Osteoarthritis and Home Modalities
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common diagnosis and if one lives long enough, a diagnosis that we will all hear. My interest lies in OA of the hand. In treating this diagnosis, I often gravitate first toward pain reduction modalities. There are many pain relieving modalities that can be explored both in therapy and at home. These may include but are not limited to paraffin bath treatments, ultrasound, moist heat, mineral baths, copper bracelets, low level laser therapy to name a few. If these are coupled with joint protective techniques and the use of adaptive equipment as needed, pain can be reduced and quality of life can be greatly improved.