Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive joint disease that affects over 4 million Canadians. It causes joint pain, stiffness, and functional disability, especially in the knees, hips, and hands. Read on to learn about OA, treatment options, exercises, and how Leaside Sports Medicine can help.
What is OA?
- Osteoarthritis is a “progressive disease of the whole joint that leads to breakdown of joint cartilage and the underlying bone”
- OA affects more than 4 million Canadians
- OA commonly occurs in the knees, hips, and hands
- Some common signs & symptoms to recognize: joint pain, joint stiffness, joint
- swelling, joint crepitus (noises), joint instability (feeling like the joint may give out)
- Cardinal symptoms of knee & hip OA: joint pain and functional disability
Treatment Options
- Pharmaceutical & surgical interventions, exercise, weight loss, education, braces & orthotics, behaviour modification, seeking help from a medical team (physiotherapist, chiropractor, family doctor, surgeon, dietician, occupational therapist, etc.)
- There are a lot of treatment options that are available however, “exercise therapy is the most important non-surgical treatment of hip & knee OA”3, 4
Exercise therapy as first-line treatment
- Pain and physical function improved significantly following supervised exercise intervention
- Exercise therapy appears more effective and safer for pain relief vs pharmacological pain relievers
- Exercise is best practice irrespective of severity of OA, pain intensity, levels of function and other co-morbidities
- Therapeutic exercise is safe and effective for people with advanced hip and knee OA
Why is it important to involve a physiotherapist or chiropractor in your care?
- Education: A physiotherapist or chiropractor can help inform you about OA, its risk factors, disease progression, treatment options, pain management, and modifiable behaviors. Most importantly, we can help debunk some popular misconceptions about OA.
A physiotherapist or chiropractor can prescribe therapeutic exercise
- We know from evidence that therapeutic exercise is beneficial and safe for people with OA; however exercise prescription is not a one-size fits all approach
- Seeking the expertise of a physiotherapist/chiropractor will ensure you have an exercise program that is tailored to you
- Therapeutic exercise is a complex, multi-faceted intervention5
- This means that your therapist will take a lot of variables into consideration when prescribing you a home exercise program
- It is important for therapists to consider: individualization, dose, progression, accessibility, preference, etc.
- Supervision (particularly in initial stages of an exercise program) can help promote safe and correct exercise technique
- Initially completing your exercises with the guidance of your therapist will ensure you are using a correct, safe technique
- This also gives you the opportunity to ask any questions about the exercises as you do them
- Patient education combined with follow-up sessions may be the key to increasing self-efficacy & for retaining motivation and adherence to a home exercise program
Although knee osteoarthritis is a disease characterized by its progressive, degenerative nature, it is a disease that can be managed effectively through exercise. It is the role of a physiotherapist or chiropractor to help you learn about your osteoarthritis as well as design you a progressive, tailored therapeutic exercise program.
