GLAD® - Living well with arthrosis
Our course times from October 2024 in Binningen, near Zoo/Dorenbach Basel are Tuesday and Thursday at 6.00 pm. We will let you know when the next group starts.
If you are unable to come at these times, we would be delighted if you could contact us anyway. Perhaps we can also find another date.
Do you have pain in your knees or hips in the morning? Or after sitting for a long time, which then gets better / disappears with movement? Pain can also occur with greater strain.
You may then have arthrosis in the painful joint. The good news is that arthrosis does not have to hurt. On the contrary, 6 out of 10 people with recognisable arthrosis on an X-ray are pain-free! So why do the remaining 4 have pain?
Short version:
Cartilage cannot cause pain. The pain is caused by joint dysfunction (malalignment).
Long version:
Cartilage has no nerve endings that could signal a problem to our brain and warn us of wear and tear. This is why cartilage cannot trigger pain. arthrosis is now seen primarily as a joint dysfunction. The pain is usually triggered by the adjacent ligaments or the joint capsule, which are overstretched or irritated by osteophytes.
In other words: pain is caused by a poor leg axis and weak muscles. If these deficits are worked on, almost 70% of people experience an improvement in symptoms and some become pain-free. For others, the improvement is too small and they still receive an artificial joint despite training. Their advantage: thanks to the training before the operation, they are back on their feet more quickly after the operation. The success of the operation is greater. Even with an artificial joint, a poor leg axis can cause pain.
What is GLAD®?
GLAD® is a programme from Denmark that is based on scientific principles. It stands for Good Life with osteoArthritis Denmark. The programme is now being implemented in several countries around the world (Canada, Australia, China, in Switzerland since May 2019, now also in the Basel region) and the success is impressive. In Denmark alone, 42,000 patients have now completed the programme. The average improvement in pain is 25%. Exercise therapy is therefore the best non-surgical pain reliever for osteoarthritis (better than pain medication, cortisone infiltrations, etc.).
How does GLAD® work?
Only certified physiotherapists who have completed a training course and passed an examination are permitted to offer and carry out the programme. All patients undergo the 3 - 2 - 12 - 1 programme:
- 3 individual sessions with an initial examination, tests and practical introduction to the exercise programme
- 2 group sessions with advice and instruction
- 12 group sessions with a neuromuscular exercise programme
- 1 individual session with an exit examination, including a brief report to the referring doctor
The aim is to reduce pain and improve quality of life, in short, to live well with arthrosis. And for 80% of those who give feedback after one year, it stays that way! The costs are covered by all health insurance companies under basic insurance, provided a doctor's prescription exists. In Basel, the programme is only offered by a few physiotherapies.