Arthritis.
What is arthritis?
Arthritis is not a single condition — it is an umbrella term encompassing more than 100 different conditions that affect the joints, the tissues surrounding the joints, and other connective tissues. It is Australia's leading cause of chronic pain and physical disability, affecting approximately 3.6 million Australians — roughly one in seven people — with significant impact on quality of life, work capacity and independence.
Despite its prevalence, arthritis is frequently misunderstood. The most common misconception is that arthritis is an inevitable consequence of ageing that cannot be meaningfully modified. The evidence says otherwise — physiotherapy and exercise physiology are among the most effective treatments available for the most common arthritis types, producing improvements in pain, function and quality of life that are comparable to or exceed those of medication for many presentations.
Types of arthritis
The arthritis spectrum is broad. The most common types seen in physiotherapy and exercise physiology practice are:
Osteoarthritis (OA) — the most common type, affecting approximately 2.2 million Australians — is a degenerative joint condition involving progressive loss of articular cartilage, changes in subchondral bone, and synovial inflammation. It most commonly affects the knee, hip, hand and spine. OA is not simply "wear and tear" — it is a dynamic biological process that is significantly modifiable through exercise and load management. The evidence that exercise reduces OA pain and improves function is among the strongest in musculoskeletal medicine.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) — an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the synovial lining of the joints — affects approximately 456,000 Australians with a higher prevalence in women than men. It produces chronic joint inflammation, pain, swelling and stiffness that can lead to joint deformity if not well managed. Disease-modifying medications are central to RA management, with physiotherapy and exercise physiology playing important complementary roles in maintaining function and managing the musculoskeletal consequences of the condition. See our rheumatoid arthritis page for the full treatment detail.
Psoriatic arthritis — an inflammatory arthritis associated with psoriasis — affects approximately 5% of people with psoriasis and produces joint pain, swelling and stiffness that can affect any joint. It often involves enthesitis (inflammation at tendon and ligament insertion sites) and dactylitis (swelling of entire digits). Physiotherapy management targets joint mobility, strength and the management of enthesitis alongside medical treatment.
Gout and crystal arthropathies — caused by deposition of uric acid or calcium pyrophosphate crystals in joints — produce acute episodes of severe joint pain and swelling, most commonly in the big toe, ankle and knee. Between acute attacks, physiotherapy addresses the joint damage and functional deficits that accumulate with recurrent episodes. See our knee gout page for more detail.
Ankylosing spondylitis and spondyloarthropathies — inflammatory arthritis primarily affecting the spine and sacroiliac joints — produces progressive spinal stiffness and pain, with extra-articular manifestations including uveitis, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease.
Physiotherapy is particularly important in ankylosing spondylitis — spinal mobility exercises and posture management are central to preventing the progressive spinal fusion that characterises advanced disease. See our ankylosing spondylitis page for detail.
Shoulder arthritis and ankle osteoarthritis are less common than knee and hip OA but produce significant functional limitation and are managed with the same physiotherapy principles.
The single most important message about exercise and arthritis
The most pervasive and most harmful misconception about arthritis is that exercise damages arthritic joints and should be avoided. This is the opposite of what the evidence shows. For osteoarthritis in particular, exercise is the single most evidence-based intervention available — multiple systematic reviews and clinical guidelines consistently recommend exercise as a first-line treatment, before or alongside medication. Exercise reduces OA pain through multiple mechanisms including strengthening the muscles that absorb joint loads, reducing the inflammatory mediators that sensitise joint nociceptors, and improving the neuromuscular control that reduces peak joint stress during movement.
The fear that exercise will "wear out" the joint faster is not supported by evidence — exercise does not accelerate cartilage loss in OA, and physically active people with OA consistently have better outcomes than sedentary people with OA.
How can physiotherapy help?
Physiotherapy treatment for arthritis is tailored to the specific type, the joints involved and the individual's goals and activity level. Physiotherapy can help manage the symptoms of arthritis and improve mobility, flexibility and strength, reduce pain and inflammation, and improve overall function and quality of life.
Manual therapy — joint mobilisation and soft tissue techniques — reduces pain and improves joint mobility, particularly valuable in the early to moderate stages of OA where joint stiffness is a primary complaint. Dry needling addresses myofascial trigger points that contribute significantly to arthritis-related pain in the muscles surrounding affected joints.
Progressive strengthening of the muscles surrounding arthritic joints is the most important exercise intervention — quadriceps strengthening for knee OA, hip abductor strengthening for hip OA, rotator cuff strengthening for shoulder arthritis. The stronger these muscles, the less load the joint itself must absorb with each step and movement. Real time ultrasound assists in retraining the deep stabilising muscles where pain and guarding have disrupted normal activation patterns.
Activity modification and joint protection education — how to modify daily activities, pacing strategies, appropriate footwear and assistive devices — are important self-management components particularly for inflammatory arthritis where flare management is a daily consideration.
Clinical Pilates provides an excellent controlled exercise environment for arthritis management — low-impact, precisely adjustable load, small group sizes and instructor oversight make it well suited to the arthritis population. Our Balance and Bones exercise classes are specifically designed for older adults managing arthritis, bone health and general deconditioning.
How can exercise physiology help?
For patients with arthritis alongside other chronic conditions — cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, depression — exercise physiology provides the structured, clinically supervised exercise programming that addresses the whole health picture, not just the joints. Exercise physiology is particularly valuable for the cardiovascular fitness and metabolic health components of arthritis management that go beyond the joint-specific work of physiotherapy.
Eligible patients can access exercise physiology through a Chronic Disease Management Plan with GP referral — arthritis is an eligible chronic condition. This significantly reduces the out-of-pocket cost and is worth discussing with your GP.
Our physiotherapists Yulia Khasyanova and Eliane Machado and Exercise Physiologist Ash O'Regan all have experience in arthritis managemen. For further information and patient resources, Arthritis Australia provides comprehensive condition information and peer support.
To book or find out more, call us on 07 3706 3407 or book online below. We see patients from across Brisbane's southside including Tarragindi, Coorparoo, Holland Park, Greenslopes and Mt Gravatt.
Arthritis is not a single condition — it is an umbrella term encompassing more than 100 different conditions that affect the joints, the tissues surrounding the joints, and other connective tissues. It is Australia's leading cause of chronic pain and physical disability, affecting approximately 3.6 million Australians — roughly one in seven people — with significant impact on quality of life, work capacity and independence.
Despite its prevalence, arthritis is frequently misunderstood. The most common misconception is that arthritis is an inevitable consequence of ageing that cannot be meaningfully modified. The evidence says otherwise — physiotherapy and exercise physiology are among the most effective treatments available for the most common arthritis types, producing improvements in pain, function and quality of life that are comparable to or exceed those of medication for many presentations.
Types of arthritis
The arthritis spectrum is broad. The most common types seen in physiotherapy and exercise physiology practice are:
Osteoarthritis (OA) — the most common type, affecting approximately 2.2 million Australians — is a degenerative joint condition involving progressive loss of articular cartilage, changes in subchondral bone, and synovial inflammation. It most commonly affects the knee, hip, hand and spine. OA is not simply "wear and tear" — it is a dynamic biological process that is significantly modifiable through exercise and load management. The evidence that exercise reduces OA pain and improves function is among the strongest in musculoskeletal medicine.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) — an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the synovial lining of the joints — affects approximately 456,000 Australians with a higher prevalence in women than men. It produces chronic joint inflammation, pain, swelling and stiffness that can lead to joint deformity if not well managed. Disease-modifying medications are central to RA management, with physiotherapy and exercise physiology playing important complementary roles in maintaining function and managing the musculoskeletal consequences of the condition. See our rheumatoid arthritis page for the full treatment detail.
Psoriatic arthritis — an inflammatory arthritis associated with psoriasis — affects approximately 5% of people with psoriasis and produces joint pain, swelling and stiffness that can affect any joint. It often involves enthesitis (inflammation at tendon and ligament insertion sites) and dactylitis (swelling of entire digits). Physiotherapy management targets joint mobility, strength and the management of enthesitis alongside medical treatment.
Gout and crystal arthropathies — caused by deposition of uric acid or calcium pyrophosphate crystals in joints — produce acute episodes of severe joint pain and swelling, most commonly in the big toe, ankle and knee. Between acute attacks, physiotherapy addresses the joint damage and functional deficits that accumulate with recurrent episodes. See our knee gout page for more detail.
Ankylosing spondylitis and spondyloarthropathies — inflammatory arthritis primarily affecting the spine and sacroiliac joints — produces progressive spinal stiffness and pain, with extra-articular manifestations including uveitis, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease.
Physiotherapy is particularly important in ankylosing spondylitis — spinal mobility exercises and posture management are central to preventing the progressive spinal fusion that characterises advanced disease. See our ankylosing spondylitis page for detail.
Shoulder arthritis and ankle osteoarthritis are less common than knee and hip OA but produce significant functional limitation and are managed with the same physiotherapy principles.
The single most important message about exercise and arthritis
The most pervasive and most harmful misconception about arthritis is that exercise damages arthritic joints and should be avoided. This is the opposite of what the evidence shows. For osteoarthritis in particular, exercise is the single most evidence-based intervention available — multiple systematic reviews and clinical guidelines consistently recommend exercise as a first-line treatment, before or alongside medication. Exercise reduces OA pain through multiple mechanisms including strengthening the muscles that absorb joint loads, reducing the inflammatory mediators that sensitise joint nociceptors, and improving the neuromuscular control that reduces peak joint stress during movement.
The fear that exercise will "wear out" the joint faster is not supported by evidence — exercise does not accelerate cartilage loss in OA, and physically active people with OA consistently have better outcomes than sedentary people with OA.
How can physiotherapy help?
Physiotherapy treatment for arthritis is tailored to the specific type, the joints involved and the individual's goals and activity level. Physiotherapy can help manage the symptoms of arthritis and improve mobility, flexibility and strength, reduce pain and inflammation, and improve overall function and quality of life.
Manual therapy — joint mobilisation and soft tissue techniques — reduces pain and improves joint mobility, particularly valuable in the early to moderate stages of OA where joint stiffness is a primary complaint. Dry needling addresses myofascial trigger points that contribute significantly to arthritis-related pain in the muscles surrounding affected joints.
Progressive strengthening of the muscles surrounding arthritic joints is the most important exercise intervention — quadriceps strengthening for knee OA, hip abductor strengthening for hip OA, rotator cuff strengthening for shoulder arthritis. The stronger these muscles, the less load the joint itself must absorb with each step and movement. Real time ultrasound assists in retraining the deep stabilising muscles where pain and guarding have disrupted normal activation patterns.
Activity modification and joint protection education — how to modify daily activities, pacing strategies, appropriate footwear and assistive devices — are important self-management components particularly for inflammatory arthritis where flare management is a daily consideration.
Clinical Pilates provides an excellent controlled exercise environment for arthritis management — low-impact, precisely adjustable load, small group sizes and instructor oversight make it well suited to the arthritis population. Our Balance and Bones exercise classes are specifically designed for older adults managing arthritis, bone health and general deconditioning.
How can exercise physiology help?
For patients with arthritis alongside other chronic conditions — cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, depression — exercise physiology provides the structured, clinically supervised exercise programming that addresses the whole health picture, not just the joints. Exercise physiology is particularly valuable for the cardiovascular fitness and metabolic health components of arthritis management that go beyond the joint-specific work of physiotherapy.
Eligible patients can access exercise physiology through a Chronic Disease Management Plan with GP referral — arthritis is an eligible chronic condition. This significantly reduces the out-of-pocket cost and is worth discussing with your GP.
Our physiotherapists Yulia Khasyanova and Eliane Machado and Exercise Physiologist Ash O'Regan all have experience in arthritis managemen. For further information and patient resources, Arthritis Australia provides comprehensive condition information and peer support.
To book or find out more, call us on 07 3706 3407 or book online below. We see patients from across Brisbane's southside including Tarragindi, Coorparoo, Holland Park, Greenslopes and Mt Gravatt.
