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

Which swimming stroke burns most calories? Since more calories are burnt when swimming fast and covering a greater distance, it seems obvious that the fastest stroke will burn most calories. It is generally agreed that the freestyle stroke, also known as front crawl, is the most efficient and fastest swimming stroke, but this does not mean you should choose freestyle every time. In addition to speed, the number of calories burned whilst swimming depends on frequency and duration. This means that if you prefer breaststroke to freestyle, you may swim longer when you do breaststroke than you would doing front crawl, so more calories would be burned in total. The stroke that actually burns the most is the butterfly stroke, and this can use 404 calories in thirty minutes, but this cannot normally be maintained for a long period of time. Five minutes of butterfly would burn about 67 calories. Thirty minutes of backstroke could burn 257 calories, compared to 367 calories burned for thirty minutes of breaststroke. Slow front crawl will use up 220 calories in thirty minutes, whilst half an hour of front crawl at a fast pace can burn 404 calories. General leisure swimming will burn 220 calories in thirty minutes. If you combine all the above strokes, doing five minutes of each, you will burn around 318 calories in half an hour. The best strategy for burning most calories is to choose the stroke or strokes that you are most likely to be able to do consistently. Mixing strokes helps to work more of the muscles and adds interest to your swimming workout.

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.

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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.

Discover the background of osteoarthritis treatment Osteoarthritis is one of the biggest causes of pain and misery in adults worldwide, affecting millions of mainly older people across the globe and costing governments and health providers billions of pounds. Overall, the condition - which is often abbreviated to OA - is estimated to affect more than 630 million people globally. More women than men are affected, and it is more likely to be seen in people over the age of 60 (though conditions can begin to materialise from 40 onwards). In the UK, around eight million adults have OA - nearly five million of whom have arthritis of the knee. What do the history books tell us? The word osteoarthritis was first used in the late 19th century, when modern medicine was beginning to be developed as a more advanced science; however, we know that the various forms of arthritis have been around for much, much longer. Evidence from literature, historical accounts, visual representations in books and paintings, analysis of skeletal remains of various ages and new understandings of the causes of arthritis mean we know that people have been suffering from the condition for as long as humans have been around.

The iliotibial band (ITB) is not a muscle but a thick band of connective tissue that stretches from the outside of the pelvis down past the knee joint to the outside of the shin bone (tibia). The ITB passes over the knee joint and so this can occur with other knee problems, such as issues with the cartilage. There is also a nerve that is called the peroneal nerve that passes very close to where the ITB inserts, and this too can be a source of symptoms in this area. So it is important to get an accurate diagnosis before thinking about what treatment is best.

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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.