Reduce Pain, Improve Function, and Stay Active With Arthritis
Understanding Arthritis and Joint Health
Arthritis is the leading cause of joint pain and disability in the UK, affecting over ten million people. While there are many forms, the two most prevalent—osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis—share a common impact: persistent pain, morning stiffness, and a progressive difficulty with everyday activities like walking, climbing stairs, or gripping objects.
It is a common myth that “wear and tear” means you should stop moving. In fact, joints require movement to stay healthy. Physiotherapy is recommended by NICE as a primary treatment for arthritis because a well-structured programme can significantly reduce pain and improve mobility. By strengthening the muscles around the joint and improving its range of motion, we can help you maintain an active, independent life—often delaying or even avoiding the need for joint replacement surgery.
Specialist Arthritis Care in Waterlooville
At The Physiotherapy Centre, arthritis is one of the conditions we treat most frequently. We don’t believe in a “one size fits all” approach; our team provides individualized treatment plans that account for the type and severity of your arthritis, which joints are affected, and your specific lifestyle goals.
We regularly support patients from Widley, Purbrook, Waterlooville, Cosham, Havant, and Petersfield who are looking for more than just pain medication. Whether you are managing early-stage stiffness or looking for a pre-operative strengthening programme, we are here to ensure your joints stay as resilient and functional as possible.
The "Movement as Medicine" Approach
- Joint Lubrication: Movement helps circulate synovial fluid, the oil of your joints, which reduces friction and provides nutrients to the cartilage.
- Muscle Support: Strengthening the muscles acting on the joint (such as the quadriceps for the knee) takes the mechanical pressure off the joint surfaces themselves.
- Pain Modulation: Regular, appropriate exercise changes how your nervous system processes pain signals, increasing your pain threshold and allowing you to do more with less discomfort.
Understanding Arthritis
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. It involves the gradual breakdown of cartilage — the smooth, protective tissue that covers the ends of bones within a joint. As the cartilage thins, the joint becomes painful, stiff, and less able to move through its full range.
OA most commonly affects the knees, hips, hands, spine, and big toes. It is not simply “wear and tear” — the condition involves active biological processes including inflammation, bone remodelling, and changes in the joint capsule and surrounding muscles. This is important because it means the condition can be influenced by treatment.
Risk factors for osteoarthritis include age (risk increases over 45, though it can occur earlier), previous joint injury, obesity (particularly for knee OA), family history, female sex (OA is more common in women, especially after menopause), and occupations or sports involving repetitive joint loading.
Symptoms typically include joint pain that worsens with activity and improves with rest, morning stiffness lasting less than 30 minutes, reduced range of movement, joint swelling (intermittent), crepitus (grinding or crackling sensation), and weakness in the muscles surrounding the joint.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks the joint lining (synovium), causing inflammation, pain, and progressive joint damage. RA typically affects smaller joints — particularly the hands, wrists, and feet — and tends to be symmetrical (affecting both sides of the body).
RA requires medical management (disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs or DMARDs) to control the autoimmune process. Physiotherapy works alongside medical treatment to maintain joint mobility, preserve muscle strength, manage pain, and protect affected joints.
Symptoms include joint pain and swelling (often in the hands, wrists, and feet), prolonged morning stiffness (lasting more than 30 minutes), fatigue, and periods of flare and remission.
What Arthritis Does Not Mean
A diagnosis of arthritis does not mean your joints are “bone on bone,” your condition will inevitably worsen, you need to stop being active, or surgery is the only option. Many people with significant arthritis visible on X-ray have minimal symptoms, and many people with moderate symptoms can manage their condition effectively with exercise and physiotherapy.
How We Treat Arthritis
Clinical Assessment
Your journey begins with a thorough evaluation of the affected joints, focusing on range of movement, strength, and any visible swelling or “effusion.” We don’t just look at the joint in isolation; we assess the surrounding muscles, your gait, and your balance to see how your body compensates for discomfort. For our patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), we take additional care to factor in your current disease activity, medication cycles, and fatigue levels, ensuring our assessment is as comfortable as it is comprehensive.
Exercise and Strengthening: The Core Treatment
Exercise is the single most effective treatment for arthritis, and NICE recommends it as a core intervention for both Osteoarthritis and RA. Your programme is designed to “buffer” your joints by building the muscles that support and protect them—quadriceps strengthening for knee OA, for example, is one of the most well-evidenced treatments in physiotherapy.
We focus on:
- Strength Training: To take the mechanical load off the joint surfaces.
- Mobility Work: To maintain or reclaim your range of movement.
- Aerobic Exercise: To improve cardiovascular health and manage systemic inflammation.
- Balance Training: To ensure you stay confident and steady on your feet.
Manual Therapy
Hands-on treatment is a valuable tool to provide short-term pain relief and “loosen” a stiff joint so that exercise becomes easier. We utilize joint mobilisation to improve range of movement and soft tissue massage to ease the protective muscle guarding that often develops around arthritic joints. We may also incorporate acupuncture, which is recommended by NICE for chronic pain modulation. Manual therapy is the “door-opener” that supports your exercise programme, helping you move more freely.
Adjunct Treatments
For more persistent symptoms, we offer a range of advanced adjunct treatments to support your recovery:
- EMTT: Used specifically for joint pain and the reduction of chronic inflammation.
- Shockwave Therapy: Highly effective if your arthritis is complicated by associated tendinopathies (such as hip bursitis).
- Hydrotherapy: Particularly useful for lower limb arthritis when land based exercise is initially too painful.
- Diagnostic Ultrasound: To assess joint inflammation or confirm the diagnosis, helping us guide treatment decisions with clinical certainty.
Self-Management Support
Long-term success with arthritis depends on what happens outside the clinic. We provide you with the education and tools to manage your condition independently. This includes advice on pacing (how to stay active without triggering a flare-up), guidance on lifestyle factors, and a clear, long-term exercise programme tailored to your life. Our goal is to move you from a state of “managing pain” to a state of “maintaining an active life.
What to Expect at Your First Appointment
At The Physiotherapy Centre, we believe that an arthritis diagnosis shouldn’t mean a withdrawal from the activities you love. Your initial 45 to 60-minute consultation is the first step in shifting from “managing pain” to “improving function.”
Your First Appointment: What to Expect
Practicalities for your visit:
- Comprehensive Assessment: Your physiotherapist will conduct a thorough physical exam of the affected joints. If multiple areas are involved, we will prioritise the joints causing the most significant difficulty and build your treatment plan from there.
- What to wear: Please wear comfortable, loose fitting clothing that allows easy access to the joints we are assessing (e.g. shorts for knees or hips, or a vest top for shoulders).
- What to bring: If you have copies of X-rays, MRI reports, or consultant letters, please bring them with you. This clinical history allows us to better understand the structural state of your joints.
- Immediate Plan: You will leave your first session with a clear understanding of your specific type of arthritis, a set of realistic goals, and a tailored exercise programme to begin at home.
Honesty in Recovery
We believe in realistic expectations. Arthritis is a long-term condition, and while we can often achieve significant pain relief in the early weeks by reducing inflammation and muscle tension, building the muscle strength required to “protect” a joint takes time.
Your physiotherapist will be honest about what can be achieved. For many, the goal is a three to six-month window of consistent strengthening to see a transformative change in mobility and a reduction in daily pain levels. Whether your goal is to walk further without discomfort or to avoid surgery for as long as possible, we provide the evidence-based roadmap to get you there.
Pricing and Appointments
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Initial Assessment £79 (45 minutes) or £89 (60 minutes)
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Follow-Up Session £72 (30 minutes)
We are recognised providers for Bupa, AXA PPP, Aviva, WPA, and Cigna.
Conveniently Located in Waterlooville
- The Physiotherapy Centre 96 London Road, Widley, Waterlooville, Hampshire, PO7 5AB
- Opening Hours: Mon: 8.00–7.00 | Tue: 8.00–7.30 | Wed: 8.00–8.00 | Thu: 8.00–7.00 | Fri: 8.00–5.00 | Sat: 8.30–1.00
- We serve patients from Widley, Purbrook, Waterlooville, Cosham, Havant, Petersfield, and Portsmouth. The clinic is on the old A3 / London Road, just north of Portsdown Hill, near the Hampshire Rose pub. The No. 8 bus (Bushy Mead) stops just up the road.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can exercise make arthritis worse?
No. This is one of the most common misconceptions about arthritis. Exercise does not accelerate joint damage — in fact, it is the most effective treatment available. Strengthening the muscles around an arthritic joint reduces the load on the joint itself, decreases pain, and improves function. Your physiotherapist will prescribe exercises that are appropriate for your level of arthritis.
Do I need a joint replacement?
Not necessarily. NICE recommends that exercise and physiotherapy should be tried first. Many people with moderate to severe osteoarthritis manage their symptoms effectively with physiotherapy and do not require surgery. If your symptoms are not adequately controlled despite a well-structured treatment programme, your physiotherapist can advise on when surgical referral may be appropriate.
Is walking good for arthritic knees?
Yes — walking is one of the most recommended exercises for knee osteoarthritis. It improves cardiovascular fitness, maintains joint mobility, and supports weight management. If walking is currently painful, starting with shorter distances and gradually building up is the best approach. Your physiotherapist can advise on how to progress safely.
What is the best exercise for arthritis?
There is no single best exercise — the most effective programme combines strengthening, flexibility, and aerobic exercise. For knee osteoarthritis, quadriceps strengthening has the strongest evidence. For hip osteoarthritis, gluteal and hip flexor strengthening is key. Your physiotherapist will design a programme specific to your joints and your goals.
Can diet help with arthritis?
Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the most important things you can do for arthritis, particularly knee OA — every kilogram of weight lost reduces the load on the knee by roughly four kilograms during walking. A balanced diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids (found in oily fish) may also have anti-inflammatory benefits. Our dietitian, Joanne Tattersall, can provide tailored dietary advice if needed.
Should I avoid stairs with knee arthritis?
You do not need to avoid stairs entirely, though you may need to modify how you approach them (for example, leading with your stronger leg going up and your affected leg going down). Stair climbing actually helps strengthen the muscles around the knee. Your physiotherapist can advise on safe technique.
Is arthritis just part of getting older?
Age is a risk factor, but arthritis is not an inevitable consequence of ageing. Many older adults have no arthritis, and some younger people develop it early. More importantly, regardless of your age, exercise and physiotherapy can significantly reduce symptoms and improve function.
Can I have physiotherapy alongside my rheumatology medication?
Yes — and it is recommended. Physiotherapy complements medical management of rheumatoid arthritis by maintaining joint mobility, building muscle strength, and managing pain. Your physiotherapist will adapt treatment to account for disease activity and medication effects (such as fatigue from DMARDs).
Will hydrotherapy help my arthritis?
Hydrotherapy is particularly useful for lower limb arthritis where land-based exercise is too painful. The buoyancy and warmth of the water reduce joint loading and pain, making it easier to exercise. Our hydrotherapy service is available on-site.
Do I need a referral?
No. You can self-refer directly by contacting the clinic. If you have recent X-rays or blood test results related to your arthritis, bring these to your first appointment.
Team