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Osteoarthritis Physical Therapy: What Are My Options?

So often, we take for granted how well our body works to keep us in motion. But when there is injury or pain, we become very aware of the important job of that body part when it’s not serving us efficiently.

The Function of a Healthy Knee

Take for example our knees. The knees are amazing structures, vital to weight-bearing and movement. The knee joint connects the bones of the upper and lower leg. Knees are the body’s largest joint, with an intricate structure of bones, cartilage, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Its construction makes it possible for us to bend, straighten, and turn.

Based on stats from the National Institutes of Health, a healthy knee can be moved from zero degrees (completely straight) to about 150 degrees — when the calf touches the back of the thighs. Bent knees can be turned inward 10 degrees and outward by 30 degrees. But that mobility will be greatly affected with the onset of arthritis pain.

Treatment Options

That’s when you’ve got to try to find a solution. There are a number of options to help decrease the pain without an invasive joint replacement surgery.  For example:

 

  • Shedding some weight can help alleviate pain. Less weight on the joints means less pounding on the knees.
  • There are over-the-counter pain meds to alleviate pain and swelling.
  • To provide support and help with swelling, you can wear a brace.
  • Your provider may even suggest steroid injections to alleviate swelling

Osteoarthritis Physical Therapy Can Help

However, one of the best proactive measures you can take is osteoarthritis physical therapy. Your healthcare provider may prescribe physical therapy to help with flexibility and assist with making everyday activities less painful. This will include strengthening and stretching exercises that can build up the muscles around the knee. The idea is that if the muscles are stronger and more engaged, there will be less grinding on the knee joint.

What is Osteoarthritis?

Odds are, as we age, a good many of us will experience pain in our knees or other joints thanks to arthritis. Knees are especially prone to arthritis because they are a major weight-bearing joint and are responsible for movement.

Arthritis occurs as a degenerative condition when the natural cushion between our joints, known as cartilage, wears out. Without that shock absorber, the bones rub together, causing pain, swelling, and stiffness. It can affect your mobility and even provide sound effects like creaking, when the knees are moving.  Other conditions that lead to arthritis include having added weight, heredity factors, and gender. Women over 55 are more prone, as are athletes who have given those knees a pounding through sports.

According to the CDC, Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. Your provider may refer to it as degenerative joint disease, but it’s essentially “wear and tear” in the joints that leads to pain, soreness, and stiffness. Most often osteoarthritis—and its recognizable pain will occur most frequently in the hands, hips, and knees. But for this discussion, we will refer to the knees since they are most susceptible to osteoarthritis.

The problem is sometimes osteoarthritis can affect the ability to live a good quality of life because it diminishes the ability to do everyday tasks.

The QC Kinetix Option

 

In addition to a plan involving osteoarthritis physical therapy, consider regenerative medicine and a visit to QC Kinetix. Although knee arthritis cannot be cured permanently, our therapies may help reduce that arthritic soreness.

At QC Kinetix, we seek to improve your health and quality of life with our non-surgical treatments. Regenerative medicine utilizes natural biologics to help relieve that soreness in the knees, due to injuries or arthritis.

Our regenerative therapies are restorative, providing patients with therapies that don’t include invasive surgery. If you have joint pain due to osteoarthritis, you may not need to have an invasive joint replacement surgery to treat the condition. Our biologic therapies are effective alternatives to surgery for the complications of arthritis.

When you schedule an appointment with us, one of our treatment providers will carefully review your medical history, examine your knees, and discuss the severity of the pain. We will take time to thoroughly discuss your options to give you the highest quality care with our knee pain treatments.

In addition to our clinical care, we have a line of supplements designed to work cooperatively for optimal performance. Our joint pain supplement is designed using a scientific formula with ingredients specifically tailored to help promote overall joint health, joint mobility, and support joint comfort.

Our supplement line also includes hair health supplements that can help improve hair thinning and hair loss. And QC Men’s Health is a scientifically formulated dietary supplement developed by a QC Kinetix physician, with ingredients specifically tailored to help improve a man’s overall health.

Whether you want to improve your health through our line of supplements or seek care for painful knee problems, find a QC Kinetix location near you and request an appointment for a free consultation to learn more about our regenerative medicine treatments and supplements.

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Joint & Bone Health Quickstart Program

QC Kinetix Joint & Bone Health supplements help your body to repair and renew injured joint tissues, including cartilage, ligaments, and tendons, while reducing inflammation of the bursae. Unlike steroids or pharmaceuticals, our supplements for joints work with your body to promote healing.

Supplements can boost your overall joint health as part of a general fitness program. However, they are particularly valuable for treating damaged or inflamed and painful joints. The Arthritis Foundation finds that joint health supplements show promise for relieving pain, stiffness, and other symptoms of arthritis.

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