Knee Osteoarthritis - Information about your Arthritic Knee

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Living with Osteoarthritis of the Knee

What starts out as a bit of occasional discomfort can gradually progress to a life changing condition.
There are many treatment options available and due to the number of variables involved, each person (and indeed each joint) needs to be considered as an individual.
Although the advice of an qualified medical professional is the most important factor in decision making, it pays to educate yourself.
Asking the right questions and having a good understanding of the risks and benefits of each treatment will ensure you make a sound choice.
In the ongoing fight against osteoarthritis, you will be asked to make decisions that will affect you for the rest of your life.
Information is probably your most important asset at this critical time of your life.

What is osteoarthritis? 

An explanation you can understand......

A technical definition might sound like ' a degenerative joint disease characterized by the loss of articular cartilage, hypertrophy of bone at the joint margins, and changes in the synovial membrane'.

What does this mean to normal people?

Put simply, this is the 'wear and tear' type of arthritis.

Our joints are covered by a smooth layer of cartilage that allows free, painless movement.
This cartilage can be gradually worn away.
Without this protective layer, bone rubs against bone, and pain, swelling and deformity can result.

There are many factors that influence the rate of wear......the risk factors for Osteoarthritis:

(in no particular order)

Nutrition
Previous physical activity
Muscle strength
Previous trauma
Weight
Family history
Age

What caused your arthritis? 

All of the above, some of the above.

It is likely you will never know for sure.

Apart from those who have suffered major fractures through joints, known as intra-articular fractures, it is usually a subtle combination of all the risk factors that leads you to arthritis.

What can you do about your knee pain? 

Apart from the help medicals professionals can offer, there is plenty you can do yourself.
Two simple things have been shown to help decrease pain and slow the progression of the disease process:

Lose weight

Strengthen the quadriceps

With the right guidance, both can be achieved by exercise. The best way is to seek the advice of a qualified Physical Therapist.
If you have arthritis in only half of your knee, they can also advise you on the latest offloading knee braces. A study by the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery found the best two braces to be the Donjoy "OAdjuster" and the Bledsoe "Thruster".
Physical Therapists should be your first stop for information but this can prove too expensive for some.
If you are more of a do-it-yourself kind of person, you will need to educate yourself.

Where to find trustworthy information 

For years I have been telling people to avoid anyone claiming to offer a 'miracle cure' for osteoarthritis. As much as we may wish it, there is no such thing. There is no herb, gel or tablet that can make your knee 'unworn'.

The best advice is to save your money and spend it on gathering up to date information from reputable sources. Find out what has been proven to work.
None of these solutions are quick and some are hard work, but it is wise to spend the time and effort on something you know is going to help your knees.

I recommend different information sources for different people. It depends on what you are looking for and how much you want to know.

One of the easiest ways to educate yourself is visit Amazon.com where there is a wide variety of books on sale for around $10. Hardly a large outlay for information on a condition that is affecting your life and will continue to in the future.

There are a couple of suggestions listed below. When it comes to osteoarthritis, knowledge is power.

Arthritis Books on Amazon 

The Fit Arthritic: Fighting Knee and Hip Arthritis with Exercise.

Amazon Price: $9.85 (as of 01/04/2010) Buy Now

Animation on Knee Osteoarthritis 

A nice summary of what is going on inside your knee.

osteoarthritis

www.fizyoterapistim.net

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Knee braces on eBay 

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The Latest Osteoarthritis News 

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Links for more information on Osteoarthritis of the Knee 

The Arthritic Knee
Useful Arthritis site featuring information on many different topics related to knee osteoarthritis.
The Normal Knee X-ray
Tips on understanding knee x-rays.
Knee Braces for Osteoarthritis
Information page on offloading braces for unicompartmental OA
The Knee X-ray - Understanding the signs of Arthritis
Information on the features of knee osteoarthritis and how to spot them on an x-ray. Very useful when viewed in conjunction with the other link listed here on the features of a normal knee x-ray
Compartments of the Knee
Explaination of what Doctors mean when they talk of "Compartments" of the knee
Arthritis Knee Braces
Helping you choose an appropriate brace for knee osteoarthritis

The New OA Assist 

A new brace to off load the affected compartment of the knee. Suitable for unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis

DonJoy OA Assist Arthritis Knee Brace

DonJoys technologically advanced design combines a single upright frame and the 3DF hinge on the NEW OA ASSIST. A patient-ready knee osteoarthritis that is ideally suited for activities of daily living.

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Knee Arthritis Exercises 

Aquatic Exercise Routines for Arthritis Hip & Knee Pain : Aquatic Therapy Exercises for Hip & Knee Arthritis

Learn about aquatic exercises for hip and knee arthritis pain treatment, in this free aquatic therapy video.

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Knee Arthritis Animation 

Arthritis knee

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by arthriticknee

Mitch Barry is a Physical Therapist with over 10 years experience helping people deal with osteoarthritis in both Europe and Australia.
He has a spe... (more)

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