What does Arthritis mean to you?

Chelmsford Physio • June 17, 2022

The term Arthritis can often be misunderstood. When we ask a patient about arthritis in clinic during the assessment part of the appointment, we are asking for a specific reason, but often a patient will look confused or unsure. We will hear patients tell us about being diagnosed with arthritis by their GP, this can be scary, causing fear and avoidance of exercise. 


We will also hear patients, who have self diagnosed themselves with having arthritis or sometimes “rheumatism”. Therefore this blog will try to help you understand the term Arthritis and therefore help towards managing the symptoms it can cause.


To keep it simple here we will discuss the 2 main forms of arthritis 


1.    Osteoarthritis (OA)

2.    Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

Osteoarthritis (OA) 


This is the most common chronic condition of the joints. OA can affect any joint, but it occurs most often in knees, hips, lower back and neck, small joints of the fingers and the bases of the thumb and big toe. 


OA affects 8 million people in the UK (Arthritis Research UK). We often talk about OA being similar to grey hair and wrinkles – it’s describing an aging process which may or may not include pain. 


OA is a condition whereby the surfaces of your joints become altered. Cartilage at the end of the joints become roughed and thin.  As with many injuries, imaging for OA can sometimes be helpful. However, you can look at results from a scan and think the patient is bound to have pain, swelling and struggle with daily activity. However, in reality they were actually doing really well. Essentially there is a poor relationship between findings on x-ray and MRI, versus functional pain and problems with daily activities.


In clinic we see patients every day with OA, with a spectrum of symptoms. These symptoms can often be disproportional to the findings on an Xray or scan.

There are some key things that we can do to improve and settle symptoms and work on longer term strategies to achieve help too.


Some of the key areas physiotherapy can help with are 

·      Provide the best information, education and advice

·      Improving range of motion at the joints

·      improving muscle strength around the areas

·      Cardiovascular fitness

·      Weight management 


The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recently reviewed its advice on OA.  They recommended access to appropriate information, activity and exercise. If anyone is overweight, they should be offered advice to lose weight. Looking at the exercise, this should include local strengthening and general cardiovascular exercise. They also advocated the use of heat/ice therapy, manual therapy and specific strengthening exercises. 


There are so many variable when it comes to an exercise plan/program, it should also be bespoke to the individual, rather than a one size fits all.

It depends on your individual capabilities, your personal circumstances and what you enjoy. We see many people at Chelmsford Physio who want guidance to ensure they get the most out of their exercise.


Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)


This is a completely different type of arthritis. RA is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammatory arthritis and can involve many other features including


·      Waking during the night and morning stiffness >30mins

·      IBS

·      Fatigue, weight loss, night sweats

·      Dactylitis ( swollen finger )

·      Iritis (inflammation of the eyes pupil, Iris)

·      Psoriasis

·      Anaemia (reduced red blood cells

·      Enthesitis (inflammation of the ligament/tendon attachment to bone)\


So you can see why we ask some of the questions we do within the assessment part of your session. These clues are often very helpful in detecting and diagnosing some of the various types of inflammatory arthritis we see in clinic including


·      AS ( Axial Spondyloarthritis)

·      Reactive Arthritis

·      Psoriatic Arthritis

·      PMR (Polymyalgia Rheumatica)

·      Gout

·      Hypermobility

Diagnostic delay is an ongoing challenge and often these inflammatory type arthritis can be missed for years, due to a mixed presentation and intermittent symptoms. The current research suggests a mean average of 8-9yrs delay, between symptom onset of AS and formal diagnosis in the UK. The key is to see a physiotherapist or specialist who has a high awareness of the clues and symptoms associated with the various inflammatory arthritis.


These may all be a disease of the joints but they also have systemic repercussions. The management is ideally done by an interprofessional team that includes a GP and a rheumatologist, so onward referral for appropriate investigations at the earliest detection is key.




Further investigations may include


·      Blood tests

·      Xrays

·      MRI

·      US scan




Living with arthritis can be different from person to person, and symptoms can vary from day to day. Treatment and management options vary with the type of arthritis, its severity and the parts of the body affected.

There is no cure for arthritis. Management options can include medical treatment and medication, physiotherapy, exercise and self-management techniques.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding arthritis or would like to speak to one of our physiotherapists, please email hello@chelmsfordphysio.co.uk






https://www.physio-pedia.com/Osteoarthritis

https://rheumatology.physio/mini-blog-screendem

How Athletes Adapt Their Training to Cope with High Temperatures: The Science of Heat Acclimatisation

By Chelmsford Physio • July 29, 2026
Athletes competing in hot and humid environments face significant physiological challenges that can impair performance and increase the risk of heat-related illness. From marathon runners in tropical climates to footballers playing summer tournaments, the ability to tolerate and perform in high temperatures is a critical component of elite sport. As a result, many athletes use structured heat acclimatisation strategies to prepare their bodies for environmental stress.  What Is Heat Acclimatisation? Heat acclimatisation refers to a series of physiological adaptations that occur when an athlete is repeatedly exposed to hot conditions during training. These adaptations typically develop over 7–14 days and help the body improve its ability to regulate temperature, maintain performance, and reduce cardiovascular strain during exercise in the heat. Common methods include: ● Training in hot environments (natural or artificial heat chambers) ● Passive heat exposure (saunas or hot water immersion post-training) ● Adjusting clothing to increase thermal load during sessions ● Gradual exposure to increased environmental temperatures The goal is to safely stress the thermoregulatory system so the body becomes more efficient at dissipating heat.

Why Footballers & Athletes Use Ice Baths: The Science Behind Cold Water Immersion

By Chelmsford Physio • July 29, 2026
Ice baths, also known as cold water immersion (CWI), have become a common recovery strategy among elite athletes, particularly footballers. From Premier League changing rooms to Olympic training camps, many professionals immerse themselves in cold water after intense matches and training sessions. While the sight of players sitting in freezing water may seem extreme, there is growing scientific evidence explaining why this recovery method is so widely used. What Is an Ice Bath? An ice bath typically involves immersing the body (or lower limbs) in water between 10–15°C for 10–15 minutes shortly after exercise. The aim is to promote recovery by reducing muscle soreness, inflammation and fatigue, allowing athletes to perform consistently during periods of heavy training or competition. Why Do Footballers Use Ice Baths? Football is a physically demanding sport involving repeated sprinting, jumping, tackling, rapid changes of direction and high-impact collisions. These actions create microscopic muscle damage and trigger an inflammatory response. Cold water immersion is commonly used because it may help: ● Reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) ● Minimise post-exercise swelling ● Decrease perceptions of fatigue ● Improve recovery between matches ● Maintain performance during congested fixture schedules For professional footballers playing two or three matches per week, rapid recovery is often as important as training itself. 

The Physio’s World Cup Playbook: Most Common Injuries at FIFA World Cup 2026 (and What to Do About Them)

By Chelmsford Physio • July 29, 2026
The FIFA World Cup is a unique tournament environment: elite athletes compressed into a short, high-stakes schedule, with repeated sprinting, sudden acceleration/deceleration, frequent collisions, and often limited time for full tissue recovery. It’s not surprising that the injury pattern in football tends to cluster around the lower limb—particularly the hamstrings, groin/hip-adductors, knee, and ankle. Across football research more broadly, these are repeatedly identified as the most common locations and/or injury mechanisms, even if the exact percentages differ by competition and injury-reporting method. Below is a physio-focused overview of the most common injury “types/regions” you should expect to see at World Cup 2026, along with practical assessment and management themes. 1) Muscle strains—especially hamstrings (HSI)  Why they happen in tournaments: Hamstring strain injuries (HSIs) are strongly associated with high-speed running and the physical demands of sprinting mechanics. In injury surveillance and football epidemiology, hamstring injuries consistently appear among the most common soft-tissue problems, with meaningful recurrence risk. What a physio will look for: - History: onset during acceleration/sprinting, feeling of “pull,” bruising (sometimes). - CNS/tissue considerations: prior injury, training load spikes, inadequate sprint exposure progression. - Clinical exam: focal tenderness, resisted muscle testing, and functional tests aligned to your local protocols (e.g., pain-free activation and lengthening tolerance). Rehabilitation themes: - Restore capacity for high-speed eccentric/concentric demands (not just range of motion). - Use progressive loading and functional return-to-play criteria to address reinjury risk—because football research highlights that the hamstring is one of the most frequently reinjured regions.