It is common for people to worry that knee osteoarthritis means a lifetime of pain and a limited ability to do the things they love whether it be walking, gardening, or dancing. People also often worry about the ‘degenerative’ changes on their X-Ray and the worry of ‘wearing and tearing’ the knee joint.
We urge you to throw out the negative terms shown in bold and quotations above. Here’s why:
- All joints of the human body go through changes with age, just like how hair naturally goes gray and white with age. So, think change, not ‘degenerative.’
- X-Ray images are often late to the party. You may have had these changes to the knee before you felt any pain at all. So, don’t rely on the images.
- While knee joint space does become narrower in knee osteoarthritis, it is not ‘wear and tear’ that causes pain. It is joint inflammation responsible for pain signals. So, think use and repair.
- Pain signals danger, and is an important response of the body. But, the danger signal can become too sensitive, just like a smoke alarm that goes off in the absence of real fire. So, it is important to consider what other knee structures or personal things may be affecting the pain signal.
Physiotherapy clinical trials support exercise in reducing the danger signal as well as reducing inflammation. It has been found that exercise is as effective as drugs! The main method by which exercise works is that it offloads the knee joint both by strengthening the musculature around the lower limb with specific attention to the knees, and promoting weight-loss.
Now that you are armed with the facts, pick an exercise that you love and are committed to and get started today! You can also find more information on what osteoarthritis is here. As always, feel free to see a friendly Physiotherapist at Back in Motion Braybrook to learn more about knee osteoarthritis, and receive a specifically tailored exercise plan for you!