Relieve Knee Pain And Enjoy Life Again With Arthritis Treatment In Atlanta Ga
If you are tired of suffering with constant or recurrent arthritis knee pain, it may be time to seek help. In many cases, behavioral modification – such as beginning a walking routine – can help provide knee pain relief. In addition, conservative treatments are available that can result in long-lasting, reliable symptom relief. These may include physical therapy, exercise, anti-inflammatory supplements, and medications. If these methods are ineffective, Dr. Williams may recommend a more extensive treatment plan, including the use of a breakthrough Regenexx® orthobiologic injections .
To learn more about how walking can actually help your knee pain, and to discover what long-term treatment options you have for arthritis in the knee, we invite you to call the friendly team at Interventional Orthopedics of Atlanta to schedule your private in-office or online consultation with experienced orthopedic expert Dr. Christopher Williams today. We look forward to helping you get the results you deserve and enjoy life without knee pain once again!
Dont: Be Afraid To Use Assistive Devices If You Have Knee Osteoarthritis
Canes and knee braces can play a role in decreasing knee osteoarthritis pain and improving function, Pisetsky says. There can be a period of time when knee pain is disabling but its not the right time for surgery, so thats when assistive devices can make a difference, he explains. An occupational therapist can work with you to choose appropriate assistive devices.
Symptoms Of Knee Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis of the knee usually affects both knees, although you may only notice symptoms in one.
- You may have knee pain thats in and around your knee, which becomes worse when youre active. You wont usually feel pain in your knee when youre in bed at night, unless you have severe osteoarthritis.
- Your knee may be stiff for a while after youve been resting or when you first get up in the morning. If you have it in the morning, it will be for less than 30 minutes after you get up.
- You may find that your knee sometimes gives way, or locks and you cant straighten it.
- Because of the pain, stiffness and swelling, you might not be able to move your knee as much or as easily as you would usually.
- Your knee may creak or grind when you move it this is called crepitus.
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Natural Remedies For Osteoarthritis
These natural remedies for osteoarthritis will show you how to treat osteoarthritis naturally and stop all the major causes and symptoms you are dealing with. They first stops your pain, reduces your inflammation, stops joint infections, removes heavy metal deposits, and resurfaces your joint linings naturally.
The goal is not to just treat osteoarthritis symptoms but actually reverse osteoarthritis for good. Here is the best way to do just that:
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What Are The Symptoms Of Knee Osteoarthritis
Symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee may include:
- pain that increases when you are active, but gets a little better with rest
- swelling
- feeling of warmth in the joint
- stiffness in the knee, especially in the morning or when you have been sitting for a while
- creaking, crackly sound that is heard when the knee moves
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How Is Arthritis Treated
Theres no cure for arthritis, but there are treatments that can help you manage the condition. Your treatment plan will depend on the severity of the arthritis, its symptoms and your overall health.
Conservative treatments include:
- Medication: Anti-inflammatory and pain medications may help relieve your arthritis symptoms. Some medications, called biologics, target your immune systems inflammatory response. A healthcare provider may recommend biologics for your rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis.
- Physical therapy: Rehabilitation can help improve strength, range of motion and overall mobility. Therapists can teach you how to adjust your daily activities to lessen arthritic pain.
- Therapeutic injections: Cortisone shots may help temporarily relieve pain and inflammation in your joints. Arthritis in certain joints, such as your knee, may improve with a treatment called viscosupplementation. It injects lubricant to help joints move smoothly.
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Treating And Managing Flare
Talk to your doctor about how to handle flare-ups, and let them know if they happen a lot. They may need to change your treatment plan.
Some flare-ups get better after you rest and take over-the-counter pain meds for a couple of days. Call your doctor if they last longer than that, or if your symptoms are intense.
Medication changes. You might need to adjust your medication temporarily, or add a new one. Medicines that can help with flares include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , either prescription or over-the-counter. You may take them as a pill or put them on your skin. Acetaminophen helps some people. Your doctor may also inject steroids into your joints.
Rest. One of the best ways to deal with a flare is to take it easy. Take a sick day if you need to. Ask family members to help out with chores. But try not to stop moving completely. Do a few gentle stretches to keep yourself from getting stiff.
Hot and cold therapies. Moist heat around your joints boosts blood flow and relaxes muscles. A warm paraffin wax dip may make your hands or feet feel better. A special machine heats the wax, which is the same type used in candles.
If too much exercise causes flare-ups for you, use an ice pack right after your workout to ease pain. A cold compress may help at other times, too. Cold constricts your blood vessels, which decreases blood flow. That leads to less pain.
Limit the use of either of these methods to two to four times a day, for no more than 15 minutes at a time.
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Add Cloves To Your Diet
Cloves contain an anti-inflammatory chemical called eugenol that interferes with a bodily process that triggers arthritis. In one animal study, eugenol prevented the release of COX-2, a protein that spurs inflammation . Cloves also contain antioxidants, which are important in slowing the cartilage and bone damage caused by arthritis. Aim for ½ to 1 teaspoon a day for joint pain relief.
What Causes Arthritis Of The Knee
Experts have identified some genes that might cause arthritis, including arthritis of the knee. They predict that there are more genes not yet discovered. You could have a gene linked to arthritis without knowing it and a virus or injury could trigger arthritis of the knee.
Though the cause is unknown, some risk factors increase the possibility of arthritis of the knee. Risk factors of osteoarthritis, specifically, include:
- Age. Osteoarthritis happens to older adults more often than younger adults and children.
- Bone anomalies. Youre at a higher risk for osteoarthritis if your bones or joints are naturally crooked.
- Gout. Gout, also a type of inflammatory arthritis, might lead to osteoarthritis.
- Injuries. Knee injuries can cause arthritis of the knee.
- Stress. A lot of stress on your knees from jogging, playing sports or working an active job can lead to osteoarthritis of the knee.
- Weight. Extra weight puts more pressure on your knees.
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How To Help Arthritis In Knees: The Basics
Your knees are the largest, strongest joint in the body. Knowing a bit about the anatomy can help to appreciate not only their strength but also their unique vulnerabilities.
Knee joints consist of three bones. The femur connects to the tibia and the patella . Cartilage wraps around the end of each bone to protect and smooth movement where the three bones meet.
Two wedges of cartilage called the meniscus act as shock absorbers as the femur presses down into the tibia. Synovial fluid lubricates all of the cartilage in the joint and helps with smooth movement.
In addition, stabilizing ligaments and tendons include:
- Lateral and medial collateral ligaments: Stabilize side-to-side movement
- Posterior and anterior cruciate ligament: Frames movement forward and backwards
Knees absorb the impact of your upper body coming down on the lower leg: every day, all day. This means that everything you dowalking, running, hiking up a mountain, or simply standing up from a seatrelies on healthy knees.
When our knees are not healthy, the resulting knee pain can make it challenging to go about our normal daily activities or even get to sleep at night.
What You Need To Know
- Knee arthritis occurs when the cushioning cartilage in the joint wears down, making the knee stiff and painful with certain movements.
- Osteoarthritis gradual, age-related degeneration of cartilage is the most common form of arthritis in the knee, but trauma and autoimmune conditions can also lead to cartilage damage.
- The cartilage damage associated with arthritis is irreversible, but there are nonsurgical and surgical treatments that can help reduce pain, increase joint flexibility and improve overall quality of life for people with knee arthritis.
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How Will It Affect Me
If you have osteoarthritis of the knee, you will probably feel your knee is painful and stiff at times. It may only affect one knee, especially if youve injured it in the past, or you could have it in both. The pain may feel worse at the end of the day, or when you move your knee, and it may improve when you rest. You might have some stiffness in the morning, but this wont usually last more than half an hour.
The pain can be felt all around your knee, or just in a certain place such as the front and sides. It might feel worse after moving your knee in a particular way, such as going up or down stairs.
Sometimes, people have pain that wakes them up in the night. Youll probably find that the pain varies and that you have good and bad days.
You might find you cant move your knee as easily or as far as normal, or it might creak or crunch as you move it.
Sometimes your knee might look swollen. This can be caused by two things:
- Hard swelling: when the bone at the edge of the joint grows outwards, forming bony spurs, called osteophytes .
- Soft swelling: when your joint becomes inflamed and produces extra fluid, sometimes called an effusion or water on the knee.
Sometimes osteoarthritis of the knee can cause the muscles in the thighs to weaken, so your leg may look thinner. This weakness can make the joint feel unstable and could cause the knee to give way when you put weight on it.
What Questions Might A Healthcare Provider Ask To Diagnose Arthritis Of The Knee
Your healthcare provider will interview you when you report your symptoms. Some questions might include:
- Does anyone in your family have arthritis of the knee?
- Does your knee swell up?
- Is your skin often red?
- Is your skin often warm?
- Do you have symptoms in one knee or both?
- How long have you had these symptoms?
- What medications do you take?
- How severe is your pain?
- Do you struggle to walk?
- Do the symptoms interfere with your daily activities?
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The Most Important Piece Of The Puzzle
If youre overweight or obese, the most effective treatment is weight loss. This isnt surprising. Every extra pound of weight adds two to four pounds of excess pressure on your knees.
Losing weight is probably the most difficult part of the treatment puzzle, but its also the most important, says Dr. Day.
A weight loss program should include both diet and exercise. Some people have difficulty exercising to lose weight because their knees hurt. But any type of exercise can help, even strengthening the upper body.
Work On Your Stress Management
We know this is easier said than done, but its true that stress can increase knee OA pain. This is a challenge because people with knee osteoarthritis can be prone to anxiety and depression.
Having knee OA and anxiety/depression also increases :
- The number of doctor appointments and medication
- The likelihood of having surgical complications
- The level of pain after surgery
So, if youre feeling anxious/depressed about your osteoarthritis, please seek professional help. It can save you time, money, and heartache in the future.
Tips for managing osteoarthritis-related anxiety
First, the best thing to do is to go to a psychologist with a specialty in chronic pain. He/she will teach you coping mechanisms to help you reduce joint pain.
They can also help you learn which thought patterns can worsen your symptoms. That way, youll be able to identify them in time to prevent a flare-up.
Also, find time to do activities you love. Maybe its reading, playing a musical instrument, or hanging out with friends. It will have a big impact on your symptoms.
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Are There Benefits Of Walking With Knee Pain
It may seem counterintuitive to increase your activity level when you have chronic knee pain or arthritis, but walking can actually provide a number of benefits, including:
- Lubricating the joints
- Increasing blood flow to the tissues
- Building muscle strength to support the knee
Before beginning or resuming any fitness routine, it is essential that you obtain clearance from your physician to ensure the health and safety of your joints. Walking is a fantastic option for many patients with knee arthritis because it is a low-impact activity that does not put undue stress on the joints. Furthermore, walking can increase the knees range of motion and keep it from becoming overly stiff.
What Are The Symptoms Of Knee Arthritis How Do You Treat Knee Arthritis
Although there are many kinds of arthritis, the most common type of arthritis, osteoarthritis , frequently affects the knee. The bones of a normal knee joint have a coating of cartilage over them which acts as a cushion between the bones. In knee arthritis, the cartilage starts to wear down. As the wear and tear of the cartilage gets worse, the knee becomes stiff and painful with activity. In most people knee arthritis gradually gets worse over months to years.
Who Gets Knee Arthritis?
Knee arthritis affects people of all races and both sexes. Most often, it occurs in people age 40 and above. However, it may occur sooner if there are other risk factors . The major risk factors include older age, having family members with osteoarthritis, and being overweight. Injuries to the knee, such as a meniscal tear, often leads to additional wear of the cartilage and can result in arthritis.
What are The Symptoms of Knee Arthritis?
The primary symptom is pain which is worse with activity and is relieved with rest. Knee arthritis can make it difficult to do many everyday activities, such as walking or climbing steps. The knee often feels stiff and it may be tender. Swelling may occur due to an increase in fluid in the joint . Boney enlargement may occur because of bone spurs around the joint. There may be a crunching sound or grating feeling with joint movement. Some patients note an increase in symptoms when the weather is cold and damp.
How is Knee Arthritis Diagnosed?
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Articles On Knee Osteoarthritis
While age is a major risk factor for osteoarthritis of the knee, young people can get it, too. For some individuals, it may be hereditary. For others, osteoarthritis of the knee can result from injury or infection or even from being overweight. Here are answers to your questions about knee osteoarthritis, including how it’s treated and what you can do at home to ease the pain.
How To Use Pain Medications Properly
There are two types of over-the-counter pain medications that can be used for osteoarthritis. Acetaminophen is a pain reliever but not an anti-inflammatory. It may help with mild knee pain.
NSAIDs can be more effective because they both relieve pain and reduce inflammation. However, they come with potential side effects and risks. NSAIDs can irritate the lining of the stomach, which may lead to an ulcer or other stomach problems. They also can impair kidney function. Some NSAIDs can increase blood pressure. And theyve been linked to an increased risk for heart disease.
Because of the risks, Dr. Day cautions against using NSAIDs regularly over long periods of time. Instead, she uses NSAIDs for her patients in two ways. First, people who have a flare-up of pain can take them regularly for three to five days and then stop. Second, they can be used over the long term, but only occasionally, maybe a couple of times a week as needed.
If youre taking NSAIDs several times a day for long periods of time, Dr. Day advises reducing their use by maximizing the other treatment strategies. She also suggests trying a topical NSAID, such as diclofenac , which has fewer potential side effects.
Opioid pain relievers are discouraged for long-term treatment of chronic knee pain. The milder narcotic tramadol might be appropriate for occasional use in some people, says Dr. Day.
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Fish Oil Supplements For Arthritis
Youve probably already heard that fish oils containing omega-3 are good for your joints, brain and heart health.
Thats due to omega-3 is made up of two compounds called DHA and EPA which have been linked to reducing cell inflammation.
As arthritis causes inflammation, upping your intake of fish oil supplements packed with omega fatty acids could help thanks to their natural anti-inflammatory effects.
Studies have also shown that fatty acids could help to reduce joint pain and stiffness.
Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and trout are great sources of omega-3.
If you dont eat fish, omega-3 is also found in nuts, seeds and vegetable oils or supplements like Algal oil or Ahi Flower.
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