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.
