Dealing With Osteoarthritis? Try Out These Effective Treatments to Get Relief!

Osteoarthritis is a disease that affects the cartilage in joints. Cartilage is a rubbery material that helps provide a comfortable cushion for your joints and protects them from everyday wear and tear. It does this job by giving a lubricated surface for bones to glide over without rubbing on one another too much. When you have osteoarthritis, the cartilage gets worn away, leading to more pain and less joint movement. It can affect any joint in your body, but there are some places where it most commonly occurs, such as around your hips, knees, neck, or lower back area.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Weight loss is often considered the essential treatment for mild to moderate osteoarthritis of the knee, mainly because it is so effective. It will help you keep your weight at a healthy level. Excess weight adds to the load on your joints, so it will help if you gain less weight or lose some of what you have. Proper body weight helps reduce the stress on your knees, making daily activities more accessible and reducing the chances of developing osteoarthritis.

Overweight people with knee osteoarthritis who lose weight may experience significant improvements in their symptoms. Weight loss can improve symptoms and delay disease progression by reducing knee stress and slowing down cartilage breakdown.

Perform Regular Exercise

Perform regular physical activity, such as walking, swimming, or bicycling, to relieve stress and tension in the knee joints. Exercise helps the muscles around your knee joint stay solid and flexible, resulting in better control of your knees. If weight loss is essential for reducing stress on your knees and keeping them healthy, regular exercise can also help speed up weight loss. Make sure you talk to a professional advisor like QC Kinetix (Baederwood) near Philadelphia before starting any exercise program. Have a physical check-up to have a personalized exercise plan. Usually, people with moderate symptoms are advised to do exercises for any time between 30 minutes and 60 minutes per day.

Physiotherapy

“Physio” is a shortened form of the word “physiotherapy,” which is a healthcare profession focused on helping individuals recover from physical injuries, manage chronic conditions, and improve their overall physical well-being.

Physiotherapy is a safe and effective treatment option for osteoarthritis. It can aid in easing pain, enhancing joint strength and mobility, promoting an active lifestyle, and lowering the danger of additional joint damage. Professionals like a physiotherapist in Edmonton offer a combination of manual treatment, therapeutic exercises, and instruction in self-management techniques to achieve the goal of pain relief. Stretching, soft tissue massage, and joint mobilization are all examples of manual therapy. Therapeutic exercises may include strengthening, range of motion, and balance training while self-management education involves tips on the pace of activity, suitable footwear, and lifestyle adjustments.

Pain Relief Medicines

Painkilling medicines can be beneficial in relieving the pain of osteoarthritis and improving your ability to move around. Your doctor or pharmacist will be able to give you advice about this. However, you should read the information about each medicine you take to understand when to take them, how much to take and which side effects may occur.

Yoga

Yoga is a great way to relieve stress, build flexibility and improve movement. Yoga poses strengthen your muscles and help you to loosen up all the tightness that accumulates in your body and your joints. No specific type of yoga will suit everyone, so if you are looking for a more focused approach, ask your doctor what kind of yoga they recommend. Acupuncture involves sticking skinny needles into specific points on the skin. Acupuncture has been used for hundreds of years in China to help treat many medical conditions, including osteoarthritis.

Conclusion

The onset and progression of osteoarthritis can differ from person to person and from one joint to another. You need to consult your doctor before treating your knee osteoarthritis. Depending on your symptoms, the doctor may recommend one or more treatments, including medications, exercise, or surgical options like total knee replacement for a permanent relief.