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Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the top five leading diseases for the population over sixty years of age that may lead to a decrease in quality of life and independence (1). It is a widespread chronic disease in the elderly, and this condition may lead to disability (1,2). The knee is one of the most common joints affected by the disease (3).
Do you feel
pain
stiffness in the morning
stiff after sitting down for a long time
muscle weakness
joint stiffness
functional impairment
These are symptoms of Osteoarthritis.
So what is Osteoarthritis?
It is the most common joint condition. It normally affects the knees, hips and hands. The joint tissue and cartilage starts to break down over time. The cartilage starts to thin, bone begins to reshape and you may have joint inflammation.
Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is one of the most common diseases in the elderly above 60 years of age (1). Pain, lack of mobility and stiffness are common symptoms (3).
Exercise is one of the most commonly recommended treatment modalities (4). The prevalence of knee osteoarthritis is more common in females than males.
In general 10% of men and 13% of women experience symptoms of knee osteoarthritis (3).
What causes Osteoarthritis?
The cause is unclear however we know there are risk factors of OA such as a previous injury and/or genetics.
Did you know that 60% of all OA cases involve the knee (3).
How can Physiotherapy help Arthritis?
The first line of treatment with OA is exercise. Physiotherapy chooses the most suitable exercises for you, provide advice and education on OA and we will guide you on how to manage OA.
If you were to decide on getting a new knee/ hip replacement, pre rehabilitation is also as important as post rehabilitation after surgery.
Call us with any questions you may have.
Ripon Physio Co.
References:
Dunlop D, Manheim L, Yelin E, Song J, Chang R. The costs of arthritis [Internet]. Scholars.northwestern.edu. 2017 [cited 3 September 2022]. Available from: https://www.scholars.norwestern.edu/en/publications/the-cost-of-arthritis
Behzad Heidari, MD. Knee osteoarthritis prevalence, risk factors, pathogenesis and features. Caspian J Intern Med. 2011; 2(2)
Fernandes L, Hagen K, Bijlsma J, Andreassen O, Christensen P, Conaghan P et al. EULAR recommendations for the non-pharmacological core management of hip and knee osteoarthritis. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases [Internet]. 2013 [cited 15 September 2022];72(7):1125-1135. Available from: http://ard.bmj.com/content/72/7/1125.long
French H, Galvin R, Horgan F, Kenny R. Prevalence and burden of self-reported osteoarthritis amongst older people in Ireland: Findings from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing Study (TILDA). Osteoarthritis and Cartilage [Internet]. 2015 [cited 15 Sep, 2022 ];23(1):A188. Available from: https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/26/1/192/2467265
Zhang Y, Jordan J. Epidemiology of Osteoarthritis. Clinic in Geriatric Medicine [Internet]. 2010. 26(3):355-369. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20699159
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