Lifestyle changes Physical Management Treatment to Manage Pain Complementary Treatments Surgery What is the treatment? This means losing weight if needed and taking more exercise. This means having physiotherapy and occupational therapy. It may include using walking aids like canes or special insoles Including tablets, you take by mouth, injections into the joint and self-help support. Including TENS, acupuncture, and the nutritional supplements chondroitin and glucosamine. Including total or partial knee replacement and osteotomy. Surgery is usually for people with severe symptoms who have other treatments first. Arthroscopy is only recommended for people who have experienced their knee ‘locking’ (getting completely stuck in position). Lifestyle changes Physical Management Treatment to Manage Pain Complementary Treatments Surgery What is the effect on your pain? Taking regular exercise can reduce pain for some people with knee arthritis although the effect may be small. [4] Physical management can improve your pain. We know that strengthening exercises for your knee, wearing special shoe inserts, taping up the knee, and There are many types of medicine that can reduce the pain of osteoarthritis. However, medication does not work for everyone. We don’t know whether most forms of complementary treatments help with pain. Acupuncture may help some people.[12] Glucosamine sulphate may also help relieve pain.[13] Surgery is usually for people who have severe symptoms and have tried other treatments without success. Many people find their
well you can get around? and faster, climb stairs more easily, and move your joint more freely. [15] walk further and faster. [16] We know that knee exercises to strengthen the joint and wearing a knee brace can help you walk further. [6] [17] reduce inflammation and may make it easier for you to move your knee joint. [10] Self-help support programmes may help you keep more active. Self-help support programmes may help you keep more active. treatments of such as acupuncture and nutritional supplements help supplements help after a knee replacement, once they have recovered from the operation. The replacement knee has some limitations in range movement. For example, kneeling may be difficult, and the knee may not bend as far as it did before surgery.[32] Arthroscopy to wash out the knee joint and remove damaged tissue doesn’t seem to have any effect on ability to get around.[32]
Lifestyle changes Physical Managemen t Treatment to Manage Pain Complementar y Treatments Surgery What is the effect whethe r your arthritis gets worse? If you are overweight , losing some of this weight will help relieve some of the strain on your joints. This can help avoid further damage to the knee.[22] Taking regular exercise may also protect your knee arthritis from getting Physical therapy does not prevent arthritis from getting worse. But exercises that strengthen the muscle around the knee may protect the joint from damage. NSAIDs, corticosteroi d injections and self-help support will not stop your arthritis getting Effective pain managemen t may stop your pain from getting worse. Complementary treatments such as acupuncture and nutritional supplements are not likely to slow or stop arthritis from getting worse. Knee replacemen t replaces the damaged surface. This removes the part of the joint affected. The new joint will age and may eventually need to be replaced. Arthroscopy to wash out the knee joint and remove damaged tissue doesn’t stop your arthritis from getting worse.[32] trial. trial.
knee braces uncomfortab le. [28] Opioid painkillers can cause constipatio n. Some people who take opioid painkillers for a long time become dependent on them. This means they get withdrawal symptoms when they try to stop taking them.[29] Herbal medicines may react badly with other medicines. Acupuncture can cause infections if the needles used are not sterile. may want to discuss this with your health professional getting support to lose weight or to stop smoking prior to considering surgery. Surgery can cause complications including blood clots, infections, bleeding, and a risk of death. Some people have a bad reaction to anaesthetics. Between 2 in 100 and 10 in 100 people who have a knee replacement get a blood clot in the leg. [32] Most people take medicines to prevent blood clots. It is likely that you will feel some discomfort while
recovering from surgery. The risk is probably smaller after arthroscopy.[ 32] Lifestyle changes Physical Managemen t Treatment to Manage Pain Complementar y Treatments Surgery What is the time you will spend in hospital or on treatment ? You won’t need to spend time in hospital or recoverin g from treatment if you make changes to your lifestyle. You may need to go to hospital to have physiotherap y and occupational therapy sessions. But you won’t need to stay in hospital. You will need to attend a number of sessions. You can buy simple painkillers, such as paracetamol , from your pharmacy. Your GP may also prescribe pain medication. You are unlikely to need to go to hospital to get pain medications . You might need to take medicines every day to manage your pain. Self-help support programme s vary in length. Often, complementary therapists recommend a course of treatment. These can vary in length and be expensive. You will need to stay in hospital for three to five days after knee replacemen t surgery. For the first three to six weeks after the operation you will need a walking aid, such as crutches, to help support you. Most people might need up to six months. arthroscopy to wash out the joint