Arthritis: Types, Symptoms and Physiotherapy
A physiotherapy assessment can identify how arthritis affects movement, strength and daily function.
Arthritis can cause joint pain, stiffness, swelling and reduced confidence with movement. It may affect walking, stairs, gripping, exercise, work or everyday tasks. However, arthritis is not one single diagnosis. It is a broad term covering more than 100 conditions that affect joints and nearby tissues.
Arthritis physiotherapy may help you understand your symptoms, improve strength and movement, manage joint loading and remain active. Your treatment plan should reflect the type of arthritis, the joints involved, your general health and the activities that matter to you.
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What is arthritis?
Arthritis describes conditions that affect one or more joints and the surrounding tissues. Depending on the condition, changes may involve cartilage, bone, the joint lining, tendons, ligaments or the immune system.
Some forms develop gradually and become more sensitive to repeated loading. Others involve inflammation and may produce unpredictable flare-ups, warmth, swelling, fatigue or prolonged morning stiffness.
Arthritis becomes more common with age, but it is not simply an inevitable consequence of getting older. Genetics, immune activity, previous joint injury, body weight, muscle capacity and repeated physical loading may all contribute.
Quick answer
Arthritis does not automatically mean that you should stop moving. Appropriate exercise and gradual activity usually form an important part of management, although the right program depends on your diagnosis and current symptoms.
What are the most common arthritis types?
The term arthritis includes several different conditions. Correctly identifying the likely type helps guide treatment, exercise and medical care.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis often involves gradual joint changes, stiffness and reduced tolerance for loading. Symptoms commonly affect the knees, hips, hands or spine.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory autoimmune condition. It may affect several joints and cause swelling, warmth, fatigue and prolonged morning stiffness.
Psoriatic arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammatory condition associated with psoriasis. It may affect joints, fingers, toes, tendons or the spine.
Ankylosing spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis mainly affects the spine and sacroiliac joints. It commonly causes persistent stiffness that may improve with movement.
Other related conditions
Other rheumatology-related conditions include lupus and fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is not a form of inflammatory arthritis, but its widespread pain and fatigue can overlap with symptoms reported by people seeking arthritis information.
Does the symptom pattern suggest osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis?
No single symptom confirms an arthritis diagnosis. However, the pattern can help determine whether you should start with a physiotherapy assessment, see your GP or discuss a rheumatology referral.
Often seen with osteoarthritis
Load-related joint symptoms
- Pain during or after repeated joint loading
- Stiffness after sitting or resting
- Gradual loss of movement or strength
- One or several load-bearing joints affected
- Symptoms that vary with activity volume
May suggest inflammatory arthritis
Inflammatory symptom patterns
- Several painful or swollen joints
- Prolonged morning stiffness
- Warmth or visible joint swelling
- Unpredictable flare-ups or fatigue
- Symptoms not clearly linked to activity
These patterns are a guide only. A clinician may need to consider your medical history, joint examination, blood tests, imaging and response to movement before confirming the diagnosis.
What symptoms can arthritis cause?
Arthritis symptoms vary between conditions and between people. Symptoms may also change from day to day.
- Joint pain during activity, after activity or at rest
- Morning stiffness or difficulty getting moving
- Swelling, warmth or tenderness around a joint
- Reduced joint flexibility or movement
- Muscle weakness around the affected joint
- Difficulty walking, climbing stairs or gripping
- Reduced tolerance for work, exercise or daily tasks
- Fatigue during inflammatory flare-ups
Arthritis-related pain and stiffness can affect standing, walking and other daily movements.
Where does arthritis commonly affect the body?
Arthritis can affect almost any joint. The functional impact depends on the joint involved, the severity of symptoms and the demands placed on that area.
Hands and wrists
Hand and wrist arthritis may affect gripping, opening containers, writing, keyboard use and fine hand movements.
Knees
Knee arthritis may affect walking, stairs, squatting, standing from a chair and recreational exercise.
Hips
Hip arthritis may cause groin, thigh or buttock pain and reduce tolerance for walking, shoes, stairs or getting in and out of a car.
Spine and pelvis
Spinal arthritis may contribute to stiffness and reduced movement. Inflammatory conditions can also affect the sacroiliac joints and spine.
How is arthritis assessed?
An arthritis assessment starts with the history and behaviour of your symptoms. Your physiotherapist may ask about morning stiffness, swelling, activity tolerance, previous injuries, family history, flare-ups and the effect on daily function.
The physical assessment may include:
- Joint movement and flexibility
- Muscle strength and endurance
- Walking, stairs, squatting or gripping tasks
- Balance and confidence with movement
- Signs of swelling, warmth or joint irritability
- Activities that increase or settle symptoms
Imaging is not required for every person with arthritis symptoms. A GP or specialist may arrange an X-ray, ultrasound, MRI or blood tests when the diagnosis is unclear, symptoms suggest inflammatory disease or the result may change management.
How can physiotherapy help arthritis?
Physiotherapy may help reduce the functional impact of arthritis by improving strength, movement, load tolerance and confidence. Treatment does not reverse every structural joint change. Instead, it aims to help you move and function as well as possible.
Understand your symptoms
Assessment can help identify which activities irritate the joint and whether the presentation requires medical investigation.
Build joint capacity
Progressive strengthening may help the muscles support the joint during walking, stairs, lifting and exercise.
Manage activity loads
Pacing and gradual progression can reduce repeated flare cycles caused by doing too much after a quieter period.
Maintain useful movement
Mobility work may help preserve movement needed for dressing, reaching, gripping, walking and recreation.
Hands-on treatment may provide short-term symptom relief for some people. However, education, exercise, physical activity and self-management usually remain the main long-term strategies.
What exercises may help arthritis?
Exercise is one of the most useful long-term management options for many forms of arthritis. The program should match the affected joints, current symptoms, medical condition and starting capacity.
Strength exercise
Strengthening the muscles around an affected joint may improve support, function and tolerance for everyday loading.
Aerobic activity
Walking, cycling, swimming or other low-impact exercise may improve fitness, general health and activity confidence.
Mobility exercise
Controlled joint movement may reduce the slow-start feeling that often follows sleep or prolonged sitting.
Balance and function
Balance, sit-to-stand, step and walking exercises may help maintain independence and confidence.
How much discomfort is acceptable?
Mild and temporary discomfort during exercise does not always mean that the joint is being damaged. However, significant swelling, sharp escalation or symptoms that remain substantially worse after exercise may mean the program needs adjustment.
Some people benefit from longer-term supervised exercise through an accredited exercise physiologist. Others with suitable hip or knee osteoarthritis may benefit from a structured education and exercise program after individual assessment.
How can you manage an arthritis flare-up?
A flare-up does not always require complete rest. Instead, temporarily reduce the most aggravating activities while maintaining comfortable movement where possible.
- Reduce sudden or repeated high-load activity
- Break demanding tasks into shorter periods
- Continue comfortable mobility or light exercise
- Return to normal loading gradually as symptoms settle
- Follow medical advice for prescribed medication
- Seek assessment if the flare is unusual, severe or persistent
When should you seek medical advice?
Arrange medical assessment if you develop persistent swelling, prolonged morning stiffness, several painful joints, unexplained fatigue or symptoms that do not fit a simple activity-related pattern.
Seek prompt medical care for:
- A joint that becomes very hot, red or severely swollen
- Joint symptoms accompanied by fever or feeling acutely unwell
- Sudden inability to bear weight or use the joint
- Rapidly worsening pain without a clear explanation
- New neurological symptoms, major trauma or suspected fracture
A GP can assess whether blood tests, medication review, imaging or referral to a rheumatologist is appropriate.
Frequently asked questions about arthritis
What is the difference between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis?
Osteoarthritis often involves gradual joint changes, load sensitivity and stiffness over time. Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory autoimmune condition that may affect several joints and cause swelling, warmth, flare-ups and prolonged morning stiffness.
Can physiotherapy help arthritis pain?
Physiotherapy may help arthritis pain by improving strength, movement, pacing and confidence with activity. It can also help identify aggravating loads and develop a gradual exercise plan.
Should you exercise if you have arthritis?
In most cases, appropriate exercise helps more than prolonged rest. The exercise type, load and progression should match your current symptoms, diagnosis and general health.
When should you see a doctor for arthritis symptoms?
See a doctor if symptoms worsen rapidly, a joint becomes hot or very swollen, several joints are affected, morning stiffness is prolonged or symptoms occur with fever or unexplained fatigue.
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References
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Osteoarthritis of the Knee Clinical Care Standard. Updated 15 August 2024.
- van Doormaal MCM, Meerhoff GA, Vliet Vlieland TPM, Peter WF. A clinical practice guideline for physical therapy in patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis. Musculoskeletal Care. 2020;18(4):575–595. doi:10.1002/msc.1492.
- Kolasinski SL, Neogi T, Hochberg MC, et al. 2020 American College of Rheumatology guideline for the management of osteoarthritis of the hand, hip, and knee. Arthritis Care Res. 2020;72(2):149–162. doi:10.1002/acr.24131.
- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Arthritis.
