Scores of people have knee
osteoarthritis in one knee or both. That does not
make it any easier on its
sufferers though. The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR has some novel exercise tips and
treatments our Colorado Springs knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients will want
to attempt.
KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS (KOA): What It Is and How Common It Is
Knee osteoarthritis is aging-related
and oh so common! 86 million people globally
over 20 years old were diagnosed with it in 2020. Typically,
knee osteoarthritis sufferers experience a loss of knee
extensor strength, a greater severity of knee pain,
and a decline in functional performance. (1) Knee
osteoarthritis is the degeneration of cartilage, part of the natural aging
process whether we like it or not. Physical activity has been shown to positively affect cartilage structure despite
not yet knowing which exercise is best. (2) The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR sees
new treatment ideas being studied all the time.
KOA TREATMENT: Your
Colorado Springs chiropractor has it.
A chiropractic treatment approach has demonstrated
promise. A trial of treatment based on principles of Cox®
flexion distraction decompression for knee osteoarthritis – namely distraction
of the knee – reported relief of patient-perceived pain from
7.7 (out of 10) to 1.8 in a mean of 5.3 visits in 3 weeks for 25 patients. (3) The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR
can partner this treatment (and even some cartilage-supporting
nutrition!) with your home-exercise for relief.
KOA TREATMENT: YOU, our Colorado Springs knee pain patient
Even though the benefits of exercise abound for KOA is well known, KOA
sufferers are not known to stick to the exercise routine. One study made an easy-to-follow video series and automated recording calendar
of when they did each video that showed an
82.4% participation rate. Not bad! The patients also reported satisfaction, pain reduction, and better
physical function. (4) One month-long intervention of unilateral, non-KOA knee extensor strength training produced significant improvement in the knee extensor strength of the knee with
KOA! This is called “cross education phenomenon.” The improved
extensor strength and neuromuscular function of the knee with KOA maintained
itself for 3 months. (1) The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR is pretty confident
a KOA sufferer won’t care which knee is exercised as long as there is relief! A planned YOGA (YOGa and
strengthening exercise for knee osteoArthritis) study was recently described
to see how yoga’s mind-body exercise format - recognized as enhancing flexibility, muscle
strength, balance and fitness - might decrease the symptoms of knee
osteoarthritis and even improve other outcomes like pain,
function, quality of life, gait speed, cost effectiveness, and others. (5) Another
study looked into how blood flow restriction with low
and high load resistance exercise of the KOA-affected knee changed
various blood tests in female patients with unilateral KOA
and discovered that markers for skeletal muscle tissues were higher.
(6) All these studies on various approaches
to manage knee osteoarthritis may hopefully find a
way to ease/prevent/better manage this common condition.
CONTACT The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Luigi Albano on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr.
Michael Johnson as he illustrates beneficial
chiropractic knee treatment via The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain
Management for patients with KOA.
Schedule your Colorado Springs chiropractic
appointment soon. Are you ready for some knee pain relief? Come see us!