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About Us
Our focus is knee osteoarthritis
Due to an increasing number of people suffering with knee pain and being diagnosed with osteoarthritis, a network of expert organisations has teamed up to establish OA Knee Pain. Our aim is to provide help and guidance along with all the information you may need about the condition to help you understand diagnosis, treatment options and management.
Associations include:
- Arthritis Solutions
- Osteotomy Expert Group
- Welsh Bone (Orthopaedic Surgeons in Wales)
- KNEEguru
- TALKhealth
What is Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease causing joints to wear down
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease also commonly referred to as arthrosis, osteoarthrosis or OA. The condition is caused by the protective fluid in the joint losing its shock absorbing abilities resulting in the bones rubbing against each other and the cartilage that protects the ends of the bones wearing down. Sufferers often experience pain, swelling and problems with mobility.
- Stage 1: (Doubtful) Minimum disruption but sufferers experience a 10% loss of cartilage.
- Stage 2 (Mild): Narrowing of the joint space with the cartilage beginning to breakdown and the occurrence of osteophytes (a bony projection associated with the degeneration of cartilage at joints).
- Stage 3 (Moderate): Moderate joint-space reduction where the gaps in the cartilage can expand until they reach the bone.
- Stage 4 (Severe): The joint-space is greatly reduced with around 60% loss of cartilage and large osteophytes.
Any joint in the body can be affected by OA but the most common damage is found in the knees, hips, lower back, neck, fingers and toes.
What can be done?
Treatment will be determined by the joint affected and its severity
Supporting Charities
There are a range of organisations offering easy access to information about your condition
Arthritis Care is a UK registered charity that offers a range of support and services to help
people manage arthritis and connect with other people who share a similar
experience. The charity can offer support in person, online or on the phone and can put those living with arthritis in contact with other sufferers.
Arthritis Research UK invests in breakthrough treatments, provides information and vital support for everyone affected by arthritis. Its work has already uncovered breakthrough treatments, and it is dedicated to uncovering new ideas to help people push back the ways arthritis limits their lives.
OA Knee Pain Social Board
Bringing you the latest news, research and treatment breakthroughs from the world of osteoarthritis
Visit our blog
Whether you're a gym rat or you simply have a rigorous walking routine, your knees take a pounding day to day. Add a few of these key exercises to your next workout routine to help keep your knees ready for action.
Knee replacement surgery gets mentioned a lot, but what does it actually involve? Watch this video to find out what a knee replacement surgery entails
What are the most common swimming injuries? Most injuries sustained by swimmers are related to overuse, but using incorrect techniques can also cause injury. Shoulder problems can be related to poor stroke mechanics used in front crawl and elbow issues can be caused by the arm pull in breaststroke and butterfly. Breaststroke can also cause knee stress injuries which are not seen in swimmers using different strokes.Injuries to the shoulder are the most common in swimming and, in fact, 90 percent of all swimming injuries are related to the shoulder. These can include shoulder instability, rotator cuff impingement and biceps tendinitis. All these conditions, collectively known as Swimmer’s shoulder, can result from weakness and fatigue of the muscles surrounding the shoulder blade and the rotator cuff.Injuries to the lower body are quite common in swimmers who use breaststroke. Breaststroker’s knee involves the ligaments and tendons of the knee and inflammation of the hip tendons can also cause hip pain. Preventing and treating swimming injuries The risk of injury can be reduced by various strategies. Learning and implementing good stroke techniques is important, as is performing cross training and core strengthening exercises at the beginning of the season, to make sure your condition is as good as it can be. Try to lessen any repetitive strokes that may be responsible for overuse injuries. Good communication between the swimmer, their coach and any medical professionals involved is very important, both for preventing injuries and for aiding recovery. Rest is needed for recovery from an injury, so only return to swimming when advised by a health professional.Some contributing factors to the development of a swimming injury include joint swelling or stiffness, poor rehabilitation following an earlier injury, an inadequate recovery period from training, poor warm up or warm down and poor core stability.
Did you know there are different stages of Osteoarthritis? You can read about each stage here: Stages of Osteoarthritis of the Knee
Joint pain – do’s & don’ts If the knee, the hip or other joints are troubling you then here are a few “Do’s and don’ts” you should consider which can influence the progression of your osteoarthritis. Do: Visit the doctor if you have joint pain. Don’t: Keep suffering silently. Do: Work out on a regular basis. Don’t: Slacken off and avoid activity. Do: Lead a health-conscious lifestyle Don’t: Smoke and excessively consume alcohol Do: Calorie conscious and joint-friendly nutrition (little meat and animal fat, a lot of fruit, vegetables, vegetable oil and salt-water fish), reduce overweight Don’t: Overeat on sweats and animal fat, gain weight Do: Wear well-fitting shoes with low heels, cushioning soles and insoles if needed Don’t: High heels, too tight or pointed shoes with thin soles or slanting heels Do: Use ergonomic tools and household aids, trolleys and a walking aid Don’t: Be too proud to use medical devices
We aim to bring our followers expert information and advice so they are informed about their options surrounding their knee OA. Read about the single protein injection that could replace the need for knee surgery for OA sufferers.
What non-surgical options exist for the management of osteoarthritis? The pain of osteoarthritis of the knee can be almost unbearable, and as one of the most common forms of joint problems, it affects a huge number of patients every year. Eventually, when the knee joint becomes severely damaged, the only real solution is surgery, but there are plenty of options available to sufferers before reaching that point. Non-surgical solutions to knee pain Lose Weight: Being overweight, even only slightly, puts additional stress on the structures of the knee which causes increased levels of pain. Lessening the load on the knee can be extremely helpful. Gels and creams: From capsaicin creams, derived from the capsicum pepper plant, to gels containing ibuprofen, topical applications can provide good relief from pain for many sufferers. Painkillers: From paracetamol through ibuprofen, naproxen and opioids, there are plenty of options, so if you don't achieve success with one regime it's important to keep trying until you find a solution that works for you. Injections: Corticosteroid injections are usually a first line of defence before surgery, although the results are variable. Hyaluronic Acid Injection: A new treatment currently undergoing tests (currently inconclusive), but some people report good results from the treatment. The theory is that the hyaluronic acid provides fluidity to the damaged cartilage, allowing the bones of the knee joint to pass smoothly over the structures without snagging, thus relieving pain. With the life of a knee replacement reckoned to be around ten years, surgeons are understandably reluctant to perform knee surgery on younger patients who will need further surgery in the following years, which is leading to a greater uptake of conservative treatments to hold the disease at bay for as long as possible.
Discover the effects of knee osteoarthritis around the world Osteoarthritis is generally believed to be the biggest cause of disability in older adults. As such, it affects millions of people and costs governments billions of pounds in treatments. Worldwide, an estimated 10%-15% of all adults aged 60 and over have some degree of osteoarthritis (often abbreviated to OA). In Britain, more than 8 million people - 33% of people aged over 45 years, plus 49% of women and 42% of men aged 75 and over - have been treated for OA. An estimated 4.7 million of those affected have arthritis of the knee. Let’s take a look at the facts Osteoarthritis is a very common condition which causes joints to become stiff and painful. It can affect all the joints in the body but is most likely to develop in the knees, hips and in the hands. Symptoms include swelling, redness, pain and stiffness in the affected joint, which usually lead to reduced movement and, in the worst cases, the inability to carry out everyday tasks. In the case of OA of the knee and hip, for instance, it can lead to difficulty in walking. It is not known what causes OA, but certain factors, such as being overweight, overuse and injury and just plain old getting older, are known to increase your likelihood of developing it. Genetic factors also play a part - a family history of OA increases your chance of getting it yourself. Diagnosis of OA usually includes an examination of the affected joints, plus questioning about symptoms and other factors. Your doctor will probably be able to diagnose the condition without any invasive tests, depending on your answers to certain questions. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for OA, but it can be treated and may improve over time. Most treatments concentrate on easing the symptoms.
Bracing and taping are both popular options following an injury, but which one is better and what is the difference between them? A complete review on taping versus bracing (post injury) / Össur Webshop Blog - http://bit.ly/2mTwWcY