Knee osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that affects joint surface created by the femur and tibia (AKA your knee). As knee OA progresses the articular cartilage within the knee begins to wear down, and then form osteophytes (a 10-dollar word for bone spurs) within the knee joint. Many people believe that a diagnosis of knee arthritis will automatically lead to surgery and ultimately a knee replacement. There are many things that we can do as physical therapists to delay surgery or in some cases avoid it completely!

Primarily physical therapy treatment will focus on reducing pain and maintaining functional mobility of the knee.  (a fancy way of saying maintaining the knees’ ability to move.) We at Advanced Physical Therapy can use a variety of treatments to help improve your pain and abilities to do what you want in your life! These treatments range from Dry needling https://advancedptme.com/dry-needling/ , soft tissue work and most importantly ….exercise!

Exercise is key to improving the symptoms of arthritis. Strengthening  the muscles around the knee creates  additional support like an internal brace.

Here are some beginning exercises to get started with.

1.Straight leg raise: keep your knee straight and raise your leg up while laying on your back. This will help strengthen the quads and hip flexors. Repeat 10-15 x.

2.Bridges: Will help strengthen the hips and hamstrings.  Lay on your back and push through your heels to raise your buttock  off the floor. repeat 10-15x.

3. Step ups: Find a sturdy step. Step up with your affected foot pressing through your heel. Step down from the step and return to start position. Repeat 10-15 times.

These exercises are a good place to start and will help you delay or avoid a knee replacement. Start with one set of each exercise and work your way up to 2-3 sets for  3x a week.

For even more help, book an appointment at Advanced physical therapy for evaluation and treatment! We look forward to hearing from you!