Osteoarthritis of the knee
Take a new path – put a stop to osteoarthritis of the knee
Arthrosis is a widespread disease, with estimates indicating that more than 12 million people in Germany are affected by this joint disease. This group includes young and athletic people, too.
Arthrosis most often develops in the knee. The diagnosis can make those affected feel uncertain. Many fear that they will always have knee pain from now on and that they will need to take analgesics (pain medication) to be able to move. They wonder how long they will still be able to pursue their hobbies or climb the stairs, and at what point they may no longer be able to do anything without a prosthetic knee joint. Isn’t there any other way out of pain besides medication, no way to avoid or delay an operation?
Yes, there is! Put a stop to arthrosis. These days, there are good options for living an active life with arthrosis. In many cases, an orthosis can help reduce the pain – and help you regain your quality of life. Thanks to the appropriate orthosis, surgery can often be avoided. This website will tell you what you need to know about osteoarthritis of the knee. You will also find tips and information that will help you live your life with this disease on your own terms.
Devices for osteoarthritis of the knee
If you have arthrosis, an Ottobock orthosis can help alleviate pain and reduce the strain on your knee joints.
Symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee
Osteoarthritis of the knee (or “knee OA” for short) is a degenerative condition of the knee joint. It is incurable and leads to progressive changes in the knee. In the initial stage of arthrosis, you don’t experience any pain or restrictions in movement, or only at times. With advanced osteoarthritis of the knee, pain and discomfort can increase. Most people develop arthrosis over their lives due to wearing of the joints. Risk factors such as obesity, joint malposition, lack of exercise, overloading and incorrect loading of the joints in some types of sports or injuries accelerate joint wear and tear and can also create the conditions for arthrosis to develop in young people.
Arthrosis changes the joint
Because it’s a degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis of the knee typically starts with signs of degeneration and/or minimal damage in the joint cartilage. As time passes, the cartilage surface becomes rough and uneven. The joint no longer moves smoothly. It snags and grinds. Increasing friction leads to painful inflammation in the knee, and fluid is effused into the joint capsule. In this condition, also referred to as activated arthrosis, there is constant pain. In the advanced stage of arthrosis, cartilage damage increases and all the tissue involved in the joint is affected. The bones form spurs (osteophytes) to stabilise the joint but cause ankylosis, or stiffening, in the process. Knee pain occurs at increasingly shorter intervals and becomes more severe over time.
Progresija bolesti: stadiji artroze
The vicious circle of arthrosis
Patients with osteoarthritis of the knee frequently get caught in a vicious circle:
In order to relieve the pain in their knee, the affected person exercises less and often adopts a certain posture to avoid discomfort. However, restricting their movement only provides short-term relief from pain. In the long run, a lack of exercise accelerates cartilage wear and increases pain in the knee. The affected person rests their knee even more often instead of exercising it, and the vicious circle closes.
Furthermore, the unnatural posture they take to avoid discomfort also puts excessive strain on other joints such as the hips, which can cause permanent damage.
Initial symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee
The sooner osteoarthritis of the knee is diagnosed and actively addressed, the better the chances of getting knee pain under control, maintaining joint mobility for a long time to come and slowing down the progressive changes in the knee joint.
If you experience the following symptoms in your knee on a recurring basis, you should have it examined by an orthopaedist:
Knee pain after rest (start-up pain)
Knee pain after unusual exertion
Knee pain during certain movements
Knee stiffness
Grinding and cracking in the knee joint
Swelling and inflammation in the knee
عدد 4 من النتائج من إجمالي 4
Diagnosis and therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee
If you have knee pain or limited knee function, you should have it examined by an orthopaedist.
Diagnosing osteoarthritis of the knee
Therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee
Orthoses can relieve knee pain
Knee or lower-leg-foot-braces, such as the Agilium Freestep, specifically relieve the painful areas in the knee joint and can provide sustainable relief from knee pain. This has been confirmed by studies. In many cases, orthoses can help those affected by osteoarthritis of the knee to stop using analgesics or decrease the dose of medication. Side effects from the medication are effectively avoided or reduced. Knee or lower-leg-foot-orthoses enable patients with osteoarthritis of the knee to move around and engage in sports with almost no pain. In this way, they’re able to break the vicious circle of pain, lack of exercise and progressive deterioration of the arthrosis.
Most of my patients are very satisfied with the new orthosis. More than half of them have been able to avoid surgery so far.
Taking a new path with orthoses from Ottobock
Find out about the experiences that patients with osteoarthritis of the knee have had and how they are taking new paths with orthoses from Ottobock.
Orthoses from Ottobock: solutions for different knee problems
Osteoarthritis Agilium Line patient magazine
عدد 4 من النتائج من إجمالي 4
Active against arthrosis
Nutrition
Exercise in everyday life
Christian Krone
Types of sports
عدد 4 من النتائج من إجمالي 4
Agilium Move: special training for osteoarthritis of the knee
Frequently asked questions about osteoarthritis of the knee
Back to everyday activities: three steps to an Ottobock orthosis
- Here you’ll find an overview of all the orthoses and supports that could potentially help you. Take the list with you to your next doctor’s appointment.
- Talk to your doctor about which orthosis is best suited to your symptoms and condition. Your doctor can then write you a prescription for the appropriate orthosis.
- Take your prescription to a medical supply company. They’ll give you your new orthosis and adjust it to fit your exact body measurements.
Active again thanks to the Agilium: four people talk about their lives
Effectiveness proven by studies
