Severe knee arthritis can be debilitating. As the condition deteriorates you will find that most activities, sometimes even walking, may become progressively more difficult and painful.
Should you curtail your activities if you have severe knee arthritis?
If you are suffering from severe knee arthritis your first instinct will be to cut back on the activities that seem to aggravate the pain in the knee. In fact your doctor will advise you to take the elevator instead of the stairs and to avoid going on long, brisk walks or carrying heavy loads.
On the flip side, however, you cannot really afford to become totally inactive as this could cause other problems. Treating this condition effectively requires you to remaining as active as possible, so that you do not gain weight or worsen your overall health condition.
A recent study that was reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine, indicated that people with hip arthritis who force themselves to remain active do better in the long run than those who chose to become inactive. Being inactive also leads to other complications including obesity as well as loss of muscle and bone strength.
How Severe Knee Arthritis can be Treated
The treatment regimen should will first involve the most basic steps and then progress to the more involved procedures should the need arise. In severe cases, surgery may be considered. Treatment regimen is on a person-to-person basis as not all treatments are appropriate for every patient. You should have a discussion with your doctor to determine which treatments are appropriate to your problem.
Your treatment options include:
1.) Weight Loss: This aspect of the treatment regimen can be considered as one of the most important as excess weight puts additional strain on the knees, which will just worsen the condition.
2.) Modification of Daily Activity: While you may want to set some limits on some of your activities, you should explore new exercise methods with the clearance of the doctor. Patients may also try aquatic exercises as it is an excellent option for patients who have difficulty exercising.
3.) Use of Walking Aids: Using a cane or a single crutch can help decrease the load pressure placed on the arthritic joint.
4.) Physical Therapy: Physical activity to strengthen the muscles around the knee joint can prevent atrophy of the muscles and will maintain functional use of the knee while reducing the burden being put on it.
5. ) Use of Anti-Inflammatory Medications: NSAIDs and other ant-inflammatory drugs are prescribed by the doctor to manage the pain and inflammation components of the severe knee arthritis. Use of Cortisone Injections: Your doctor may opt for cortisone injections to reduce inflammation and relieve the intense pain within the joint.
6.) Use of Knee Braces: Using supportive devices such as knee braces have been found to be a very effective element of the treatment. There are two types of knee braces for patients with severe knee arthritis. The unloader knee brace shifts load away from the affected region of the knee. On the other hand, the support knee brace helps "support" the entire knee load. A well designed knee support is referred to by many people as a "pain pill" due to the pain reduction that it can help provide. With improved alignment and the meaningful support that these braces provide, you should not look past their benefits. Many times these "unloader" knee braces are also referred to as OA (osteoarthritis) knee braces.
If you believe that you can benefit from pain reduction and improved knee stability then you should consider a knee support today.
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