Suggestions for Knee Arthritis Patients

Knee arthritis is the deterioration of cartilaginous structures within the knee joint. The most factors that cause arthritis are advancing age and excessive weight. As people gets older, joints fail to keep up with time and cartilages start to abrade and deteriorate. The extra weight on overweight bodies puts additional pressure on the knee joint and accelerates arthritis. There is no regenerative treatment for knee arthritis and that is why precautions need to be taken in early stages.

What to Do to Prevent Knee Arthritis

While looking for ways to prevent knee arthritis, two significant factors should be taken into consideration: age and weight. For now, there is no cure for aging. However, it is in our power to lose weight. Knees carry the weight of the entire body and each pound gained over existing weight creates increased force on the knee joint. Thus, the first precaution against knee arthritis should be losing weight.

Walking strengthens the muscles around the knee joint. However, excessive and straining walks can increase arthritis. For this reason, you need to take short walks and stop walking as soon as you feel pain.

Analgesic medications prescribed by your doctor will help you to deal with pain. Still, it should be kept in mid that these medications have no effect on stopping or alleviating arthritis except for reducing arthritis related pain.

Intra-articular lubrication injections can also be helpful. Knee arthritis is created by the contact of cartilaginous structures with others inside the joint and these lubricants decrease friction within the joint.

The swelling and pain caused by knee arthritis can be alleviated with cortisone injections. However, these injections are not suitable for mild to medium grade cases and can only be administered 2 or 3 times the most.

Another injection method is PRP application. This is a highly effective method that we have been administering with success for early stage knee arthritis.

The role physiotherapy plays for non-advanced knee arthritis cannot be ignored. With a well-planned physiotherapy support performed by physiotherapists, peripheral muscles of the joint can be strengthened.

If arthritis is in its advanced stages and complaints point out to decreased life standards even after non-surgical treatment application, total knee replacement surgery may be needed. For more information on this surgical option, please refer to our article on total knee replacement surgery.