{"id":9950,"date":"2025-10-10T12:42:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T09:42:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chpc.gr\/general-issues-en\/%ce%bf%cf%83%cf%84%ce%b5%ce%bf%ce%b1%cf%81%ce%b8%cf%81%ce%af%cf%84%ce%b9%ce%b4%ce%b1-%ce%bc%ce%ac%ce%b8%ce%b5-%cf%80%cf%8e%cf%82-%ce%bc%cf%80%ce%bf%cf%81%ce%b5%ce%af%cf%82-%ce%bd%ce%b1-%cf%84%ce%b7\/"},"modified":"2025-10-30T12:27:56","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T10:27:56","slug":"osteoarthritis-learn-how-to-treat-it-naturally-and-effectively","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chpc.gr\/en\/problems-advice-en\/osteoarthritis-learn-how-to-treat-it-naturally-and-effectively\/","title":{"rendered":"Osteoarthritis: Learn How to Manage It Naturally and Effectively"},"content":{"rendered":"\n


By <\/strong>Zacharias Sifakis<\/strong><\/a> &<\/strong> Charalampos Bolis<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Osteoarthritis (OA)<\/strong> is one of the most common and chronic joint conditions.
It causes degeneration of the cartilage<\/strong> \u2014 the \u201ccushion\u201d that protects the bones and allows smooth, pain-free movement.
It appears most often in the knees, hips, and hands<\/strong>, and affects more than 300 million people worldwide<\/strong> (Fransen et al., 2015).
Its prevalence increases with age<\/strong>, obesity<\/strong>, and low levels of physical activity<\/strong> (Conley et al., 2023).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udd39 What Causes Osteoarthritis?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

OA develops when the natural balance between cartilage wear and repair is disrupted.
When the degeneration process outweighs the repair process, the cartilage thins, the bones rub against each other, and pain appears (Conley et al., 2023).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main risk factors include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 \ud83e\uddd3 Age
\u2022 \ud83d\udc69\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 Gender (women are more often affected)
\u2022 \u2696\ufe0f Obesity
\u2022 \ud83e\uddec Heredity
\u2022 \ud83e\udd15 Previous joint injury (van Doormaal et al., 2020)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udd39 What Are the Symptoms?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most common signs of OA include:
\u2022 Pain and stiffness, especially in the morning
\u2022 Swelling (edema)
\u2022 Joint deformity
\u2022 Reduced range of motion
\u2022 Difficulty performing simple daily activities, such as:
o walking,
o climbing or descending stairs,
o sitting down or standing up from a chair,
o standing for long periods or getting dressed (Raposo et al., 2021).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcaa Movement Is the Best Medicine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although there is no drug that can \u201ccure\u201d OA, there are many effective ways to control the symptoms<\/strong> and maintain joint function<\/strong>.
Scientific evidence shows that the following approaches are the most beneficial:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1\ufe0f<\/strong>\u20e3<\/strong> Therapeutic Exercise<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exercise is the first and most important line of treatment<\/strong> for OA (Fransen et al., 2015; Raposo et al., 2021).
It may include:
\u2022 Aerobic activities (e.g. walking, cycling)
\u2022 Strength and resistance exercises
\u2022 Holistic methods such as Clinical Pilates<\/a><\/strong> and Tai Chi<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A personalized exercise program<\/strong>, with gradual progression in intensity and duration, has been shown to improve strength, reduce pain, and increase mobility<\/strong>.
Even home-based or online programs<\/strong> have demonstrated excellent results (Mao et al., 2024; Si et al., 2023).
\ud83d\udc49 Read more about the importance of exercise here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2\ufe0f<\/strong>\u20e3<\/strong> Manual Therapy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manual Therapy techniques<\/strong> help reduce pain<\/strong> and improve range of motion<\/strong>, especially in patients with knee or hip OA (Tsokanos et al., 2021).
Combining Manual Therapy with therapeutic exercise<\/strong> provides better outcomes than either approach alone (Sampath et al., 2015).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3\ufe0f<\/strong>\u20e3<\/strong> Patient Education<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Education is a key component of treatment.
When patients understand what OA is, how it affects daily life, and what they can do to manage it, they gain greater control and confidence<\/strong> (Conley et al., 2023).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4\ufe0f<\/strong>\u20e3<\/strong> Weight Management<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Losing 5\u20137% of body weight<\/strong> can significantly reduce pain and improve function, especially in overweight individuals (van Doormaal et al., 2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5\ufe0f<\/strong>\u20e3<\/strong> Medication<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some cases, the physician may recommend non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)<\/strong> for short-term use to help manage pain (Conley et al., 2023).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6\ufe0f<\/strong>\u20e3<\/strong> Surgical Treatment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surgery (e.g. joint replacement) is considered only when conservative methods fail<\/strong> and the pain severely limits quality of life (Gademan et al., 2016).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83c\udfe5 How Physiotherapy Can Help<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Chania Physiotherapy Clinic<\/a><\/strong>, every patient is assessed individually, and a personalized rehabilitation program<\/strong> is designed, combining:
\u2022 Therapeutic Exercise
\u2022 Manual Therapy
\u2022 Education & Guidance<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our goal is to:
\u2022 reduce pain,
\u2022 improve mobility,
\u2022 strengthen muscles and stability,
\u2022 and help each person return to an active, pain-free daily life<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udc49 Movement is medicine.<\/strong> With the right physiotherapeutic guidance, OA can be managed effectively \u2014 and quality of life can be significantly improved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcda References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Fransen M. et al. Exercise for osteoarthritis of the knee: a Cochrane systematic review.<\/em> British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2015.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Conley J. et al. Core Recommendations for Osteoarthritis Care: A Systematic Review of Clinical Practice Guidelines.<\/em> Arthritis Care & Research, 2023.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Raposo M. et al. Effects of exercise on knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review.<\/em> Musculoskeletal Care, 2021.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. van Doormaal M. et al. A clinical practice guideline for physical therapy in patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis.<\/em> Musculoskeletal Care, 2020.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Mao J. et al. Efficacy of home-based exercise in the treatment of pain and disability at the hip and knee in patients with osteoarthritis.<\/em> BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 2024.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Si H. et al. Effectiveness of home-based exercise interventions on pain, physical function and quality of life in individuals with knee osteoarthritis.<\/em> Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, 2023.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Tsokanos A. et al. The Efficacy of Manual Therapy in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis.<\/em> Medicina, 2021.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Gademan M. et al. Indication criteria for total hip or knee arthroplasty in osteoarthritis.<\/em> BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 2016.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. Sampath K. et al. The effects of manual therapy or exercise therapy or both in people with hip osteoarthritis.<\/em> Clinical Rehabilitation, 2015.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Authors:<\/strong>
    Zacharias Sifakis, BSc, OMT, MHCPC, MAACP, MMACP, CGIMS<\/em> \u2014 Specialist Physiotherapist in Musculoskeletal and Sports Rehabilitation Charalampos Bolis, MSc, BSc, MT<\/em> \u2014 Physiotherapist specialized in Sports Physiotherapy, Pilates Instructor<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Chania Physiotherapy Clinic<\/strong>
    Chania \u2013 Kalyves \u2013 Palaiochora
    \ud83c\udf10     www.chpc.gr<\/a> | \ud83d\udcde +30 28210 58711<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    By Zacharias Sifakis & Charalampos Bolis Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common and chronic joint conditions.It causes degeneration of the cartilage \u2014 the \u201ccushion\u201d that protects the bones and allows smooth, pain-free movement.It appears most often in the knees, hips, and hands, and affects more than 300 million people worldwide (Fransen et al., […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9959,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-problems-advice-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chpc.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chpc.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chpc.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chpc.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chpc.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9950"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/chpc.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9981,"href":"https:\/\/chpc.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9950\/revisions\/9981"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chpc.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chpc.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chpc.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chpc.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}