Background:
Arthritis, specifically degenerative arthritis which is also referred to as osteoarthritis, is a common, progressive condition most commonly seen in the elderly that primarily affects the weight bearing joints of the body. When a joint starts to become arthritic the normally smooth and soft cartilage joint surfaces undergo a transformation into a harder and rougher substance and movement over this changed cartilage is what creates the pain. The damage to the cartilage that create the problem can be a traumatic injury, a repetitive stress injury or can often result from the normal wear and tear we put on the body.
The important thing to deal with when someone has an arthritic joint is that once the cartilage undergoes its transformation, the changes cannot be undone, and if not treated will continue to progress. Making this problem more difficult is the fact that the cartilage we have discussed has no direct blood supply to it and the way if "feeds" is by movement of the joint bringing the nutrition to the cartilage. So this creates a situation where after we damage the cartilage of a joint it creates pain and our natural reaction is to reduce the movement and the stress through the joint. This is actually the worse thing you can do because without movement the cartilage cannot heal and will therefore not be able to return to normal healthy cartilage, but will instead go through the changes that are associated with arthritis.
Signs and Symptoms:
Someone suffering from degenerative Arthritis in the knee will report a dull achy pain that usually comes on slowly over a period of weeks to months and has progressed to the point of interfering with their normal activities. Often times there will be a history of a significant injury to the knee in the past. The other common situation bringing on the pain is someone who in the past did a lot of high impact activities through the knee such as running or jumping a lot, and their activity level has dropped off over the last few years. There can be an associated swelling when the pain is significant. Someone suffering from knee Arthritis will usually report intense pain during the first few steps after resting, but once the knee "warms up" the pain decreases.
Treatment:
Treatment of degenerative arthritis of the knee focuses on preventing progression of the problem which can lead to eventual disability if allowed to progress. Conservative chiropractic care has been shown to be extremely effective in reducing and possibly eliminating the pain associated with Arthritis, but it is even more effective at preventing the usual progression seen with Arthritis.
If you or someone you know is needlessly suffering from knee pain due to degenerative Arthritis call Advanced Healthcare and have Dr. Pisarek develop a customized treatment protocol that will have you on the road to living pain free today!
