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Ever notice how things seem to come in waves? Well, I’m deep into a Knee Surgery Wave right now. Everyone seems to be having it…friends, family, neighbors, everyone. It’s a club I don’t want to join. However, “almost one in three Americans older than age 45 reports some type of knee pain,” according to the Mayo Clinic. While injury, infection or torn cartilage may be at the root of the problem, chances are good that it’s simple wear-and-tear or Osteoarthritis (OA). OA is the most common form of arthritis. More than 20 million Americans suffer from it, making it the number one cause of disability in the United States.
Women are three times as likely as men to develop OA, often after they turn 50. People with OA often have difficulty walking, driving, lifting, standing and exercising due to extreme pain. In addition to physical pain, the National Council on Aging reports that OA sufferers gain an average of 42 pounds after their diagnosis and 65% say they lose more than 2 hours of sleep per night due to pain. As a progressive chronic disease, OA usually gets worse over time. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases says that the first sign of OA is aching joints after physical work or exercise, which then progresses to more severe pain as the cartilage wears away. Bones begin to rub together and, over time, the joint may lose its normal shape, bone spurs may grow and pieces of bone or cartilage may break off, causing more pain and damage.
A growing body of evidence calls into question the use of arthroscopic surgery for OA of the knee. The September 11, 2008 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine encourages patients to consider physical therapy, combined with comprehensive medical management, as a non-surgical option. According to the American Physical Therapy Association, (APTA), the study found that this combination was just as effective as surgery at relieving the pain and stiffness of moderate to severe OA of the knee. This study, in combination with a report in the January 2008 issue of Physical Therapy and a February 2000 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, points to physical therapy as a key component to pain relief.
The APTA says that “movement is essential to our everyday lives. Having the ability to move safely and effectively is crucial in our lives and the lives of the people physical therapists treat”. In treating OA, a physical therapist will perform a thorough examination and design a plan of care that may include:
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A series of flexibility exercises will be designed to improve motion. These can be performed on the land or in the water.
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An exercise sequence to restore strength using a gradual return to normal activities using exercises that stimulate the knee stressed of your normal activities.
I hope that the Knee Surgery Wave doesn’t catch up with me anytime soon. If the research proves to be right, that wave might have diminished when it comes to Osteoarthritis. Instead, we will rely on prevention and non-surgical treatment to remain active and pain free.
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