Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common condition, especially as people get older. It affects around 30% of those over 60 and 40% of those over 70 years old. While many people have the condition, not all of them have symptoms. Only about 50 out of 10,000 people per year experience symptoms like pain and stiffness. For those who have symptoms but can’t have surgery, there are different ways to manage it using non-invasive treatment methods. These include exercises, losing weight, medications, using braces, physical therapy, taking supplements by mouth, and PRP.
1. Proper and Light Exercises
Probably the best non-invasive treatment for knee osteoarthritis (OA), exercising can be really helpful for managing pain because it strengthens the muscles around your knee joint and helps to keep your joints flexible. When you have OA, your knee joint can get stiff and painful, but gentle exercises can actually make it feel better.
Doing light exercises keeps the muscles strong, which can support your knee joint and take some of the pressure off it. It also helps to keep the joint moving smoothly, which can reduce stiffness and pain.
Now, it’s important to choose the right kind of exercise when you have knee OA. You want to avoid high-impact activities that could put too much stress on your knees, like running or jumping. Instead, opt for low-impact exercises like walking, swimming, or cycling. These are gentler on your joints but still give you a good workout.
By sticking to a regular exercise routine, you can actually improve your symptoms and make it easier to manage your knee OA. Plus, staying active has all sorts of other benefits for your overall health, like keeping your heart healthy and your mood lifted.
2. Losing Weight
Losing weight can be super helpful for managing knee osteoarthritis (OA) because it reduces the amount of pressure on your knees. Your knees act like shock absorbers—the more weight they have to support, the harder they have to work, and the more wear and tear they’ll experience.
When you carry extra weight, it puts extra stress on your knee joints, which can make your OA symptoms worse. Your knees have to bear the brunt of that weight every time you walk, climb stairs, or even just stand up. Over time, this extra pressure can speed up the breakdown of the cartilage in your joints, leading to more pain and stiffness.
By shedding some pounds, you’re lightening the load on your knees, which can help to ease your symptoms and slow down the progression of OA. It’s like giving your knees a break – they won’t have to work as hard, so they’ll feel better.
Plus, losing weight can have other health benefits too, like reducing your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other conditions. So, if you’re carrying extra weight and you have knee OA, dropping a few pounds could really make a big difference in how you feel.
3. Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)
A newer treatment for knee osteoarthritis (OA), PRP is getting a lot of attention because it uses your body’s own healing power to help reduce pain and improve function in your knee.
PRP is now the optimal solution for knee osteoarthritis for a lot of reasons. Not only is it minimally invasive, but it helps reduce pain and stiffness dramatically. PRP is made from a small sample of your blood. The blood is spun in a machine to separate out the platelets, which are tiny cells that help with clotting and healing. These platelets are then concentrated into a solution, which is injected directly into your knee joint.
Once the PRP is injected, the platelets release special proteins called growth factors, which help to reduce inflammation and promote healing in the damaged tissues of your knee. This can help to ease pain, improve mobility, and even slow down the progression of OA.
A recent study compared different treatments for knee osteoarthritis and found that platelet-rich plasma (PRP) was better than other options. They discovered that PRP works best when it has a high concentration of platelets, with counts above 5000 x 106 being most effective at reducing symptoms even after six and twelve months. Lower platelet counts didn’t seem to have as much of a positive effect.
Effectiveness of Minimally Invasive Treatments
Orthobiologics, like PRP, are becoming more popular among doctors for treating knee osteoarthritis (OA), with PRP being the top choice for 70% of users. While studies are moving in the right direction, there’s still a lot we don’t know. Factors like the specific makeup of PRP, the number of platelets, and other individual differences can affect how well it works. We need more research to fully understand its effectiveness and how it works for different people.
If chronic pain is holding you back from enjoying life, don’t give up hope. Our Greenberg Method has helped many patients find long-term relief by getting to the bottom of their pain and tackling it head-on. We’re here to support you on your journey to a pain-free life. Reach out to us at (833) 440-4325 or visit our website to start living without pain.
