Can Physical Therapy Delay the Need for Joint Replacement?

It might be hard to believe that movement can improve your joint health when moving sometimes causes you pain.

However, physical therapy isn’t just any type of movement. It’s a series of tailored exercises personalized for your needs, with the purpose of removing some of the load from your joints, improving balance and overall fitness, in a way that doesn’t hurt.

Studies suggest that physical therapy can indeed reduce the need for joint replacement by 44%. Want to learn how this is possible? Our expert, Dr. Thomas Kane III, explains how physical therapy helps.

How physical therapy helps prevent surgery

Your joint health often worsens due to wear and tear. However, physical therapy can lessen the wear and tear on your joints by using precise movements with the following goals:

• Strengthen the muscles surrounding the joints to take the pressure off the joint
• Improve blood flow through movement, which in turn encourages good tissue oxygenation and tissue regeneration
• Improve posture and the way you walk to take pressure off your joints
• Support a healthy weight through exercise, which can reduce joint stress

While physical therapy can’t reverse the damage that’s already been done to the joint, it can help prevent further damage by creating an environment in which your joints are better preserved. 

In many cases, this can significantly extend the time before surgery ever becomes necessary.

Who is a good candidate for physical therapy for delaying surgery?

While almost anyone can benefit from physical therapy for joint damage, the ones who can delay surgery are usually those in the early to moderate stages of joint degeneration.

People who experience pain in their joints but still have good joint function—meaning they can move well—can also delay the need for surgery with the right exercises. Even people with occasional flare-ups may benefit, as guided therapy can stabilize their movement and help avoid further strain.

However, physical therapy alone can’t help patients who have severe joint damage, including joints with worn cartilage that lead to bone-on-bone friction. For this, surgery followed by physical therapy is usually the recommended route.

Learn more about taking care of your joints

All roads may lead to Rome, but not all joints need to be replaced. 

If you have mild to moderate joint damage, there are a number of conservative interventions, from medications to injections to physical therapy, that can help you halt the progression of joint degeneration. The earlier you begin treatment, the better your chances of protecting your mobility and independence. 

Unsure what to do next? Contact us to schedule an appointment in our office located in Honolulu, Hawaii, to learn more about how you can preserve your joint health for longer.