“I can’t bear my weight.” – Knee pain (OA)

OA = Osteoarthritis

     OA can affect any of the joints in your body.  The effect of osteoarthritis is the wear and tear on the joining surfaces of the joint.  This causes deterioration of the surfaces of the bone.  When OA affects your knees, there are many conservative methods to help alleviate the symptoms.

Signs/Symptoms:    

* Pain in the knee joint especially while weight bearing, and a lack of full extension (straightening) of the knee.

*  May also experience swelling,  joint line tenderness, knee cap (patellar) stiffness, decreased muscle strength around the joint, and the knee may feel hot.

Treatment: 

*  Use of modalities to relax muscles, aid circulation, decrease swelling, improve range of motion and decrease pain.

*  Stretching exercises for the soft tissue around the joint to increase the range of motion.

*  Manual techniques which are used to mobilize the knee cap and the joint to restore functional range of motion.

*  Comfortable resting positions for the involved area, allowing the muscles to relax and taking the pressure off.

*  Strengthening exercises for the muscles about the knee joint to increase joint stability

*  Guidelines for gradual resumption of independent activities of daily living

*  Nutritional supplements to assists in healing process and care of the affected joints.

*  Gait analysis to improve walking with aid of custom orthotic insoles.