Local Life - Wigan - April 2021

66
Self Help for
Sore Knees
Are you one of the ten million UK residents suffering from osteoarthritis (OA)? This painful
condition affects around one-third of people aged 45 or above. Although it can affect any joints,
around half of sufferers have arthritis in their knees.
The WHO regards osteoarthritis as a ‘priority disease’. It
ranks in the top ten of most disabling conditions and as the
population ages, along with the growing issue of obesity,
numbers of OA sufferers are set to rise.
What is osteoarthritis?
When you bend a joint, the two bone surfaces rub against
each other. Cartilage pads on the ends of your bones
cushion the movement. The joint is enclosed in a capsule
and lubricated with synovial fluid.
WIth OA, the joint is gradually destroyed. The cartilage
becomes thin and roughened, the bone surfaces become
irregular, and debris collects within the joint space.
The joint is supported by muscles and ligaments. If these
become weakened through age or accident, there is too
much pressure on the joint.
OA causes
Outside of an accident such as damage to a cruciate
ligament, the exact cause of OA is unknown, but it’s linked
to your genetics, ageing and obesity. It’s more common
in females and is associated with other chronic diseases,
such as diabetes.
OA symptoms
Pain, stiffness, and joint swelling are the most common
symptoms. Your knees may look deformed.
OA treatments
Exercise is very important, even when your knees are
hurting, plus using the joint helps reduce stiffness and
encourages blood flow. Not using your knees worsens the
problem as it encourages the thinning and softening of
the cartilage. Exercise reduces chronic inflammation – a
metabolic process that exacerbates cartilage breakdown.
A physiotherapist can help. Cycling and swimming are
good options as they cushion the knee from direct weight
bearing, and hydrotherapy is also worth considering.
Medical studies confirm that weight loss and exercise
result in significant benefits. For example, in a 2013
randomised trial, 399 participants aged 55 and over and
with BMIs between 27 and 41 were randomised into three
groups: diet; exercise; or both diet and exercise. They
were then followed up for 18 months.
The diet and exercise group did the best, losing an
average of 10.6Kg – 11.4% of their body weight. This
group also had significant reductions in pain, better knee
function and improvement in quality of life compared to
the other two groups.
Lose weight
Losing weight may seem an impossible task. However,
it can be done and studies prove this often leads to a
significant reduction in pain and improved mobility.
In a 2007 review (Christensen R. et al) of four studies
involving 454 patients with OA, those who lost 5% of their
body weight over twenty weeks demonstrated a marked
improvement in pain and much improved mobility.
Pain relief
Try paracetamol along with non-steroidal anti-
Inflammatory (NSAID) drugs such as ibuprofen,
diclofenac and naproxen. NSAIDS reduce inflammation in
the arthritic joint.