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How to Treat Post-Injury Degenerative Joint Disease

by | Jan 17, 2023 | Back Pain

person holding their knee

After an injury, the body remembers. Even once a scar is faded and healed, your body can still experience aches and pains it never had before. One of the most common lingering effects after an injury is pain and loss of motion in a joint. This is called post-injury degenerative joint disease

While it may be debilitating in the short term, the good news is that it’s treatable. If you follow the right care plan, your body can truly heal and reduce pain and inflammation in the long term. 

What is Post-Injury Degenerative Joint Disease?

Degenerative joint disease is the most common form of arthritis. Also called Osteoarthritis (OA), this condition occurs when the cartilage inside of a joint begins to break down. This is common with age and can range from mild to debilitating.

Unlike aging, post-injury degenerative joint disease is caused by a traumatic event to the body. This could be a car crash, a slip on the ice, a sports injury, a fall, or any other injury that damages your bones and/or joints. It most often occurs in these parts of the body:

  • Ankles
  • Knees
  • Hips
  • Elbows

The main difference between arthritis caused by injury and arthritis that comes from age is the timeline: you’ll often start experiencing symptoms right away. It also appears much more often in children, teens, and young adults compared to other forms of arthritis.

➡ Read Now: Arthritis – The Painful Truth

Signs of Post-Injury Degenerative Joint Disease

Sometimes, joint pain will go away as your body heals from its injury. However, it’s not uncommon that pain lingers after an injury has healed – which can be a sign that you’re experiencing longer-term degenerative joint disease. Some common signs include:

  • Pain
  • Swelling
  • Stiffness
  • Tenderness
  • Grinding, creaking, or crunching sensation
  • Limited range of motion

Seeing one of our Doctors of Physical Therapy  as soon as possible can slow the progression of the disease. If you’re unsure if you’re experiencing post-injury arthritis, schedule a free phone consultation or discovery visit

➡ Read Now: I’ve Got Some Pain, But Not Enough To Justify A Visit To The Doctor

How to Treat Post-Injury Degenerative Joint Disease

You can address some symptoms like pain on your own, using heat, ice, and pain medication – but this won’t fix the underlying problem. As long as the cartilage in your joints has worn down, any topical treatment or medication will only temporarily remove the pain from your joints.

Physical therapy is the most effective way to treat degenerative joint disease. Physical therapy with an expert like PRO Therapy is designed specifically to help aid the healing process. 

Following an injury, it’s important to follow a care plan that will not only ensure that your injury heals, but also that you’re avoiding future pain and injury by healing it right. PRO Therapy creates a customized care plan based on your body to ensure the healing process is done right. 

Your care plan will be tailored to your body, but some common treatments we offer include:

Spinal/Extremity Joint Manipulation

Active Release Technique

Kinesiotaping

Neuromuscular Re-Education

Wellness Coaching

Sport-Specific Programs

Mechanical Traction

Joint Mobilization

Work Hardening/Conditioning Programs

Trigger Point Therapy

Graston Technique

Gait Training

Personal Training

Cupping Therapy

Ultrasound

Dry Needling

Soft Tissue Mobilization

Electrical Stimulation

Therapeutic Exercise

Postural Evaluation

Nutrition Coaching

Laser Therapy

Muscle Energy Techniques

Myofascial Release

Therapeutic Activities

Custom Orthotics

All these treatments need to be done by a licensed professional who knows how to manipulate the body without causing further injury – a professional like one of our Doctors of Physical Therapy

Physical Therapy With PRO Therapy

If you want to make physical therapy a success, partnering with one of our Doctors of Physical Therapy is going to help you avoid future pain and resolve current pain.

We Love to Help People:

  • Keep Active – So you can run after your kids all day, take your grandchildren to the park with ease, enjoy a nice round of golf, run or walk anytime that suits you.
  • Stay Free From Painkillers – So you’re not always reaching in the cupboard for pills to ease the pain whenever it strikes, getting only a “quick fix” when you need a “permanent fix” – PLUS they’re no good for your long-term health, “mask” the pain and certainly don’t actually do anything to fix the problem.
  • Avoid Dangerous Injections/Surgery – We’ll help you get to the root cause of what’s going on – so you don’t have to get to the point of having to face injections or surgery.
  • Found Out What’s Wrong – We’ll help give you peace of mind and ensure that your problem is “corrected” and “healed” properly – also give you a set of exercises perfectly catered to you to help speed up recovery.
  • Get More Enjoyment Out Of Life – So you can enjoy quality time with family and friends that your daily aches and pains steal from you – also finally get a good night of sleep without constantly tossing and turning.

➡ Read Now: Why Our Physical Therapy Team Are Amazing (And What They Have Taught Me)

Are you ready to make physical therapy work for you? Give us a call! We offer complimentary phone and in-person consultations. We aim to meet our patients wherever they are in their journey and answer all questions we can to ensure a smooth experience at PRO Therapy. We want to help you make the best decision for you! 


Dr. Kevin Spahr

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I love this place let’s start off with there communication the best when it comes to that and I feel comfortable with the environment I’m around. I feel like there getting the job done
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ashley M.
I’ve been dealing with plantar fasciitis for years and I thought there was no going back from the pain I felt all day everyday. Pro therapy has truly been a game-changer. From the very first visit, with Brooke she made me feel heard, supported, and hopeful. She took the time to explain my condition, tailored a treatment plan specifically for me and listen to the feed back from each visit to see what the next best thing was. Pro therapy staff been incredibly encouraging every step of the way.

The care I’ve received has been top-notch — professional, compassionate, and effective. I can already feel a huge difference in my pain levels and mobility. I genuinely look forward to my appointments because of how much relief I’ve gotten in just a handful of visits.

I Highly recommend pro therapy to anyone dealing with plantar fasciitis. They truly care about your recovery and go above and beyond to help you heal.
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Greta H.
I was dealing with painful posterior tibial shin splints from running, and after just two StemWave sessions with Dr. Kevin Spahr, I noticed a significant reduction in pain. After the third session, I was running completely pain free! As a college athlete I've tried many recovery tools, but StemWave has been a game changer for me! The results were real, fast, and Dr. Kevin along with the the entire care team was knowledgeable, genuinely caring, and supportive! I would highly recommend StemWave for anyone struggling with inflammation or looking to speed up recovery! Being able to run without pain again was such a relief, and it truly meant the world to me!
Harrison E.
Started doing PT at PRO in April for some intense plantar fasciitis that I'd been experiencing for over a year and hadn't been able to remedy it on my own. Lily gave me a very effective Home Exercise Program to strengthen my arches & toes and did lots of great soft tissue / needle work in our weekly sessions. Two months later, my feet are feeling the strongest and most capable they've felt in a very long time and I can walk around & sleep without thinking about foot pain. I'd recommend PRO to anyone looking to deal with physical annoyances once and for all.
antonishia M.
Jennie is always pleasant and so helpful with any and all of my questions which makes me feel safe to come to her with anything. Dr. Kelvyn is my PT and he has been great to work with so far. Dr. Kelvyn listens to my goals and I’m excited for him to keep pushing me towards my goals of PT.
Karsten J.
I fractured 3 transverse spinal processes in November 2025 and had a C section baby 3 days later. I was in quite a bit of pain with very limited mobility, and about a month after the injury, started physical therapy to ensure I could heal well and run again. Dr. Lily helped me both heal and get my back moving again, as well as some pelvic floor exercises since even though I had a C section, I had pelvic floor pain after being pregnant. After a few months, we tapered off appointments and I have sucessfully been able to run, do yoga, lift weights, and return to normal daily life again with no pain! They were very conveniently located in NE Minneapolis near me, and had great scheduling availability. I'd go again!
Anne W.
Dr. Spahr and his team at PRO Therapy work together closely to provide state-of-the-art healing therapies that help people return to doing the activities they love best. The entire team, including the front office staff, exemplifies a model of care and professionalism that really stands out to me. I highly recommend PRO Therapy.
Andrew M.
Had a great experience, they helped me recover from a calf injury I sustained during training for a half marathon. The stretching, exercises, and therapy they provided me helped me get back on track and I was able to run my race! Would recommend to any athlete!
Michelle P.
Exactly what I was looking for in a PT office. I really wanted one-on-one care that included massage/cupping and other therapies. Lily was amazing and my posture has literally never been better. Can’t recommend enough!