Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
By Physicians Rehabilitation
Your Knees
Walking, standing and exercising put a lot of strain on our knees. For example, a person that weighs 150 lbs. walking up a flight of stairs will put approximately 500lbs of pressure on their knees with each step. Not only is the knee the most
intricate of all the joints in the body, it is also the most susceptible to arthritis. There are multiple types of arthritis that affect the knees, but osteoarthritis (OA) is by far the number one type that surpasses all others.
What is Osteoarthritis (OA) of the Knee?
Cushioned in between the 3 bones of the knee (the femur, tibia and patella) is an articular cartilage, which acts a shock absorber. This cartilage is smooth and susceptible to much wear and tear, and once this starts to happen, the cartilage literally begins to break down and wear away. This can cause soreness, swelling and stiffness, and it is the beginning stages of osteoarthritis, or bone rubbing against bone, which in turn causes bone spurs and a great deal of discomfort.
Osteoarthritis develops slowly and the pain becomes worse with time. This type of arthritis is also known as degenerative because it is often associated with the aging process. But consequently, it can also affect younger people too. The pain can be debilitating and interfere with daily activities, affect your ability to work, and create limited range of motion in your life.
What Can be Done to Alleviate the Pain?
At Physicians Rehabilitation we know the importance of making procedures available to you that do not require surgery. With Osteoarthritis of the knee, our goal is to get you out of pain and back to living your life the way that you deserve.
Viscosupplementation
In our practice, we have seen tremendous results with Viscosupplementation combined with physical therapy. Our success rate to date is at virtually 100 percent patient satisfaction.
Viscosupplementation is an injectable substance that mimics the synovial fluid found naturally in the joint. Synovial fluid is made up of hyaluronic acid and helps to protect the knee joint. Once that naturally occurring substance wears away, your body cannot regenerate it on it’s own. Viscosupplementation is a welcomed benefit for relieving pain, and for getting your knee joint back to doing its job, which is acting as a cushion against friction.
The procedure can be done in our office and only takes a few minutes. After locally numbing your knee, the procedure is monitored under a fluoroscopic image, which essentially is a moving X-ray. This allows the physician to see the inside of your knee while it is in motion.
The practitioner will have the ability to see exactly where the Hyalgan (brand of Viscosupplementation) is being placed within your knee. You’ll receive approximately five injections at one week apart. The results of the cartilage enhancement will last for around six months or longer. Physicians Rehabilitation has become the expert on providing great results when this process is paired with physical therapy. Many of our patients report feeling pain relief immediately, while others cumulatively see results within a few short weeks.
As mentioned earlier, because our bodies cannot ever regenerate cartilage or synovial fluid, this option cannot be overlooked! Why would anyone live with the unbearable pain of OA in the knee? When within a few minutes, you could be well on your way to more
flexibility, greater movement with better range of motion, and essentially pain free.
If you or a loved one is suffering from knee pain caused by OA, please call our office at (239) 687-2165, or visit us online at www.PhysiciansRehabilitation.com for more information.
