Delivering individualized care to manage common symptoms of arthritis, including pain or tenderness, stiffness, loss of flexibility or range of motion, and joint swelling.
Tailored care, compassionate support
Arthritis treatment and therapy at Sheltering Arms Institute is focused on reducing joint inflammation, improving posture and body mechanics, building strength, and increasing range of motion through personalized therapies.
Improving quality of life
At numerous outpatient clinics conveniently located throughout Richmond and Central Virginia, the skilled clinicians at Sheltering Arms Institute design individualized care plans rooted in physical and occupational therapy, helping individuals achieve optimal quality of life.
Sheltering Arms Institute takes a holistic approach to arthritis, supporting all aspects of each individual’s goals and needs.
Sheltering Arms Institute therapists work with individuals to increase the strength of the muscles that support joints to ease stress on arthritic joints.
Utilizing therapeutic stretching techniques, Sheltering Arms Institute therapists work to improve range of motion and decrease joint stress.
Splints can support unstable joints while assistive devices, such as canes and walkers, can reduce overall joint load, decreasing pain with mobility and improving safety levels.
Sheltering Arms Institute offers a range of treatments and technology to reduce pain, including electrical stimulation, infrared lasers, manual therapy, dry needling, and aquatic therapy.
The staff are fantastic. My therapist is knowledgeable in the many techniques used in occupational therapy. She explains what she is doing and asks for your feedback frequently. If adjustments are needed, she will take care of it. I will recommend her and the facility to family and friends.
Supporting optimal rehabilitation
Sheltering Arms Institute offers rehabilitation for arthritis in the inpatient care setting to individuals managing or recovering from multiple medical conditions in addition to arthritis pain.
Helping people when they have hand pain is one of my favorite parts of being an occupational therapist because by helping people reengage with the world around them, I know I am simultaneously helping them live their best lives, and that’s what occupational therapy is all about!
Understanding arthritis therapy
Arthritis is the inflammation of one or more joints that can cause pain and stiffness. Arthritis comes in many different forms, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, lupus, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. Arthritis can affect the spine as well as peripheral joints such as the shoulders, elbows, hips, hands, feet, and knees.
Osteoarthritic conditions of the spine can include spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal) and degenerative disc disease (when cushioning discs between vertebrates in the spine become dry and thin). Both of these conditions can cause pain with everyday activities.
Osteoarthritis is caused when the cartilage between our joints begins to wear out and tear over time. This allows bones to rub against each other resulting in damage and inflammation within the joint.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) differs from osteoarthritis because it is an autoimmune disease, not the result of normal wear and tear or traumatic injury. Healthy joints are attacked by an individual’s immune system and can cause damage throughout the body, resulting in intense pain.
Flare-ups, induced by RA, will cause joints to swell and become stiff, sometimes resulting in the loss of function. These flare-ups can be very painful and can cause the joints to become deformed over time. At times, symptoms may completely disappear and pain will subside.
The most common symptoms found among those affected by arthritis include joint pain, swelling, stiffness, and decreased range of motion. Signs of rheumatoid arthritis include those symptoms, but may also trigger a loss of appetite or fatigue. Over longer periods of time and in more severe cases of rheumatoid arthritis, one may also become anemic or experience joint deformity.
When joints are painful, exercise and movement may not sound like logical treatments, however, they are key to managing many types of arthritis. Treatment goals include reducing joint inflammation, improving posture and body mechanics, increasing range of motion, building strength, modifying home and/or work environments to improve function, and increasing circulation in the joints via movement.
According to the CDC, nearly 25% of adults in the U.S. have arthritis. Some risk factors for arthritis include family history, genetic predisposition, age, gender, previous joint injury, and obesity.
Start your Journey
Contact a specialist at Sheltering Arms Institute to learn more about how you can gain more freedom in your everyday life.
