joints serve a vital role in holding your bodyweight. Knee pain is one of the most common joint pains and is often a result ofan injury or wear and tear of day to day life. Joint pain in the Knee can impact greatly on an individual's ability to complete everyday activities such as, washing and dressing, driving, running, jogging and walking.

Our Occupational Therapists provide a broadrange of assessments. Our Occupational Therapy assessments identify areas of difficulty. Following an assessment, our Occupational Therapists provide effective treatment programmes which can help an individual with knee pain complete day to day activities much more successfully. Treatments for knee pain may involve making small or large adaptations to the home environment, providing dressing, washing and mobility aids and pain management techniques.

Joint pain in the Hips

Hip pain is a common complaint that can be caused by a number of injuries or conditions, with one of the most common causes being arthritis. If correctly treated hip pain can be managed successfully however, if not hip pain can significantly interfere with individuals day to day life. Individuals with joint pain in the hips may find activities such as, bathing, cooking, dressing and cleaning a daily challenge.

Our Occupational Therapists have the skills needed to help individuals with joint pain in the hips become more independentin daily activities. An Occupational Therapist can carry out a number of assessments and identify which daily occupations an individual is finding challenging. Following this initial assessment,an Occupational Therapists will work together with the individual and devise an effective treatment plan to best suit each individual. Our Occupational Therapy treatments for joint pain in the hips may include home adaptations, aids and equipment, pain management techniques and grading and adapting activities of daily living.

Occupational Therapy Assessments for Joint pain

Assessments are a large part of the Occupational Therapy process and play a key role in gathering important information. Our Occupational Therapists use this information carefully and analyse how an individual's joint pain is impacting on their daily occupations. Following a joint pain assessment a therapy plan will be created together with the individual.

Our Occupational Therapy assessments will address the daily challenges an individual with joint pain faces and how this impact on their everyday life. Our Occupational Therapists carry out assessments for many reasons, some of which are listed below:

• To identify the difficulties an individual with joint pain is experiencing and how this impacts on their day to day life.
• To prioritise each of these concerns in order of importance to the individual.
• To observe an individual completing daily occupations.
• To develop a therapy plan best suited to each individual.

All our assessments are completed by a fully trained Occupational Therapist and can be carried out on a one to one basis in the individual's own home or here in one of our clinics.

Suitable assessment for joint pain include:

• Workplace Assessment
• Activities Of Daily Living Assessment
• Aids And Adaptations
• Seating
• Risk Assessment
• Return To Work Assessment

Our Occupational Therapists have the expert knowledge and skills required to aid an individual's recovery from joint pain. Our treatments involve, Hand Therapy, Aids and adaptations, Pain management, One on One treatment, Home visits and Activities of daily living.

There are many benefits to receiving Occupational Therapy when experiencing joint pain such as reducing levels of discomfort, increasing an individual's independence in everyday activities, maximizing individual's potential and increasing an individual's level of functioning.

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Occupational Therapy Treatment for Joint pain

Our Occupational Therapy treatments aim to produce the outcomeof improving the lives of individual's with joint pain. With the expert knowledge and skills our Occupational Therapists will work together with each individual and produce a treatment plan best suited to their needs. Treatments can be completed on a one to one basis and in the individual's own home or here in one of our clinics. Our Occupational Therapists will often advise to complete treatment sessions in the area where the most improvements/progress can be made.

Suitable treatments for people with Joint pain include:

• Hand therapy
• Advice and education
• Aids and adaptations
• Pain management
• One to One Treatment
• Home visits

Hand Therapy

Hand Therapy for joint pain is a physical technique which involves the use of exercises, splinting and if necessary wound care. Our Occupational Therapists offer individuals with joint pain both splits for resting and dynamic splints. These offer individuals a form of pain management along increase independence in activities such as, washing, dressing, cooking and cleaning. Our Occupational Therapists are also specially trained in providing effective muscle strengthen exercises, which again aid with the management of pain and enhance and individuals participation in daily living.

Advice and Education

Breaking down an activity into in smaller more manageable components is a technique known as activity grading. The method of grading is adopted by all of our Occupational Therapists and allows individuals with joint pain to complete activities such as cooking at a rate better suited to their needs. This approach will also enhance an individual's abilities to participate in activities they find meaningful and purposeful, increase their life satisfaction overall.

Aids and Adaptations

Small aids and home adaptations can make a huge difference to the lives of individuals with joint pain and can increase their functional abilities overall. Our Occupational Therapists can provide a comprehensive aids and adaptations assessment and offer accurate recommendations. All of our aids and adaptations aim at improving an individual's functionality and increase their overall independence in activities of daily living. There are many aids and adaptations available to those with joint pain however, it is highly recommended to seek professional advice before purchasing, as some unsuitable aids may hinder an individual's abilities more.

Pain Management

Joint pain can be extremely painful and cause huge amounts of discomfort. This can occur during the daytime, night time or both depending on its severity. Our Occupational Therapists are highly skilled in providing individuals with joint pain effective techniques to aid in the management of pain. This can involve methods such as breathing and counting techniques, positive imagery and altered focus. Managing pain effectively can make a big difference to an individual's levels of participation in activities they find meaningful, which in effect will improve their quality of life overall.

One to One treatment

Our Occupational Therapists can provide individuals with joint pain the opportunity to attend one of our one to one treatment sessions. These sessions are extremely beneficial and allow for open communication between therapist and individual to take place. Through doing this, our Occupational Therapists can gather relevant information in more detail, and ensure therapy goals are accurate and meet the needs of the individual. This in turn will improve an individual's abilities to complete day to day tasks more independently.

Home Visits

Analysing individual's home environment can be beneficial to our Occupational Therapists, as it allows for them to provide more accurate recommendations for home adaptations. These adaptations aim to improve an individual's abilities to participate in activities of daily living such as, cooking, cleaning, bathing and dressing. Home visits are highly recommended for those with joint pan as they will not only increase independence but also enhance quality of life.

Occupational Therapy provides, hand therapy, aids and adaptations, pain management techniques and many more treatmentsto those individuals with a clinical or non-clinical diagnosis/condition.Occupational Therapy improves individual's independence and provides practical solutions to the everyday task an individual with an illness, condition or injury may find challenging.

All our Occupational Therapy treatments aim to increase an individual's participate in everyday activities such as

• Washing
• Dressing
• Bathing/showering
• Meal preparation/ cooking
• Returning to work
• Leisure activities

Conditions commonly associated with Joint Pain

Joint Pain can be extremely painful and occur in all joints in the body. Joint pain is often a result of an underlying medical condition or diagnosis. Our Occupational Therapists actively assess and treat individuals with:

• Arthritis
• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid.
• Orthopaedic Problems
• Sporting injuries.
• Tendon injuries.
• Muscle strains.
• Ligament damage.
• Ankle, back, Knee, hip, elbow and neck pain.
• Joint pain after surgery.

The above list of conditions does not conclude all of the conditions our Occupational Therapists can assess and treat, but is that of just a small summary. Our Occupational Therapists are able to support and advice all individuals with joint pain and provide practical solutions to the every challenges an individual with joint pain may face.

Summary

Our Occupational Therapists have the relevant knowledge and skills require to ascertain what difficulties an individual with joint pain may be experiencing. Through providing a range of comprehensive assessments and individualised treatment plans, our Occupational Therapists can aid an individual's recovery from joint pain and increase their levels of independence.

What to do next

Our Occupational Therapist will provide effective assessment and ongoing treatment for joint pain. If you feel you would benefit for our Occupational Therapy input, then please feel free to email us at office@londonot.co.uk or call us on 02033 937 332