Free Workshop: Exercise the Best Medicine for Arthritis Sufferers, says Jersey PT

When Joon Park, 78, first walked into Jersey Physical Therapy’s Kendall Park clinic last winter, the osteoarthritis in his lower back was keeping him up at night and making it difficult for him to exercise. He couldn’t walk for more than 5 minutes due to the pain in him back and leg, which is a tough pill to swallow for an avid golfer looking forward to the local courses re-opening in the spring.

Park isn’t alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), he joins around 50 million adults in the U.S. who suffer daily from the effects of arthritis, with osteoarthritis its most common form. Fortunately, Park turned to one of the most effective sources for pain management and treatment related to arthritis: physical therapy.

“Joon was a good candidate for physical therapy because he came in a week after the problem started, so we caught it early – before it became a chronic problem,” said Geoff Hunt, PT, OCS, with Jersey Physical Therapy. “He is also a very highly motivated patient and follows advice given to him.”

After a month of physical therapy, Park was able to walk and stand comfortably for 15 minutes and, most importantly, sleep through the night. After two months? “I don’t’ have the back pain or leg pain anymore,” Park said. “Since I’m done with physical therapy (after two and a half months), I am back to golfing five days a week and have gone back to the gym.”

Getting Park back to an active lifestyle wasn’t just a short-term fix for Hunt. The long-term benefits of exercise for arthritis sufferers, he said, have been well established. According to the CDC, movement and exercise helps many people with arthritis experience less pain, more energy, an improved night’s sleep, and better day-to-day function.

What guidelines should arthritis sufferers follow when considering exercise? That topic and more will be discussed during Jersey Physical Therapy’s free arthritis seminar on Thursday, May 28, 1 to 2 p.m., at the Kendall Park clinic. Titled “Move for Life: Reducing Arthritis Pain with Exercise,” physical therapists will discuss both therapeutic and recreational exercise for people with arthritis and joint pain, answering questions about starting an exercise program, ways to avoid injury, best practices and routines, etc. Light refreshments will be offered, and attendees will have a chance to win him therapy equipment through a raffle.

“Park had reached the point where he needed physical therapy to get over a difficult hump – to improve his mobility in the lumbar spine and bilateral hips to decrease pressure in his back and, of course, help get him back on the golf course,” Hunt said. “As an arthritis sufferer, the best medicine for him now is the stay on his feet and continue living an active lifestyle that involves daily movement and exercise.”

About Jersey Physical Therapy

Jersey Physical Therapy was founded in 2002 in Kendall Park by South Brunswick natives Marc Rubenstein, PT, DPT, OCS, and Geoffrey Hunt, BS, PT, OCS. The clinic expanded in 2006 with partner Sean Moore, PT, MPT, and the opening of a second office in Milltown/East Brunswick. Both practices, along with a third location in Plainsboro, strive to deliver the highest quality in physical therapy services with a focus on evidence-based, one-on-one therapy.

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