You can't change the X-ray, but you can absolutely change how your joints feel and what they let you do. Movement, dosed right, is medicine here.
Arthritis has a way of quietly shrinking your day. Sound familiar?
We have treated arthritis long enough to know what an image often can't tell you: how a joint looks on a scan and how it feels are two very different things. We regularly work with people whose imaging looks alarming and who still run, hike, and garden comfortably. The difference is almost always the strength and conditioning around the joint, and that is something we build.
The real problem is the spiral. Pain leads you to move less, less movement weakens the muscles that support the joint, and those weaker muscles put more load on it, which brings more pain. Reversing that cycle is what we do, with a plan dosed carefully enough to build you up without flaring you up.
Bad information keeps a lot of people hurting longer than they should. Let's clear a few up.
The opposite is true. Appropriate strengthening is the first-line, guideline-recommended treatment for osteoarthritis. Cartilage and joints respond positively to sensible load.
That phrase scares people out of trying, which is a shame, because patients with severe imaging findings routinely cut their pain and expand their lives through strength work.
Aging is real; helplessness isn't. Joints hurt less when the muscles around them do more of the work, at 55 or 85.
Arthritis plans typically combine these tools.
Progressive, joint-friendly strengthening so muscle absorbs the load your joint has been taking.
About therapeutic exercise →
Manual therapy to ease stiffness and keep arthritic joints moving comfortably.
Explore manual therapy →
Gentle, graded joint mobilization that eases stiffness and keeps arthritic joints moving.
About joint mobilization →
Pre-surgical conditioning going in and structured rehab coming out, so a replacement delivers everything it can.
About joint replacement rehab →In Illinois you can start physical therapy without a doctor's referral, so there's nothing standing between you and relief. We accept most major plans and offer self-pay options. Not sure about your coverage? We'll check it for you before your first visit.
Here's exactly what your first visit looks like.
We start with your history, your symptoms, and the goals that matter to you.
We look at how your whole body moves to find what's driving your pain, not just where it hurts.
A hands-on treatment plan built around your body and your life, and a therapist who stays with you the whole way.
Every therapist on our team is trained in the entirety of the kinetic chain. That means we look at how your whole body moves, not just the part that hurts, and treat the cause instead of the symptom. You get that same care at all 10 of our clinics.
The same hands-on, whole-body approach guides every plan we build.
Every clinic is held to the same standard, set by therapists with advanced training in how the body moves.
You'll see the same faces at your home clinic, people who know your name and your goals.
"Travis, Erin and Karl have helped me tremendously with my Achilles tendinitis and arthritic knees. Inflammation is under control, my pain has decreased and my range of motion increased. Highly recommend these good people!"
"Dahlia at Sports and Ortho was recommended to me by a pain doctor after learning I had arthritis in my big toe and foot as well as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome."
Treated at all 10 of our clinics in the greater Chicago area.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what's bothering you. You'll hear from us within one business day to get you scheduled.