By Misha Gilani, DPT
Knee Arthritis is a very common condition that we treat here at Loudoun Sports Therapy. What you might not realize is that knee arthritis impacts every age group. It presents itself with a number of symptoms including pain, limited range of motion, weakness, swelling and difficulty performing daily and functional activities. Think about walking, going up and down stairs, standing up from a chair. If you have pain from arthritis, these everyday activities are significantly impacted.
There are different ways that arthritis can come about but in general, arthritis in the breakdown and inflammation of the joint. The most common complaint patients suffering from knee arthritis have is difficulty ascending or descending stairs. This is due to the inflammation in the joint, which causes the muscle to weaken and in turn more pain. This is because the muscles are no longer stabilizing the joint.
If knee pain due to arthritis is not taken care of, this can cause further dysfunction above or below the knee such as the ankle or the hip joint. This occurs because of the different ways you start to move or perform activities to compensate for weakness and pain. For example, you may change your gait or walking pattern to perform your daily activities such as prolonged walking or negotiating steps to avoid the pain. Continuing to walk or move improperly will only worsen these symptoms and cause further problems up and down the chain. This is why it’s so important to see a physical therapist. While there is no cure for arthritis, this pain and discomfort can be easily managed and more importantly, a physical therapist will help you better understand your dysfunctions and teach you ways to strengthen surrounding muscles to reduce symptoms and also help you to move using proper body mechanics.
Knee arthritis can stem from a number of factors such as:
- Age
- Heredity
- Weight
- Repetitive stress injuries
Physical therapy is a very effective treatment method for arthritis in the knee. Physical therapy can help decrease pain and inflammation, decrease muscle tightness and improve knee stability by strengthening the knee stabilizers. By improving your pain and stability of the knee joint it will restore your ability to return to prior level of function.
