Arthritis Osteoarthritis
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), osteoarthritis commonly known as OA affects 25 million people in
the United States.
Osteoarthritis is the second most common rheumatologic problem and it is the most frequent joint disease with a prevalence of 22% to 39% in India.
OA is more common in women than men, but the prevalence increases dramatically with age.
OA best known as the “wear-and-tear” form of arthritis, OA
breaks down cartilage between the joints and eventually causing the bones to grind
together causing pain.
The most common type of arthritis, nearly one in
two adults will develop knee OA during their lifetime.
Affected
group
India may become the osteoarthritis capital of the world with over 60 million cases by 2025, doctors say. Doctors say osteoarthritis is the most prevalent form of arthritis in India, affecting over 15 million adults every year.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the second most common type of
arthritis, affecting around1.5 million Americans.
A systemic autoimmune
disease, it mainly attacks the synovial joints: the hands and wrists,
shoulders, elbows, knees, ankles, feet, and toes. RA may eventually deform or
destroy the joints that it affects worst.
Who Gets
Knee Arthritis commonly?
Anyone can get knee OA. It usually develops after the
age of 40, but it can potentially occur earlier in some cases as early as 20s. OA mostly affects the knee, hands,
hips, and lower back.
Knee OA is seen in people commonly who are obese or overweight.
Two out of three obese adults are at risk of
eventually developing this painful, potentially disabling condition known are arthritis.
How
Exercise Helps Knee Arthritis
Exercising an arthritic knee may seem wrong, but
regular exercise can actually lessen and even relieve arthritis pain and other
symptoms, such as stiffness and swelling of the joint.
There are several reasons to exercise with knee arthritis:
1. Exercise maintains the joint’s full range of motion.
2. Strong muscles help the joint absorb shock.
3. Exercise strengthens the muscles that support the joint.
4. Exercise doesn’t have to be hard to be beneficial. In fact,
gentle, low-impact exercises are best for knee arthritis. They minimize stress
on the joint even as they increase its flexibility and strength.
If exercise elevate the OA pain?
Trend shows mild discomfort during exercise is normal initially. Condition may become a little
bit sore the day after you exercise. Please note, in case if you experience severe pain, swelling,
or stiffness, stop exercising the affected joint and visit your doctor for further help.
People with knee arthritis should do
moderate exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
*You can even
break it down into three, 10-minute sessions each day. You should experience better mobility and less pain within three to six weeks time.
What
Types of Knee Exercise Work Best in OA?
Walking is an excellent form of exercise. Walking have low-impact, and
because it’s a weight-bearing exercise, it helps strengthen the muscles and
build bone.
Prepare yourself before the walk, wear good, sturdy shoes. Start out slow, and gradually increase
your pace and distance for best results.
Exercising at Home or Work
The very best knee exercises for you may be the ones you can do at home
or even during a short break at the office. They’re easy, effective, and convenient,
and don’t require any special equipment. Do them slowly, gradually increasing
the number of repetitions as your muscles get stronger.
Isometric exercises:
There are three types of basic therapeutic exercise that may help strengthen the knee area
1. isotonic,
2. isokinetic and
3. isometric exercise. Of these three, isometric exercise might be the most appropriate and easy to understand by patients and can be easily and safely performed at home or when traveling because it requires no or minimal equipment. Further, isometric exercise causes the least inflammation and pressure. Isometric exercises are simple to perform and that rapidly improve strength. Isometric means no change in length of the muscle, to perform this place a roll of towel under your knee and push it down and hold for 5 seconds. same should be repeat to the both legs approx 10 min.Secondly hold the towel between your both knee and hold while try to take it out with hands.
Water exercise, or walking in the knee immersed water: This activity is also superb for muscle strength, endurance and knee flexibility. Because the body is buoyant in water, it lessens impact to near zero as it makes you work a little harder to move. Look for hydrotherapy clinic in vicinity and do some water exercises. Now a days some gym also have the trend to keep hydrotherapy tubs.
Gentle stretching is very good in cases of knee OA:
Gentle stretching have very positive effect on soft tissues and muscles of knee joint so be sure to do a few gentle stretching exercises to
help prevent your muscles from tightening up and keep the circulation at its best.
PS: Consider exercising your knees
every other day to give sore muscles a rest.
Aim of the exercises and stretching is to provide optimum conditions not to worsen the condition.
Super Easy Exercises for Knee Arthritis by Dr Vijay Guleria (PT Ortho) are here for you:
The Leg Raise in lying position:
Firstly lie flat on your back on the hard surface with your arms at your sides, toes up. Keeping your leg straight,
tighten your leg muscles and slowly lift it several inches so that you can see your foot toes tips. Meanwhile tighten your
stomach muscles to push your lower back down. Hold and count slowly to five, then
lower the leg as slowly as possible. Repeat it, then switch to the other leg.
Start with one set of four for each leg. This exercise strengthens the
quadriceps, which are the large muscles on the front of your thigh that also attach
to your knee joint.
The Hamstring Stretch in lying position:
Lie on the hard surface with both legs bent. Slowly lift one leg, still bent, and bring your knee
back toward your chest (knee to chest). Link your hands behind your thigh (not your knee) and
straighten your leg. Pull your straight leg back toward your head until you
feel the stretch. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, then slowly bend your knee and
lower your leg back to the floor. This exercise stretches and strengthens your
hamstrings, which are the muscles on the back of the thigh that attach to the
knee.
The Half-Squat:
Standing with your feet shoulder-distance apart, stretch
your arms out in front of you (hold on to a chair for balance, if required),
and slowly bend your knees until you’re in a half-sitting position.
Keep your
back straight and chest lifted and don’t lean forward during the exercise.
Keeping your feet flat on the
floor, hold the position for five seconds, then slowly stand back up. Do 10
repetitions, and slowly work up to three sets of 10. This exercise strengthens
the muscles in the front and back of your thighs, along with the gluteus muscle (buttocks).
The One-Leg Dip:
Standing between two chairs, holding on to
them for balance, lift one leg about 12 inches and hold it out in front of you.
Slowly, keeping your back straight, bend the other leg and lower your body a
few inches, as if you were about to sit in a chair.
Don’t cross the lifted leg
in front of the bent leg. Hold for five seconds and straighten back up. Repeat
and switch legs. Start with one set of four leg dips for both legs, and slowly
work up to three sets. This exercise strengthens the muscles in the front and
back of your thighs, as well as your buttocks.
The Leg Stretch:
Patient should sit on the
floor with both legs out straight. Stabilizing with hands on either
side of your hips, keeping your back straight. Slowly bend one knee until it
feels stretched, but not until it becomes painful. Hold the leg in that
position for five seconds, then slowly straighten your leg out as far as you
can, again holding for five seconds. Repeat, switching legs whenever one begins
to tire, 10 times. This exercise strengthens the quadriceps, which are the
muscles on the front of the thigh.
Before doing the Exercises:
If you can, put a moist-heat pack on your arthritic knee for 20
minutes before you start exercising. Heat brings the blood up to the surface,
decreasing stiffness and soothing or even relieving the pain.
Patient on medication:
If you take pain
medications, try taking them about 45 minutes before you exercise for increased
pain control during your workout.
After Exercises:
After exercising, put an ice pack on the sore knee for 10 to 15
minutes. This will help to bring down any swelling that the exercise might have
caused. It will also help to soothe and relieve pain.
It is strictly advised that these easy exercises can produce significant harm/ injury to you if not performed under the guidance and supervision of your physiotherapist/ physical therapist doctor initially.
