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Tag Archives: Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis in the knee and exercise.

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Exercise can play a vital role in managing osteoarthritis. People are often fearful of exercising the affected joint in case it causes further pain and damage yet this review of studies done on exercise programmes states  “People with OA should be reassured that it is unlikely to exacerbate their pain if performed using the appropriate methods and at the appropriate dose.”

Osteoarthritic symptoms are a normal response to what the joint is interpreting as an over stimulus, when the joint has settled down then exercise can be used to increase the joints capacity (however adherence of at least 3 months is needed).  In fact a Cochrane study in 2015 drew the following conclusion

“High-quality evidence indicates that land-based therapeutic exercise provides short-term benefit that is sustained for at least two to six months after cessation of formal treatment in terms of reduced knee pain, and moderate-quality evidence shows improvement in physical function among people with knee OA. The magnitude of the treatment effect would be considered moderate (immediate) to small (two to six months) but comparable with estimates reported for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs”

Studies have shown that aerobic and resistance exercise of moderate intensity are safe and effective therapies for osteoarthritis,  but whilst any type of exercise maybe helpful targeting specific deficits seen in clients with knee osteoarthritis can effectively reduce pain.

Whilst there might be a fear of taxing the affected joint the only way to get muscle strength improvement is to overload the muscle group. Stronger muscles take the stress off the joints and help support unstable joints. There are methods of strength training that will ensure you gain muscle strength without stressing the affected joint.  In fact evidence has shown that incorporating strength training into an exercise programme decreased pain by 43% in osteoarthritic patients.

In any exercise programme it’s helpful to measure progression so the client can see the results of their effort, in osteoarthritis of the knee both maximal strength of muscles and strength endurance can be measured to show progression.  This in itself can provide motivation and self-management to the client.

Exercise is not a quick fix, adherence is the main predictor of long-term outcome from exercise in knee osteoarthritis therefore a important part of any programme will be promoting self- management. Each client is different but it could be an exercise programme they can do at home or, if a more social aspect is enjoyed, then classes in the community or local leisure centre.

The current ACSM guidelines for people with arthritis is cardiovascular work 30-60 minutes 5 days per week accompanied by resistance training with major muscle groups twice a week and flexibility activities. However if you are not currently active these are long term goals and you could start out slowly with 2-3 short sessions a day.  Arthritis Research UK has several exercise sheets  you may find useful.

I hope you have found this article informative.  If you do have osteoarthritis and are interested in an exercise programme to help then please email contact@wholelifefitness.co.uk. If you have any questions on this article please post a comment. By subscribing to this blog you will be informed of any new articles. You will not receive any spam email.

The post Osteoarthritis in the knee and exercise. appeared first on Whole Life Fitness.

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Is the Robocop knee brace the new ‘must have’ for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis? The celebrities seem to think that it is …

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Recent media stories, a landmark study and the Autumn/Winter TV schedules highlight the Össur Unloader’s ability to offer pain relief, improve function and maintain a healthy lifestyle

Recent national news stories (London, UK – August, 2017) have drawn attention to the Unloader One knee brace from Össur – as a key aid in helping leading celebrities to continue with an active lifestyle, whether suffering from osteoarthritis or recovering from injury.

National treasure Ant McPartlin’s historic knee surgery and subsequent addiction to painkillers has been well documented, and the star has been photographed in several newspapers wearing the Unloader One as part of his recovery.

Sharron Davies, the television presenter and former competitive UK swimmer, has been wearing an Unloader One since 2012 and recently returned from filming Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls.

“Some of the tasks that I had to do recently on Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls involved long challenging walks. I wore my unloading brace to help prevent the painful swelling around my knee that can come from doing activities like walking,” said Sharron.

And last week, celebrity chef and Unloader One wearer Simon Rimmer was announced as a participant in the forthcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing, who used an Unloader as part of his recovery following microfracture surgery which led to chondral damage.

Numbers of knee surgeries are growing year on year – around 150,000 knee operations are conducted in the UK each year. The annual cost to the NHS for total knee replacement surgery is currently more than £400 million.

“The Unloader One has been proven to reduce the need for pain medication in patients with chronic knee pain and is available on the NHS,” said Emlyn Lewis, Managing Director Össur UK. “Using the product can empower people like Ant, Sharron and Simon to manage their pain biomechanically rather than through the use of pharmaceuticals, which can have negative side effects.”

The Unloader One is a lightweight, easy to use, non-surgical treatment option for the symptoms associated with osteoarthritis of the knee. Recent research demonstrates that Unloader One reduces pain, improves function and decreases the use of pain medication.

About Össur
Össur is a global leader in non-invasive orthopaedics that help people live a life without limitations. Its business is focused on improving people’s mobility through the delivery of innovative technologies within the fields of braces, supports and prosthetic limbs. A recognised “Technology Pioneer”, Össur invests significantly in research and product development; its award-winning designs ensuring a consistently strong position in the market. Successful patient and clinical outcomes are further empowered via Össur’s educational programs and business solutions. www.ossur.com

Content supplied by Ossur UK

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The challenge of coping with osteoarthritis in the workplace

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Half of all adults in the UK will develop Osteoarthritis, 1 in 2 will develop osteoarthritis (OA) in their knees while 1 in 4 will develop it in their hips and 1 in 12 will develop it in their hands.

Osteoarthritis affects many people, particularly those who carry out the same physical task in their jobs time and time again.

That said, the bottom line is that work is good for you, research shows that employment boosts confidence and improves mobility however people with moderate to severe osteoarthritis encounter challenges in the work place.

What are the challenges faced?

These challenges are often associated with unhealthy postures and extreme loads, many jobs require you to perform tasks in the workplace frequently and with repetitive movements i.e. squatting or kneeling, bent over again and again or exert a large force, others are constantly on their feet, have to lift heavy loads or constantly perform the same movements, for example:

  • Retail
  • Painters
  • Waiters
  • Healthcare Professionals
  • Construction Workers
  • Carpenters
  • Gardeners
  • Manufacturing Workers

Therefore, it is probable over time that various joints of the body will be overloaded, causing cartilage damage or other problems.

Think about low impact sports

Suffering from osteoarthritis should not stop you from being active as it is important to keep your joints functioning for as long as possible (not to mention the release of endorphins when exercising which act as natural painkillers).

You can try to incorporate moderate sports or activities and slowly build this into your routine. It can also compensate for any one-sided movements in your job and help to keep the joint cartilage lubricated and supplied with nutrients.

The sports and activities you choose however should not place unnecessary strain on the joints, such as:

  • Swimming
  • Cycling
  • Gymnastics
  • Walking
  • Tai Chi
  • Yoga
  • Aqua Jogging

As with every other activity you shouldn’t work through the pain but start in a pain-free / low pain period. Working through the pain can have a negative effect and exacerbate the situation.

There are a number of other options available to help you manage your knee pain, check out our treatment overview.

What if you have advanced OA?

If the osteoarthritis is already more advanced so that you can no longer able to carry on with your profession, it is important that you discuss this with somebody in your work place, this could be your line manager or someone in human resources, once you have told them about your health issues they are obliged to take them seriously, topics to discuss with your employer could include:

  • Reduced Hours
  • Flexi Time
  • Job Share
  • Occupational Health
  • Retraining
  • Physiotherapy

Retraining could be a solution and something to consider, any job or career that you could retrain for or a career where you can transfer your skills but without the stress of too much physical loading and/or repetitive loading of your joints.

What should I do?

Visit the doctor early with joint problems, 8.75 million people in the UK have sought treatment for osteoarthritis, of these 4.7 million people in the UK have sought treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee.

Osteoarthritis is difficult to diagnose early on, because it evolves insidiously and unnoticed in the beginning one of the first signs which patients notice is the typical start-up pain including: Getting started after a period of rest which leads to a slight pain or a feeling of tightness in the knee, the hip or some other joint.

  • Getting out of bed in the morning
  • Getting out of the car after a long journey
  • Stiffness after a repetitive task i.e. gardening, cleaning

Many people dismiss this by simply accepting that it can take a while after a period of rest, to get the joints moving again because the pain goes away, but the pain always returns and gradually over time worsens.

Don’t dismiss the stiffness

It does not make sense to dismiss the stiffness and pain in your joints and to keep suffering, you should go to the doctor at the first sign of any regular pains and stiffness.

Even though osteoarthritis cannot be cured, the disease process and the maintenance of mobility can mostly be influenced by a positive and consistent treatment plan.

The treatment is normally based on several areas, which can be split into:

The earlier you start, the greater the chance of keeping your joints functional and help slow down the progression of osteoarthritis.

Content supplied by Ossur (UK) Ltd.

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Early Osteoarthritis Diagnosis Blood Test

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Warwick University are engaged in research that could see a blood test developed that can provide an early diagnosis of osteoarthritis several years before the onset of physical and irreversible symptoms.

blood test

 

The blood test will work by allowing the detection of damaged proteins in samples from patients but at markedly lower levels than they would usually be found. This will provide identifiable markers much earlier in the diagnostic process.

 

According to Dr Naila Rabbani of Warwick Medical School:

“Damage to proteins in the arthritic joint have been known for many years but this is the first time it has been exploited for early-stage diagnosis.

For the first time we measured small fragments from damaged proteins that leak from the joint into blood. The combination of changes in oxidised, nitrated and sugar-modified amino acids in blood enabled early stage detection and classification of arthritis – osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or other self-resolving inflammatory joint disease.

This is a big step forward for early-stage detection of arthritis that will help start treatment early and prevent painful and debilitating disease.”

Read more about this research on the Warwick University’s website.

For the full research article you can visit Arthritis Research and Therapy.

If you are living with arthritis and are looking for helpful content take a look at the following talkhealth resources:

Arthritis & Joint Pain Forum

Arthritis Hub

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