Fact 1
Imaging is not required to diagnose osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip or knee or does it correlate with the severity of symptoms of OA.
The facts are that we all are going to have signs of wear and tear as we get older and there is an imprecise relationship between features of osteoarthritis on imaging and an actual patient’s symptoms.
Symptoms of pain at the joint line with weightbearing, stiffness and decreasing function are common complaints with OA but medical imaging is not a good indicator of how much a person is affected with OA.
However, a good Physiotherapy assessment can pinpoint the physical factors and lifestyle factors that can be addressed in treatment to have a positive impact on decreasing pain and improving activity levels with OA..
Fact 2
Osteoarthritis can be prevented by modification of risk factors.
Traumatic joint injuries from sport or recreational activities are one of the strongest risk factors for development of OA in the next decade after injury. Maintaining strength, fitness and proprioception and completing a recognized injury prevention programme can prevent up to 67% of sport related injuries.
Obesity is another risk factor that can increase the risk of osteoarthritis due to excessive joint loading and effects of metabolic inflammatory processes in cartilage and bone.Maintaining a healthy weight range decreases this risk.
Physical inactivity is also another risk factor with loss of muscle mass and strength reducing the protection of our hip and knee joints which will increase the risk of OA.
Your All Care Physiotherapist can instruct you on all aspects of a programme to address the above factors to help prevent your risk of OA in the future.
Fact 3
Surgery should not be the first choice if you have osteoarthritis.
Current evidence shows that a knee arthroscopy is no better than other measures like exercise therapy or even sham surgery (no operation performed) for mild to moderate knee arthritis. Other surgery like joint replacement involves all of the risks of surgery and the outcomes are not always 100 % (20% of knee replacements are not satisfied with the surgery (Bourne et al 2010).
All Care Physio runs an international programme for hip and knee OA called GLA:D and is run by Caitlin at our clinic. This programme includes a progressive exercise programme and education on how to modify the factors aggravating your arthritis.
Fact 4
Exercise is safe for osteoarthritis.
Doing the appropriate exercise can strengthen muscles, improve joint range and provide joint stability. Research has shown that exercise therapy does not harm articular cartilage and in fact is good for it.
A good programme like GLA:D or specific exercise is important in the long term management of OA.
Fact 5
Running does not cause knee osteoarthritis in recreational runners.
A large study showed that if you are sedentary, a non runner or competitive runner (>92 kms/week), you are more likely to end with hip or knee arthritis (JOSPT 2017).