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Therascout

Joint pain in Lugano

In and around Lugano, 6 therapists treat this complaint. Joint pain has many causes. In adults the most common is osteoarthritis, wear of the joint cartilage, mainly in the knees, hips and fingers. Less often, inflammation such as rheumatoid arthritis or gout is behind it. The methods on this page mainly relate to osteoarthritis.

methods
11
therapists nearby
6

Therascout does not diagnose. Have new, severe or persistent complaints checked by a doctor.

Illustration for Joint pain: physiotherapist moving a patient’s knee joint

When to see a doctor straight away

If any of these comes on top of your symptoms:

  • A joint is hot, red and swollen, or you have a fever
  • After a fall or accident: the joint looks deformed, is very swollen or cannot take weight
  • Sudden, very severe pain with no obvious reason
  • Numbness or tingling around the joint

In an emergency: 144

What you can do yourself

  • Move rather than rest

    Regular, joint-friendly activity such as walking, cycling or swimming eases pain and keeps you mobile.

  • Watch your weight

    If you are overweight, every kilo less noticeably relieves the knees and hips.

  • Rule out inflammation

    If several joints are swollen and stiff for more than 30 minutes in the morning, see a doctor.

Which therapies are used for joint pain?

Sorted by the state of research on osteoarthritis (knee, hip, hand). The rating shows how well the effect is supported, not whether it will help you.

What do the dots mean?
Established
recommended in guidelines, well studied
Partly supported
effect shown in studies, with limitations
Limited evidence
few or weak studies
Hardly studied
used, but hardly or not studied

The rating covers the research, not the therapist.

  • EstablishedBasic ins. (referral)

    Physiotherapy

    Strengthening and exercise are the core treatment for knee and hip osteoarthritis. They ease pain and improve function, on average to a small degree.

    Sources 1, 3, 4

    1 therapist near you
  • EstablishedBasic ins. (some cases)

    Nutrition counselling

    For people who are overweight, guidelines recommend weight loss. It takes load off the joints and eases knee pain.

    Source 1

    No therapists near you
  • Partly supportedSuppl. ins.

    Tai chi

    The US rheumatology guideline explicitly recommends tai chi for knee and hip osteoarthritis. The studies are mostly small.

    Source 2

    1 therapist near you
  • Partly supportedSuppl. ins.

    Hydrotherapy (exercise in water)

    Exercise in water slightly improves pain and function in the short term. The evidence is of moderate quality.

    Source 5

    No therapists near you
Show all 11 methods

Partly supported · 1 more method

effect shown in studies, with limitations

  • Partly supportedBasic ins. (referral)

    Occupational therapy

    For hand osteoarthritis, the European guideline recommends training in joint-friendly movement, assistive devices and splints.

    Source 6

    No therapists near you

Limited evidence · 5 more methods

few or weak studies

  • Limited evidenceSuppl. ins.

    Leech therapy

    A few small trials show less knee osteoarthritis pain for some weeks.

    Not with blood thinners; mind the risk of infection.

    Source 7

    No therapists near you
  • Limited evidenceBasic ins. (referral)

    Fango (mud) therapy

    The evidence for mud and peat packs is weak. Heat may ease symptoms in the short term.

    Source 8

    No therapists near you
  • Limited evidenceBasic or suppl. ins.

    Acupuncture

    No clinically meaningful difference compared with sham acupuncture. The UK NICE guideline advises against it for osteoarthritis.

    Sources 1, 9

    3 therapists near you
  • Limited evidenceDoctors only · usually self-pay

    Ozone therapy

    Ozone injections into the knee worked about as well as other joint injections at first in a few studies, but worse after some months.

    Only by doctors.

    Source 10

    1 therapist near you
  • Limited evidenceBasic ins. (referral)

    Electrotherapy

    It is unclear whether electrical stimulation (TENS) helps knee osteoarthritis. The US guideline advises against it.

    Sources 2, 11

    No therapists near you

Hardly studied · 1 more method

used, but hardly or not studied

  • Hardly studiedSuppl. ins.

    Spiral Dynamics

    We found no meaningful studies on joint pain.

    No therapists near you

Therapists may offer several methods, so they can be counted more than once.

As of October 2026 · How we rate

Therapists in and around Lugano

  • Portrait of Luca Bernasconi, Physiotherapy in Lugano

    Luca Bernasconi

    Demo

    Studio Bernasconi

    • 4.8(4)
    • Lugano · <1 km
    • Languages: it · en · tr
    PhysiotherapySports massageFascia therapy
    Basic insurance (KVG)
    Price
    CHF 66–150
    Next appointment
    Available from tomorrow
  • Portrait of Andrea Ferrari, Tai chi in Mendrisio

    Andrea Ferrari

    Demo

    Tai Chi Ferrari

    • 5.0(2)
    • Mendrisio · 16 km
    • Languages: it · en · de · fr
    Tai chiFeldenkrais method
    EMRASCA
    Price
    CHF 57–125
    Next appointment
    No new patients
  • Portrait of Davide Galli, Ozone therapy in Mendrisio

    Davide Galli

    Demo

    Ozonoterapia Galli

    • 5.0(2)
    • Mendrisio · 16 km
    • Languages: it
    Ozone therapyDraining methods (detox procedures)Neural therapy
    EMR
    Price
    CHF 60–140
See all 6 nearby

We show practices that list this complaint in their profile. How do we sort?

Costs and health insurance

Physiotherapy, Occupational therapy, Fango (mud) therapy, Electrotherapy
Basic insurance with a doctor's referral.
Nutrition counselling
Basic insurance with a doctor's referral for certain illnesses, e.g. diabetes or severe obesity. Otherwise supplementary insurance.
Tai chi, Hydrotherapy (exercise in water), Leech therapy, Spiral Dynamics
Usually supplementary insurance, if the therapist is recognised.
Acupuncture
Basic insurance if a doctor with the relevant certificate treats you. Otherwise supplementary insurance, if the therapist is recognised.
Ozone therapy
Only by doctors. Usually paid privately; check with your insurer beforehand.
Your insurer
Each profile shows which insurers recognise the therapist.
Practice prices
See prices in each practice profile.
Recognitions explained →

Joint pain in other cities

Sources

  1. NICE NG226, 2022: Osteoarthritis in over 16s: diagnosis and management
  2. Kolasinski et al., Arthritis Care Res 2020: 2019 ACR/Arthritis Foundation guideline for the management of osteoarthritis of the hand, hip, and knee
  3. Cochrane 2024: Exercise for knee osteoarthritis
  4. Fransen et al., Cochrane 2014: Exercise for osteoarthritis of the hip
  5. Bartels et al., Cochrane 2016: Aquatic exercise for people with osteoarthritis in the knee or hip
  6. Kloppenburg et al., Ann Rheum Dis 2019: 2018 update of the EULAR recommendations for the management of hand osteoarthritis
  7. Lauche et al., Clin J Pain 2014: A systematic review and meta-analysis of medical leech therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee
  8. Verhagen et al., Cochrane 2007: Balneotherapy for osteoarthritis
  9. Cochrane 2022: Acupuncture for osteoarthritis
  10. Raeissadat et al., J Pain Res 2018: Efficacy of intra-articular ozone injection in knee osteoarthritis: systematic review and meta-analysis
  11. Rutjes et al., Cochrane 2009: Transcutaneous electrostimulation for osteoarthritis of the knee
  12. NHS: Joint pain

Content as of October 2026. We review it every year.