What is the treatment for Osteoarthritis of the Knee?

Osteoarthritis of the Knee is one of the most frequent types of knee arthritis.  And knee joint as it bears the body’s maximum weight is very prone to getting Osteoarthritis. It is a degenerative wear-&-tear of articular cartilage.  Articular cartilage act as a natural cushion between joints, due to damage to articular cartilage the articular surfaces of two bones rub more closely against one another and produce painful bone spurs. Sports athletes have to do many physical tasks that exert more load on their knees than any average person. Diagnosis of osteoarthritis in Athletes is more difficult because of the higher pain tolerance of athletes. Also, Repetitive injuries can cause joint instability and early degeneration of the joint articular cartilage in athletes.

Osteoarthritis is caused due to-

• Firstly, Obesity,
• Joint hypermobility or instability,
• Mal-positioning of the knee joint,
• Previous injury to the knee joint,
• Previous surgery,
• In addition, Avascular necrosis,
• Also, Athletics participation (athletes involved in Football, Cricket, tennis, long-distance running, etc.).

Osteoarthritis has 4 stages Stage 1 is minor, Stage 2 is mild, Stage 3 is moderate & stage 4 is severe.

Typical symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee are-

• Knee pain,
• Pain may be worse in the morning. Or after sitting or resting,
• Joint stiffness & swelling,
• The raised temperature of the knee,
• Difficulty in bending knee,
• The knee joint may make a click or grinding noise,
• Also, X-Ray shows bone spurs in between joints.

Treatment

1. Lifestyle modification,
   Minimize the activity that aggravates the condition,
   Switching from high-impact activities (like jogging) to lower-impact activities (like swimming or cycling),
   Losing weight,
   Using assistive devices such as a cane, customizing shoes insole, or wearing a brace or knee sleeve,
   Also, Correct the muscle balance of overuse and underuse musculature.

Exercise to improve the condition

1. Strengthening exercise for quadriceps muscle with short-arc & long-arc quadriceps exercise and progress to Box squatting and mini lunges.
2. Strengthening of gluteal muscle with Clams, kickback, and bridging exercises.
3. Strengthening of calf muscle with heel raise exercise.
4. Stretching of hamstring & calf muscle.
5. In addition, Core stability exercise.
6. Eccentric exercise protocol.
7. Applying Kinesio tape to offload the knee joint.
8. Acupuncture/Dry needling.
9. Also, Start the exercise session with the application of moist heat for 10 to 15 minutes and end with the application of cold for 10 minutes.

The latest technology used to treat Osteoarthritis Arthritis of the Knee conservatively are

1. Magneto therapy,
2. Hydrotherapy,
3. Also, Combo therapy reduces pain,
4. Wet cupping/Hijama and,
5. In addition, Paraffin wax bath treatment, etc.