Knee Osteoarthritis - Physiotherapy & Hydrotherapy Role in Relieving Knee Pain and Increase Mobility
Osteoarthritis is one of the leading causes of joint diseases. Additionally, its prevalence in India ranges between 22% to 39%. What’s more astounding is that it affects mostly women over 40 years.
According to the National Health Portal of India, nearly 45% of women above 65 years have Osteoarthritis symptoms. Moreover, 70% of these women show radiological signs of Osteoarthritis. These symptoms include non-uniform or loss of space between the joints, cyst formation, subchondral sclerosis, and osteophyte formation.
So, if you want to avoid complications of knee osteoarthritis, it is extremely important to get the necessary treatment on time. Although the damage to your joints can not be reversed, its effects can be managed with regular sessions of physiotherapy and hydrotherapy.
In this blog, we will explore the benefits of these therapies. But first, let’s understand what is knee osteoarthritis, its causes and its symptoms.
What is Knee Osteoarthritis?
In simple terms, osteoarthritis (OA) is a medical condition where the layer of cartilage present at the bone joints breaks down. This results in friction between the bones, which causes excruciating pain.
OA can affect various places of your body, such as spine, fingers, hips, etc. When it occurs at your knee, it is referred to as knee osteoarthritis. Due to regular friction, the area around your knee may become stiff or swell.
Causes of Osteoarthritis of Knee
Generally, people above 40 years develop this condition because of timely wear and tear. However, some young people can also get OA due to injury or accidents.
But before we jump into understanding the causes of knee OA, it is vital to know its types. Medically it is classified into two categories, namely:
Primary knee OA: The cause of this type is not known. Therefore, it is thought that some people develop knee OA as they age.
Secondary knee OA: In this type, knee OA develops due to multiple reasons, such as:
Obesity is the most common cause of OA. If your BMI is over 30, pressure on your knee increases due to regular physical activity, resulting in cartilage damage.
Improper positioning while heavy exercising can cause unnecessary stress on bone joints.
An old knee injury that escalates with time and regular activity.
Family history of OA.
Crooked knee bone is another cause of osteoarthritis.
Immobility can also make the knee cartilage stiff, resulting in OA.
Symptoms of Knee Osteoarthritis
The most prevalent symptom of osteoarthritis in the knee is pain. When you move your knee or even when you are just sitting still, it could hurt. Other signs include:
When you initially stand up or after a lengthy period of sitting, your knee feels stiff.
When you move your knee, a cracking or grinding sound occurs.
Your knee seems or feels enlarged due to swelling.
Your knee feels shaky, as if it is unable to carry your weight.
It feels that your knee is locked up or feels stuck in a position.
Treatments for Knee Osteoarthritis
People generally want to know what is the best treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee. If you want an answer, you need to understand that the treatment method depends typically on your medical condition. This ranges from counter medications to manage pain to performing surgery. However, in every situation, medical professionals advise their patients to undergo regular physiotherapy and hydrotherapy sessions to manage their condition in the most organic and natural way. Therefore, to alleviate your pain and discomfort, you may consider getting therapy irrespective of your knee OA type.
Physical exercises under the supervision of therapists are proven to be the most effective way of treating knee osteoarthritis. Alongside land exercises, hydrotherapy can offer you additional benefits to manage your condition in a better way.
(Dr Shipra Kumari PT of Alexa Healthcare, Kolkata, providing a Hydrotherapy session to a knee Osteoarthritis patient.)
What makes hydrotherapy a more efficient treatment method is that warm water helps in reducing pain by reducing swelling and stiffness. Moreover, you will find it more convenient and fun to perform various exercises underwater.
Benefits of Physiotherapy and Hydrotherapy in Knee OA
When you contact a physiotherapy clinic regarding knee OA, the therapist first evaluates your condition and designs a set of exercises to effectively manage and improve your condition. These exercises benefit you in the following ways:
Physical exercises help reduce weight. This ultimately lowers the impact on knee joints resulting in pain reduction.
Running and walking can be a huge challenge when you are on land. However, during hydrotherapy, you can easily perform these activities because your weight reduces inside the water. This way, you can gain mobility without causing stress to your joints.
Physical therapies help improve blood circulation. This way, your heart health improves, and the chances of cardiovascular diseases reduce tremendously.
While performing hydrotherapy exercises, the resistance increases 12 times as compared to air. As you need to use more strength, your calories burn faster.
Participating in regular physiotherapy sessions helps strengthen knee joints, resulting in improved stability and balance.
Conclusion
Knee osteoarthritis begins by showing mild discomfort. However, if proper attention is not paid to it, the condition becomes severe, and it might lead to disability. Therefore, If you or your loved ones are experiencing any unexplained pain in the knee joint, it is vital to contact the best orthopaedic to learn about the treatment options.
Accordingly, you can search for the “physiotherapy clinic near me” and book sessions to improve your condition.
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