What is Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis (osteo- bone, arthr – joint, itis – inflammation) is a problem which affects the lining of your joints.
In a healthy joint the ends of each bone are covered in a smooth lining called cartilage. This allows for easy gliding between the bones and pain free movement at the joint. Osteoarthritis (OA) causes thinning and/or roughening of this cartilage and can result in pain, stiffness and swelling. The knee is the largest joint in the body and so is one of the most commonly affected by osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis can be diagnosed with an assessment from your physiotherapist or doctor and can be confirmed by an x-ray. However, it is important to know that often damage seen on an x-ray doesn’t correlate with symptoms. Some people experience high levels of pain and disability with minimal joint damage and likewise others have severe joint damage and yet display very few symptoms.
There is a common misconception about osteoarthritis that, once the damage is done, there is nothing you can do. Whilst you can’t repair the damaged cartilage, you can reduce your symptoms, improve your ability to use your knee, and minimise future damage. As a last resort, some people do require surgery, but there are lots of conservative options you can try before that.
Here are a few exercises that you can try at home for your knee pain;
If you are suffering with osteoarthritis in your knees and would like more information or a full assessment then please get in contact with us via enquiries@physio-logical.net or 07835 712306. You can also book an appointment online.
