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The Manual Touch Physical Therapy

Whole Body Approach

Reclaim movement, function and life
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What can Physical Therapy do For Arthritis?

October 7, 2022 By Denise Schwartz Leave a Comment

the manual touch physical therapy for arthritis

Arthritis is inevitable. Kind of like car rust or wearing away of your car brakes.

Arthritis is when a joint becomes inflamed and typically feels stiff and painful. The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis also known as degenerative joint disease.  This is the process of the joint going through normal wear and tear resulting in torn cartilage and bone breakdown causing pain, movement limitation and swelling.

Arthritis can happen in any joint of the body, with the severity and the age of onset varying from person-to-person. The most common joint issues patients come to see me for are in the neck, back, hips and knees.  

My Story of Arthritis In My Toes

About three years ago I noticed that, after a run, both of my big toes were sore.  The pain was short lived and didn’t interfere with any other activities, so I limited my running and acknowledged I must be developing some arthritis.  Over the past three years, I noticed random episodes of left toe impingement. In other words, my toe would feel locked up and unable to flex up. These symptoms didn’t inhibit my life too much, so I just lived with them up until a few months ago. 

Last November, I painted two bedrooms in my house. Afterward, I developed almost constant toe pain and was unable to stand or walk greater than a half hour without having pain and impingement for the rest of the day.  I used KT tape and ice to deal with the pain.

I finally went to the podiatrist.

The news wasn’t surprising. I had arthritis. What was surprising is that it was bad enough to warrant surgery right away.  The podiatrist also told me that my first metatarsal (foot bone) is longer than it should be, which caused the early onset of arthritis.

After two months, the pain settled back down to random bouts. However, because I understood how important the big toe is for walking and to prevent my toe from ultimately fusing, I opted to have surgery immediately instead of waiting for my toe to inevitably get worse.  Once healed from the surgery, I’ll be able to return to most activities without toe pain. 

So, in mid February I had my surgery. A MTO (metatarsal osteopathy) with a pin placed in the metatarsal (foot bone). They cleaned out my left big toe joint from torn cartilage and degenerated bone in order to create space in my big toe joint.

Like most patients, I was surprised at the level of pain that persisted. For three days when standing or walking in my walking boot, the pain was bad enough to take a strong pain reducer, Norco. By day four, however, the pain had shifted dramatically and I was able to shift to using just Tylenol.

I’ll be in a boot for 3 weeks and then can begin rehab. I will keep you posted on my progress.

Can we use physical therapy for arthritis?

At The Manual Touch, we use various hands-on techniques to help reduce inflammation, improve joint movement and decrease pain. We teach exercises to improve our patient’s overall mobility, balance and strength in order to reduce irritation of the arthritic joint and slow down the wear-and-tear process. Other pain management techniques might include kinesiotaping and ice. Most importantly, we provide education about the process of arthritis, how to prevent it from getting worse, and how to move mindfully through the day. 

Here are some things you can do to ease Arthritis discomfort:

  • Keep moving such as walking, treadmill, stationary bike or pool aerobics as long as it doesn’t increase your pain.
  • Ice the swollen joint or painful area
  • Strengthening exercises. Although an overall body strengthening program is ideal, you will need specific exercises to strengthen the muscles around the inflamed joint and for the joints above and below the inflamed joint. For example for knee arthritis you will need hip, leg, core and feet exercises.
  • Mobility exercises to improve the movement of your joints
  • Balance exercises to prevent falls (Download our Balance Guide)
  • Decrease sitting time – sitting the majority of your days will lead to more arthritis than running 
  • Healthy diet/low inflammatory diet – seek out a nutritionist to find the right anti-inflammatory diet for you
  • Supplements such as turmeric, tart cherry juice or capsules, CBD with or without THC, and glucosamine are natural anti-inflammatories that some people have found relief with **be sure to discuss with your doctor and/or nutritionist***
  • Get enough quality sleep to allow your body time to heal and rest
  • Medical interventions such as steroid shots, stem cell or prp (platelet rich plasma) injections, pain or anti-inflammatory meds

Sometimes, like in my case, surgery is needed when all pain management tools have been exhausted.  My friend, Holly, also opted for total hip replacement when all other options ran out so she can enjoy her life again.

At some point I will have to have my right big toe done as well, probably sooner than later.  Until then,  I am looking forward to the day when I can walk freely as long as I want without any pain.


Are you or someone you know suffering from Arthritis? Reach out to us – we can help!

Filed Under: Back, Neck, & Sciatica Pain, Health & Wellness

About Denise Schwartz

Denise Schwartz, PT, IMT, C is the owner of The Manual Touch Physical Therapy. For over 30 years, she has been helping patients reduce pain and improve quality of life using a whole body approach. Denise specializes in chronic pain, spinal conditions, running/triathlon injuries and prevention, balance/vestibular disorders, functional exercise, kinesiotaping, and various non-traditional and traditional & manual therapies. Contact Denise at denise@themanualtouch.com

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I saw Denise at The Manual Touch recently for sciatic pain, that only the day before I saw Denise kept me from walking; I could only hobble for short distances before I would sit down and collapse. After some tissue work and gentle exercise with Denise, she put Kinesiotape around the affected area. I immediately noticed stability and pain improvement and could walk so much better that I was able to complete shopping trips to 4 stores I had been planning but did not think I could do. To me, the t… Read more
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I was in Florida for vacation and developed an upper respiratory infection. I had annoying coughing and congestion in my chest. This went on for several days, and it was not getting better. It felt like I had a mucous plug stuck in my chest that would not break up. One night I remembered the self-treatment that Denise taught me at The Manual Touch where I had received PT, putting one hand over the afflicted area, and one hand near my abdomen where mucous could drain out. After about 5-10 minutes… Read more
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The best physical therapist I’ve ever experienced is Denise Schwartz in Wheeling at the Manual Touch. I have seen Denise twice for over 6 months to treat 2 bouts of frozen shoulder that occurred 8 years apart. In addition to my shoulder, she has also helped with my back, exercise regimen, and overall health. She is a holistic practitioner expert in PT techniques and knows how to teach her clients how to fit her techniques easily into their lives. She relates with her clients about as well as any… Read more
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As a young elite athlete I was involved in numerous accidents resulting in scar tissue causing loss of flexibility and restrictions as an adult. After each treatment I feel so much less restriction and experience greater range of motion.
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Last winter our daughter Maddie had had several eye and ear infections, and all required topical and oral antibiotics.  These were instigated by a plugged tear duct.  A pediatric ophthalmologist said there was little chance the duct would open up on its own since she was well over a year old, and there was no harm in waiting a little longer before SURGERY. My husband and I did not want our little girl’s eye probed, and we definitely did not want her to have a general anesthetic, so we bro… Read more
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The physical therapy I received at The Manual Touch PT helped reduce my sciatica pain to a manageable level in just a few sessions.  The exercises I was given strengthened and trained my muscles to prevent further back problems allowing me to return to playing basketball.
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Just a note to thank you for the time you spent with me Saturday in evaluating my running technique and body alignment.  Your suggestions are already making sense and having an early impact.  After our meeting, I went out for a 5K run and found your suggestions “to shorten my stride” and “being conscious of not overlapping my steps” to be helpful. Thanks Denise  
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I have been receiving PT therapy for pain and autoimmune disorders for over 18 months at The Manual Touch.  This also affects my kidneys and my lungs and other organs as I swell with fluid that my lymph system doesn’t seem to handle well.  I depend on the regular IMT tissue therapy I receive from Denise to help me function as normally as possible.  This therapy seems to work synergistically with the acupuncture and medication I also receive.  There are no cures for these disorders and as n… Read more
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Excellent, professional assessment and treatment for an older woman who’s had lots of failed therapy. Kind and compassionate and caring! Thanks.
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I can honestly say that Denise was the first physical therapist to listen to my story.   She has demonstrated more patience and compassion than any other therapist that I’ve ever met. For the past 8 years, I have been symptomatic with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a rare genetic condition which affects the connective tissue throughout my body. As a result of this disorder I deal with ongoing severe acute and chronic pain and a variety of other rare overlapping conditions such as thoracic outl… Read more
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We believe all body systems and mental/emotional health are connected. We take a whole body approach to discover why patients are not healing and what were the initial causes of their current symptoms. 

Our mission is to use this whole body approach to help patients heal and overcome pain and limitations, resulting in improved quality of life. We also aim to promote wellness in our communities through ongoing education. 
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Testimonials

I saw Denise at The Manual Touch recently for sciatic pain, that only the day before I saw Denise kept me from walking; I could only hobble for short distances before I would sit down and collapse. After some tissue work and gentle exercise with Deni… Read more
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/m-d-evanston-il
I was in Florida for vacation and developed an upper respiratory infection. I had annoying coughing and congestion in my chest. This went on for several days, and it was not getting better. It felt like I had a mucous plug stuck in my chest that woul… Read more
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/a-b-riverwoods
The best physical therapist I’ve ever experienced is Denise Schwartz in Wheeling at the Manual Touch. I have seen Denise twice for over 6 months to treat 2 bouts of frozen shoulder that occurred 8 years apart. In addition to my shoulder, she has also… Read more
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/b-h-elmhurst-il
As a young elite athlete I was involved in numerous accidents resulting in scar tissue causing loss of flexibility and restrictions as an adult. After each treatment I feel so much less restriction and experience greater range of motion.
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/s-northbrook-il
Last winter our daughter Maddie had had several eye and ear infections, and all required topical and oral antibiotics.  These were instigated by a plugged tear duct.  A pediatric ophthalmologist said there was little chance the duct would open up o… Read more
The physical therapy I received at The Manual Touch PT helped reduce my sciatica pain to a manageable level in just a few sessions.  The exercises I was given strengthened and trained my muscles to prevent further back problems allowing me to return… Read more
Just a note to thank you for the time you spent with me Saturday in evaluating my running technique and body alignment.  Your suggestions are already making sense and having an early impact.  After our meeting, I went out for a 5K run and found you… Read more
I have been receiving PT therapy for pain and autoimmune disorders for over 18 months at The Manual Touch.  This also affects my kidneys and my lungs and other organs as I swell with fluid that my lymph system doesn’t seem to handle well.  I depe… Read more
Excellent, professional assessment and treatment for an older woman who’s had lots of failed therapy. Kind and compassionate and caring! Thanks.
I can honestly say that Denise was the first physical therapist to listen to my story.   She has demonstrated more patience and compassion than any other therapist that I’ve ever met. For the past 8 years, I have been symptomatic with Ehlers Danlo… Read more
Read More

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