Written By: Dr. Alvin Micabalo, DO
Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy
What is knee osteoarthritis?
Knee osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that affects more than one-third of people older than 65 years of age. If you have knee pain that is worse with use and better with rest, knee stiffness that generally improves after 30 minutes of activity, crepitus, knee swelling, and limp, you may have knee osteoarthritis.
How does knee osteoarthritis happen?
Knee osteoarthritis develops over time and is usually attributable to ‘wear and tear’ of the joint. Usually, patients will take over-the-counter oral medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen to alleviate the pain. As osteoarthritis progresses, the medications may not be as effective. That is why patients should seek help from our multi-disciplinary team at physicians at the onset of pain.
How do you treat osteoarthritis?
Conservative measures to treat osteoarthritic knee pain include: weight reduction, physical therapy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, knee joint cortisone injections, and osteoarthritic knee braces. Viscosupplementation injections can also be used for gel support in the joint to ‘cushion’ the impact of ‘bone on bone’ pain. This can assist patients in achieving their activities of daily living without hindrance from their osteoarthritic knee pain. For severe cases that have not improved with conservative measures, total knee replacement should be considered.
How do I seek help if I think I am suffering from osteoarthritis?
It is imperative to get a proper diagnosis to your knee pain. At Comprehensive Medical Care, we can give you that proper diagnosis, along with the subsequent treatments needed to help with your osteoarthritic knee pain. Acupuncture, Physical Therapy, and Regenerative Medicine can all be used in conjunction with injections to help your symptoms. It is important to seek medical attention as soon as symptoms occur as osteoarthritis may worsen when left untreated.
