What I Treat · Exeter
Physiotherapy for arthritis in Exeter
Arthritis doesn't mean giving things up. The right movement, dosed the right way, is one of the best-evidenced treatments there is for arthritic pain.
£75 · 45 minutes · includes your first treatment
Understanding It
What arthritis means, and what it doesn't
Osteoarthritis, the most common form, is often described as “wear and tear”, which makes joints sound like tyres wearing out. The reality is kinder: joints are living tissue that adapts to how it's used, and pain levels often have surprisingly little to do with what an X-ray shows.
That's why two people with identical scans can have completely different lives: one avoiding stairs, one hiking at weekends. The difference is rarely luck; it's usually strength, movement confidence and how the condition is managed.
Common signs
- Joint pain and stiffness, often worst first thing or after resting
- Knees, hips, hands or spine that grumble with weather, stairs or gardening
- A joint that feels swollen, creaky or less trustworthy than it was
- Gradually doing less because you're not sure what's safe
- Sleep disturbed by aching joints
How Physiotherapy Helps
Movement is medicine, properly dosed
The strongest evidence for managing osteoarthritis is exercise: strengthening the muscles around a joint reduces pain and improves function, often dramatically. The problem is that “do more exercise” is useless advice when the joint hurts. My job is the dosing: finding the level your joint tolerates today and building from there.
Hands-on treatment and massage can ease pain and stiffness alongside, and we'll look at the practical things too: pacing, footwear, and how to keep doing the activities you care about rather than surrendering them one by one.
Physiotherapy can't reverse arthritis, and I won't pretend otherwise. What it reliably does is reduce pain, improve what you can do, and for some people delay or avoid surgery. If your arthritis does need a surgical opinion, I'll say so and help you arrive strong.
While You Wait
What you can do today
Keep the joint moving every day; motion genuinely is lotion for arthritic joints, and short frequent activity beats occasional big efforts.
Warmth helps many people with stiffness; a warm shower before activity can make mornings easier.
If pain has made you wary, start smaller than you think you need to and build up. Flare-ups after activity usually mean the dose was too big, not that movement is wrong.
Worth Knowing
When to get help
If joint pain is shaping your days, stopping activities you love, or you've been told “it's just arthritis, live with it”, an assessment will show you what's actually possible. Most people are surprised.
See your GP if a joint becomes hot, red and swollen without explanation, if you feel unwell with joint pain, or if symptoms are appearing in many joints at once; some forms of arthritis need medical treatment alongside physiotherapy.
Let's find out what's actually going on
A 45-minute assessment gets you a diagnosis in plain English, a clear plan, and your first treatment on the same day. No GP referral needed.