Osteoarthritis (OA) is a condition that affects your musculoskeletal system. It affects the whole joint including the bone and cartilage as well as ligaments and muscles around the joint.
The most common symptoms of OA are joint pain and stiffness. This can lead people to reduce their activity levels which in turn causes loss of muscle strength, reduced balance and reduced confidence to live an active life. Exercise is one of the best known evidence based treatments for OA. Being and feeling strong can give you an increased confidence to remain active and will help you develop a better capacity to manage your day to day activities which can prevent progression of your symptoms and pain. Exercise also has enormous benefits for your mental health.
Understanding the disease process, causes, risk factors and what you can do to help is very important. This can help to debunk any myths you may have heard about OA (of which there are many) and give you more control over what is happening to you. OHL is well equipped to support you in this journey. We have a team of health care professionals who are experts in best practice care of OA under one roof.