Treatments for Knee Arthritis to Get You Back Up and Moving
Arthritis is a debilitating condition that affects the hips, hands, knees, ankles, and feet. If you find it difficult to get up from the chair, it could be attributed to arthritis pain. This condition can be very limiting and restricts the person’s movements.
Arthritis can develop at any age, not necessarily in the older population only. Someone in their 20s might also get affected by arthritis. The best treatment available should be administered to the patient in order to help manage the symptoms.
Types of Arthritis
There are several types of arthritis known to man.
The most common type is osteoarthritis (OA), a degenerative disease that occurs as a result of breakdown of cartilage that eases friction between the joints.
Inflammatory joint diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or psoriatic arthritis, are autoimmune conditions where the body’s immune system attacks the joints. This leads to redness, stiffness, painful swelling, and deformity. This type of arthritis usually occurs in middle aged people.
Finally, post-traumatic arthritis occurs many years after an injury, even though the injury itself has healed completely.
Knee arthritis
The knee is said to be the largest and strongest joint in the human body. It consists of three important bones covered with cartilage, which protects the knee while bending or straightening, and the meniscus (two pieces of cartilage), which cushions the thigh and shin bones.
Knee arthritis exhibits itself as OA and RA. Injuries incurred from playing sports, motor accidents, or falls can often cause knee arthritis. Such injuries have a high possibility of turning into post-traumatic arthritis.
While there isn't a cure for knee arthritis, there are things you can do to help manage your symptoms and possibly even stop the condition from getting worse.
Stages of arthritis of the knee
The most common type of knee arthritis is osteoarthritis which occurs in 5 stages, as given below:
· Stage 0 (Normal): This refers to the healthy state of knees, devoid of arthritis.
· Stage 1 (Minor): Some wear and tear occurs during this stage but as such goes unnoticed as there is no pain.
· Stage 2 (Mild): During this stage, you might begin to feel pain and stiffness but the cartilage is still present so that the bones do not actually rub against each other.
· Stage 3 (Moderate): When one reaches this stage, more pain is felt, especially while running, walking, squatting, and kneeling. Due to more bone spurs, you will probably be in a great deal of pain which becomes more pronounced after long periods of rest such as after getting up from the bed in the morning.
· Stage 4 (Severe): Severe osteoarthritis implies that the cartilage is almost gone. The knee becomes stiff, painful, and possibly immobile. Capable of more possible deformities like valgus or varus knee. This is the stage when one might need to undergo a replacement surgery.
Treatment of Knee arthritis
A. Self-care: Although knee arthritis cannot be cured, it’s symptoms can be managed to a certain extent. The following tips can help the arthritis from worsening:
· Maintain an ideal body weight
· Indulge in low-impact activities such as swimming and cycling while exercising
· Wear shock-absorbing inserts in your shoes
· Apply heat or ice to the affected area
· Use a knee brace or sleeve for protection
B. Medications: Your healthcare provider may prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), corticosteroids, and COX-2 inhibitors to help alleviate the pain and inflammation.
Use of dietary supplements, ointments and creams is recommended to relieve pain symptoms. Ask your healthcare provider if you could opt for over-the-counter medications and supplements for knee arthritis.
Sometimes, hyaluronic acid injections called viscosupplementation, prove beneficial to control pain and inflammation and also promote healing.
C. Surgical interventions: Knee arthritis is usually not treatable through non-surgical options. In such a scenario, surgical procedures such as arthroplasty, arthroscopy, synovectomy, and osteotomy are resorted to.
Although arthritis-related cartilage damage is irreversible, there are nonsurgical and surgical treatments that can help patients with knee arthritis feel better overall by reducing pain and improving joint flexibility. While the onus of adhering to self-care tips lies in your hands, you can still seek the advice of your healthcare provider in case the pain becomes unbearable. Together you can team up to look for the best suited non-surgical and surgical options that can bring you relief from pain and help you lead a more fulfilling life!
KM NU Hospitals is located in Ambur, Tamil Nadu, India. Renowned for its orthopedic specialists, this premiere institute is the best hospital for knee replacement treatment in Ambur. It has gained a reputation for itself based on its state-of-the-art facilities and easy-to-approach doctors who make you comfortable and at ease as soon as you walk into their premises. The specialists take utmost care to keep you informed about the treatment options available for your individual case. So, if you are suffering from knee arthritis, you would benefit greatly by visiting KM NU Hospitals.
References:
1. A guide to arthritis: How to manage pain by body part. Yale Medicine. https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/arthritis-treatments.
2. Arthritis of the knee. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21978-arthritis-of-the-knee.
3. Knee arthritis. JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/knee-arthritis.
4. Viscosupplementation treatment for knee arthritis. American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/treatment/viscosupplementation-treatment-for-knee-arthritis/.
Author: Dr. Allen Sunny Deol S V