Why Exercise is Critical in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis

Exercise is a critical component in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis, especially if you are overweight. Additional pressure on your knees makes it harder for you to manage knee osteoarthritis. Low impact exercises, such as walking, swimming, and cycling, are great for building the muscles on the knee joint and improving the range of motion in this area. If exercising causes you significant discomfort, you should consider using a cane, sleeve or knee brace.

Seek the professional diagnosis and opinion of an orthopedic clinic such as Providence’s arthritis knee treatment. Various treatment options are available for the severity of the osteoarthritis present.

In the following article, William Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR,  discusses various issues regarding osteoarthritis, including the pressure obesity, has on the knee joint and its impact on the cartilage.

The Connection Between Obesity and Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a joint inflammation that results from cartilage degeneration. Degenerative joint disease is another name for osteoarthritis. It can be caused by aging, heredity, and injury from trauma or disease.

The most common symptom of osteoarthritis is pain in the affected joint(s) after repetitive use. Other osteoarthritis symptoms and signs include swollen joints, joint stiffness, joint creaking, and loss of range of motion. Read more here

Obesity is to blame for several ailments, including osteoarthritis. Obesity is the second most significant risk factor, after age, for knee osteoarthritis. When you put on too much weight, you are exerting mechanical stress on your knee joints, and the cartilage. Over time, the pressure becomes too much, and the cartilage starts wearing out. This challenge is not specific to physically inactive people. Weight lifters also suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee due to increased body weight and repeated trauma on knee joints when lifting heavyweights.

In the following article, Jessica Brown looks at the difference between osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis.

Differentiating Inflammatory Arthritis and Osteoarthritis

If you have persistent knee joint pain, arthritis in your knees could be the culprit. While many forms of arthritis exist, it’s usually fairly easy for your doctor to first determine which of the two main categories — osteoarthritis or inflammatory/autoimmune arthritis — you might have.

Those include what’s known as mechanical knee arthritis (osteoarthritis, or OA) or inflammatory/autoimmune knee arthritis, which includes a number of illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. Read more here

It is easy to confuse osteoarthritis with inflammatory arthritis. Although they have similar traits, they are also distinctly different. For example, knee osteoarthritis is limited to the knee joints, while inflammatory arthritis can affect other joints in the body at once. Symptoms of inflammatory arthritis are usually symmetrical, meaning if they affect the knees, you wouldn’t complain of pain or swelling on only one knee, both knees would be affected.

In the following article, Ann Pietrangelo discusses knee injections and steps you can take to protect your knees.

How to Protect Your Knees While Undergoing Treatment for Knee Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis of the knee can affect anyone, but it usually develops in people over age 50. It’s a progressive disease, meaning it becomes more painful and difficult to move your knee over time.

Your doctor will probably prescribe oral medications and suggest lifestyle modifications before recommending knee injections. Before you turn to surgery, weigh the pros and cons of injections.

Read on to learn about the different types of knee injections and how they work, and find tips for taking care of your knees. Read more here

When receiving treatment for knee osteoarthritis, you need to take care of your knees. This is the only way the medication can be useful. For instance, if you don’t manage your weight, even if you are receiving injections directly on the knees, the impact will not be as effective if you don’t reduce the pressure your weight has on your knees. If the osteoarthritis is as a result of repetitive strain on your knees during high-impact sports activities, you need to take on other forms of exercise that are easy on the knees, such as swimming, walking or cycling.

Causes and Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Knee

The cause of osteoarthritis of the knee varies from one person to another. However, this type of arthritis mostly affects older people who are above the age of 50 years. This is why osteoarthritis is also referred to as wear and tear arthritis. It, however, doesn’t mean that younger people are not at risk. Excessive weight, heredity, sports injuries, and repetitive stress on the knee joints also cause osteoarthritis of the knees. People suffering from other illnesses, like rheumatoid arthritis, excessive growth hormones, and metabolic disorders are also at risk of developing osteoarthritis.

In the following article, the writer discusses the causes, symptoms, and treatment of osteoarthritis (knee arthritis).

The Diagnosis of Osteoarthritis of the Knee

While age is a major risk factor for osteoarthritis of the knee, young people can get it, too. For some individuals, it may be hereditary. For others, osteoarthritis of the knee can result from injury or infection or even from being overweight. Here are answers to your questions about knee osteoarthritis, including how it’s treated and what you can do at home to ease the pain. Read more here

When the bones of the knee joint start rubbing together due to loss of the protection provided by the cartilages, the outcome is pain, stiffness, swelling, difficulty in moving, and sometimes, bone spurs can start forming. The x-ray will not show the cartilage, but the image can show a narrowing of space between the bones closer to your joint. If you have bone spurs, the x-ray will reveal this. An MRI is not necessary to diagnose osteoarthritis, but in complex cases, the doctor may recommend it.

In the following article, the writer discusses other tests, besides the x-ray and MRI, that can be used to confirm osteoarthritis of the knees.

Lab Tests to Confirm Osteoarthritis

During the physical exam, your doctor will check your affected joint for tenderness, swelling, redness and flexibility. To get pictures of the affected joint, your doctor might recommend x-rays. Cartilage doesn’t show up on X-ray images, but cartilage loss is revealed by a narrowing of the space between the bones in your joint. Read more here

Besides asking you to have an x-ray or MRI performed, the doctor may also request for lab tests. An analysis of your blood can help to rule out other causes of the joint pain. For example, the doctor can eliminate the possibility of rheumatoid arthritis. Joint fluid analysis is done on the affected area, in this case, the knee, to check the level of inflammation, and to determine if other diseases, such as gout, is the cause.

In the following article, Ann Pietrangelo and Tim Jewell look at the various symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee, and the deformities that may arise.

Deformities Associated with Severe Osteoarthritis

There are three different types of arthritis that can occur in your knees. The most common type is osteoarthritis (OA), a progressive condition that slowly wears away joint cartilage. OA is most likely to occur after middle age. Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory condition that can strike at any age.

Post-traumatic arthritis develops following an injury to the knee. It can occur years after a torn meniscus, ligament injury, or knee fracture. It’s possible to have more than one type of arthritis at a time. See your doctor for a diagnosis and to discuss a successful treatment plan for the specific type or types of arthritis you have.

Arthritis is a degenerative disease. If you don’t seek treatment, it will only get worse. The symptoms will become more severe, but things could rapidly deteriorate. As you continue to lose the cartilage around your knee joint, the muscles in this area become equally thin and weak. After some time, your knee joint will appear sunken, your knees may start pointing towards each other or even point outwards. Some knee deformities may not be visible, while others can be so severe and debilitating.

New Face Slimming Methods in Singapore

How does face slimming work?

The collagen present in the human skin is what keeps it firm and healthy. As one gets older and when the skin is constantly exposed to the sun, this collagen gradually breaks down and the skin in turn becomes saggy and gives off a fat face effect. There is also a risk of developing a lot of wrinkles on it which further makes it weaker.

The new Thermage FLX uses the radio frequency stimulator on the skin which heats up the underlying collagen in the deeper layers of the skin and modifies them to perform better. Not only this, but the procedure also boosts the growth of newer collagen that nourishes the skin. After treatment, the collagen keeps building for six months and further improves the look of the face. This face slimming procedure is available in Singapore – ask for it as beauty or aesthetic clinics.

Why is it effective?

The reason why the Thermange FLX face slimming technique is so effective is because it uses the radio frequency that penetrates the deepest layers of the skin where the collagen is present. Then it heats them up and further improves the quality of skin. Not every procedure is that efficient and the success lies in going down to the deepest layers of the skin where the collagen rich tissue is present.

Are there any risks involved?

Since the procedure is non-invasive and non-surgical there are hardly any risks involved. Before the procedure there is also the application of numbness cream which minimizes any pain effects. Since there is application of heat involved so there is a slight chance of the user developing redness overtime but it is also very temporary.

What is the procedure?

Following is a step by step guide of how this procedure takes place.

  1. First is the complete cleaning of the face, where any debris from the skin is completely removed.
  2. Next, there is the application of a numbing cream on the skin. The purpose of this is to remove any or all effects of the heating which can cause slight discomfort.
  3. There is an application on the skin of a grid that will mark out where the procedure is to be applied. Without this grid, a lot of discrepancies can be caused.
  4. The Thermage FLX is applied over the marked areas and spots.
  5. Then the machine is adjusted according to the skin type and requirement level so that the heat level is not only maintained but the most effective.
  6. The procedure is adjusted between three levels of heating, cooling and vibrating.
  7. After the fixed treatment, the patient is sent home and allowed to continue with their daily routines.

It is clear from the discussion that this treatment gives the user a well-defined look that is more attractive, lifted, defined and contoured. Not only this, but it boosts the growth of that collagen that is vital for the rejuvenation of the skin. The treatment only lasts between 30 to 90 minutes on an average depending on the skin type. And to maintain this look on average, only one touch up is required.