How to Fix Knee Osteoarthritis?

What is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is a painful, chronic joint disorder. It is typically a result of the wear and tear of the articular cartilage around the knee joint. While it most commonly occurs in the knees, it can affect hands, hips, and the spine. 

Osteoarthritis is most common in elderly people, and is broken up into primary and secondary. Primary osteoarthritis is articular degeneration without any apparent underlying cause, meaning it can affect essentially anyone. Secondary osteoarthritis is a consequence of force across the joint or abnormal articular cartilage. It is less common than primary osteoarthritis, and is more likely to occur in patients with a high risk factor such as fragile bones. 

Common symptoms include knee pain, stiffness and swelling, or a cracking sound with joint movement. 

These symptoms of arthritis can be caused by: 

• Extra bone formed at the edge of the joint, which can sometimes restrict movement or rub against other tissue. These bony growths are called osteophytes. 
• The lining of the joint capsule may thicken and produce more fluid than normal, causing the joint to swell. 
• Tissue around the joint may stretch, and after a period of time the joint becomes less stable. 

Osteoarthritis in the knee is most common because it is a joint that we bear a lot of weight on. The knee is used in everyday life, and slowly becomes worn down and damaged. A single cause of osteoarthritis is not clear, but there are many factors that contribute to an increased risk:

• Age – it primarily affects people over the age of 40.
• Gender – arthritis is more common and severe in women.
• Being overweight puts added stress on joints, especially in weight-bearing joints such as the knee.
• Joint injuries – major injuries or operations can cause osteoarthritis later in life.
• Genetic factors – some forms of osteoarthritis are linked to gene mutations that affect a protein called collagen, which can cause osteoarthritis to start at an earlier age than usual.

How Can Physiotherapy Help?

The primary treatment of osteoarthritis is with a qualified physiotherapist. Appropriate tailored exercise therapy and education, such as that provided by City Physiotherapy, have been shown to be beneficial. 

Key benefits of physio intervention include:

• Reduced pain
• Increased knee function
• Improving your knee-related quality of life
• Delaying or preventing the need for surgery
• More effectively managing or preventing comorbidities (exercise actually has an anti-inflammatory effect that assists in addressing the persistent low-grade inflammation associated with chronic diseases)

Exercise is essential to the management of your knee osteoarthritis. 

Research has shown that physical activity and exercise is one of the most effective ways to treat arthritis. Exercise is key in improving mobility and the flexibility of joints, muscle strength, posture, and balance. Further, it can decrease pain, fatigue, muscle tension and stress. 

It is important to talk to your doctor or physiotherapist to develop a suitable exercise program for you. To improve confidence in your knee joint, the types of exercises for knee arthritis include resistance and strength training, aerobic exercise, and neuromuscular exercise. 

A balance of the following is generally recommended: 

• Flexibility – This maintains and improves mobility of your joints and muscles. An example is muscle stretching and yoga. 
• Muscle strengthening – Strong muscles help to support and take pressure off sore joints. It can also strengthen bones and improve balance. An example is using weights, resistance bands or gym machines.
• Fitness – This improves the health of your heart and lungs, leading to a longer life, greater wellness and ease of living. These activities usually use the larger muscles in the body, rather than exercising a specific area, and may make you ‘puff’ a little. 

Exercise for knee osteoarthritis is, in fact, safer than many other treatments such as medications and surgery. 

Recent research suggests that total knee replacement surgery should be reserved for patients who have thoroughly explored all non-surgical and conservative options. This means that surgery should not be considered as an option until at least 3-4 months of physio-guided treatment has been committed to. 

Tips to ensure exercise is safer can include: 

• Do low impact exercise – Joint stress is lower in low impact exercise such as swimming, stationary or recumbent bicycles. 
• Apply heat – Heat can relax your joints and muscles and relieve pain prior to exercise. Heat treatments such as warm towels, hot packs, or a shower work well. 
• Warm up – Moving joints gently with range-of-motion exercises for about 10 minutes before strengthening or aerobic exercises are recommended.

It is important that you are doing exercises that help you. Everyone is different and just because something works for someone else does not mean it will be the best for you. 

Exercise for knee osteoarthritis is not an easy option and requires a strong commitment. Research recommends working closely with your physiotherapist before you can transition to self-management. 

There is a common misconception that pain is associated with further damage that must be challenged; exercise can indeed be beneficial for good joint health.

Sometimes, pain can flare up in the early stages of an exercise program for knee osteoarthritis. Pain actually often improves with ongoing exercise participation and they decrease in intensity and frequency over time. Appropriate exercise is needed for good joint health, and a lack of it actually accelerates the osteoarthritic degeneration process. 

At City Physiotherapy, our physios are highly skilled and trained in developing exercise programs for people suffering from osteoarthritis. If you do suffer any pain during exercise, talk to one of our physios who can advise you on how to manage it properly. 

If you are suffering from knee pain or have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee, book online today with City Physio. 

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