Seven Ways to Manage Osteoarthritis

By Mary Chen

You know when you have osteoarthritis of the knee. Pain, swelling, and difficulty in bending the affected knee are common symptoms of this degenerative joint disease. It affects the protective cartilage covering that lines the joint of the knee area.

According to consultant physiotherapist Vimala Marimuthu, as the cartilage deteriorates, the bones begin to rub together causing pain and swelling, creating problems with various physical activities.

Osteoarthritis, characterized by the breakdown of joint cartilage, can affect any joint in your body, including those in your fingers, hips, knees, lower back and feet.

Osteoarthritis of the knee may be due to various factors including being overweight, the aging process, joint injury or stress, heredity, and muscle weakness.

Symptoms and Diagnosis
According to Vimala, "A common symptom is morning stiffness that lessens after moving around. Sometimes the knee joint locks or clicks when the knee is bent and straightened, but these signs may also occur in other knee disorders."

The doctor may confirm your problem with a physical examination, while X-rays typically show a loss of joint space.

Managing Osteoarthritis of the Knee
A few golden rules to help relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis are:

• Watch your weight. Reducing weight helps to reduce extra stress on the joint. Even a weight loss of 11 pounds means up to 220 pounds stress off the knee with each step you take.
• Modify your activities. Change or modify activities that increase symptoms. Finding the level of activity that your knee can tolerate will help in making the time spent performing them more comfortable. For instance, if you find that a session or two of doubles badminton/tennis a week is tolerable and does not significantly increase pain and swelling, then that is your guideline. If, however, your knee really bothers you every time you try to play your game, then it is time to listen to your body.
• Use proper footwear. A good pair of running/walking shoes will help your knee. The use of shock absorbing insoles and/or cushioned shoes may help to reduce the pounding to the joint throughout the day. Choose shoes that can accommodate insoles. Running shoes with good cushion support may reduce the impact on the joint by up to 20 percent. The less often you stress the joint repetitively, the less overall damage in the long run.
• Using orthotic inserts. If you are bow-legged (varus) or knock-kneed (valgus), these conditions also increase the stress on the knee joint. The use of special wedges in your shoes can help to take that load off the involved side of the joint and distribute it more evenly onto the knee, with pain relief and less wear on the joint. Your physiotherapist or your podiatrist will be able to recommend the orthotic that is required.
• Unloading knee braces. Custom-made or off-the-shelf knee braces are also used to reduce the forces on the joint. Based on your doctor or physiotherapist's recommendation, one can be fit to your leg and used for activities that typically produce pain or symptoms.

Next: Exercise >