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Our goal is the promotion of wellness, increased patient functioning and quality of life.

Knee Pain With Osteoarthritis

According to the Royal College of Physicians, Osteoarthritis(OA) is defined “not as a disease or a single condition but as a common complex disorder with multiple risk factors”. There are many factors that can cause OA:

  • Genetic factors can predispose someone to developing OA in 40-60% of cases
  • Constitutional factors such as age, female sex, obesity, high bone densityare linked to OA
  • Biomechanical & lifestyle issues are also strongly linked to the development of OA

eg joint injury, occupational/recreational usage, joint laxity or mal-alignment

In the United Kingdom 8.5 million people are affected by joint pain (Arthritis Care 2004). From 45 years of age onwards, the knee is the most commonly painful limb joint (Urwin et al 1998).

Prognosis and outcome of OA:

  • Very variable outcome
  • “Structural” improvement of the wear and tear of the cartilage is rare
  • However, improvement in pain and disability over time is common
  • A third of patients with OA will improve, a third will remain the same, whilst the other third develop progressive symptomatic disease
  • Little is known about the risk factors for progression but obesity probably makes an important contribution

[Osteoarthritis: national clinical guideline for care and management in adults. London: Royal College of Physicians, 2008]

Simple measures to help with OA knee pain include:

  • Heat
  • Using a supportive and warm knee guard
  • Minimise weight bearing as much as possible, which may include resting or using a walking aid
  • Stronger pain killers such as co-codamol
  • Patients with mild OA pain may benefit from using glucosamines
  • Gentle bending and straightening of the knee at regular periods to avoid “sticking” of the knee

If symptoms still persist then please come in for a physiotherapy assessment!