Exercise/home remedies

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by Guest Posts on Tue Jan 18, 2022 5:00 pm

Exercise/home remedies

Hi, I have recently been told that I have osteoarthritis in both of my knees (I've been in pain for a while so it's quite a relief to have a diagnosis now if I'm honest). I know that I am slightly overweight, and I am determined to lose a few pounds (especially after christmas!) as I think this will help alleviate some of the pain. However, I'm not really sure where to start in terms of finding exercises that won't be too much of a strain on my knees - could I have recommendations/guidance please? Also, is there anything I can do while at home i.e. remedies to try or exercises I can do while watching tv that might help at all? Thank you (Carol)
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Institute of Osteopathy
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by Institute of Osteopathy on Wed Jan 19, 2022 11:00 am

Re: Exercise/home remedies

Hi Carol,

It’s great to hear the fact that received a diagnosis recently has been helpful. Now that you have this, the first thing to emphasis is that there are lots of things that you can do to manage the symptoms of knee arthritis yourself. The NICE guidelines for the care and management of osteoarthritis updated in 2020 recommends manipulation and stretching for osteoarthritis which is exactly the sort of approach that you might expect when consulting an osteopath. The guidelines also emphasise the importance of exercises and physical activity to those living with arthritis.

'ESCAPE-pain' is an innovative and evidence based exercise programme designed by Keele University that has been proven to reduce the pain of osteoarthritis of the knee, improve your ability to do daily activities and help to manage some of the psychological impact of arthritis. If you want to find out more you can visit: http://www.escape-pain.org/ or download the free App from the App store.

There is also a lot of helpful advice about how you can manage the condition yourself or with the help of your osteopath at: http://www.iosteopathy.org/osteopathy-f ... arthritis/

Hope this helps.

Matthew Rogers
Head of Professional Development

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Tracy Corbett
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by Tracy Corbett on Thu Jan 20, 2022 3:07 pm

Re: Exercise/home remedies

Dear Carol

Osteoarthritis is very common in knee joints and can cause a great deal of discomfort. Well done on your commitment to exercise and to losing a few pounds, which could potentially also help with your knee pain.

Here are some lovely websites with gentle exercise programmes for knee pain:
https://escape-pain.org/ESCAPE-pain-Online
https://www.csp.org.uk/conditions/knee-pain/video-exercises-knee-pain
https://www.versusarthritis.org/media/21787/kneepain-exercise-sheet.pdf

It would be worthwhile asking your GP if there are any NHS exercise groups/classes for knee pain in your area. If there aren't any, you could ask your GP to refer you to your local NHS physiotherapist who can assess your knees and prescribe specific exercises to strengthen the muscles around your hips and knees, and to help you stay as strong and fit as possible. The reason I mention strengthening your hips is that hip and pelvic stability can help with knee pain. A knee pain exercise group might be very helpful for you in maintaining your commitment to your exercise programme.

There are lots of other pain-relieving modalities that your physio can help with, e.g. the use of heat, gentle compression eg tubigrip, the use of electrotherapy (interferential, ultrasound, TENS), manual therapy and joint mobilisations.
Tracy Corbett
Chartered Physiotherapist

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... orbett.php

David Vaux
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by David Vaux on Fri Jan 21, 2022 11:12 am

Re: Exercise/home remedies

Hi Carol,

Following on from the great ideas from Matt and Tracy, I would start by applauding you for asking such a great question.

You are right to think that loosing a little weight will benefit not only your general health but also your daily experience of pain. When we loose weight we directly reduce the load on our weight bearing joints such as the hips and knees. Loosing just 1 pound of body fat equates to decreasing the load on our joints by 4 pounds, so its well worth trying to combine diet with exercise.

In relation to what exercise there are plenty of nice examples from our panel. I would add that water based exercise, either a class or just being in the water and walking can often act as a great starting point for those with any joint issue.

Perhaps look to see what your local pool offers. At Arthritis Action we have a regional directory and links local opportunities to exercise including to a pool based organization called Goodboost, who offer a great water based program. Its well worth taking a look!

Good luck and remember that by strengthening the muscles around a joint you will feel less pain in the long run as a consequence.

Here is a link to a short talk about exercise and arthritis and to the regional activity directory;

https://www.arthritisaction.org.uk/livi ... arthritis/

https://www.arthritisaction.org.uk/livi ... directory/

Best wishes
David

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