6 Great Therapies for Early Knee Osteoarthritis Management

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative form of arthritis that’s fueled by wear-and-tear, so it makes sense that the knees are the most commonly affected joints. After all, you rely on your knees, day in and day out, to get through the world.

So, of the 33 million adults in the United States who have been diagnosed with OA, the knees account for a large portion of the overall burden.

The main challenge when it comes to knee pain due to OA is that the disease is incurable, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some great therapies to keep you on your feet and moving without pain, especially if you address the issue early on.

Since May is Arthritis Awareness Month in the US,  the team of orthopedic experts at SOAR Spine and Orthopedics wants to review some great therapies that work well in the earlier stages of knee OA. Let’s take a look.

Knee osteoarthritis at a glance

Before we dive into early management strategies for knee OA, let’s first take a look at what we’re up against with this common joint issue.

The major joints in your body are where bones come together — for example, your knees are where your thighbone (femur), shinbone (tibia), and kneecap (patella) join together.  To keep the bones in your knee joint working together, a slippery connective tissue called cartilage covers the ends of the bones, providing friction-free gliding and cushioning inside the joint.

With OA, this cartilage breaks down, creating loose bodies inside the joint, and the bones can start to rub together unprotected, leading to joint pain and inflammation.

Unfortunately, your cartilage doesn’t have a great blood supply, so it doesn't repair or regenerate itself readily. And once the damage starts, it can progress, which makes management key to slowing the damage to your joint.

Managing your knee OA can make a big difference

If we intervene during the early stages of knee OA, there's a lot that we can do to keep your knees functioning well and without pain. We’ve had great success with the following therapies and management practices, which we often recommend in combination, depending upon your circumstances.

1. Keep your knees strong

The bones and cartilage in your knees shouldn't work alone, especially given the potentially strong muscle groups that support your knees. One of the best ways to relieve pressure on the knees is to strengthen the surrounding muscles, especially your quads, hamstrings, and calf muscles.

2. Interventional injections

To help keep you moving on knees that aren’t inflamed and achy, we often recommend corticosteroid injections that tackle both the pain and the inflammation that come with knee OA.

We also offer viscosupplementation injections, in which we deliver hyaluronic acid into your joints to help with lubrication.

3. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections

We mentioned that one of the challenges with knee OA is that cartilage doesn't regenerate well. Through PRP therapy, we can increase healing and regenerative resources to your knees using your body’s own platelets.

4. Knee bracing

If you love being active, we often recommend providing your joints with some extra, external support in the form of a knee brace.

5. Acupuncture

This ancient practice has a place in modern medicine as an adjunct treatment, which encourages a better flow of resources to your knees by unblocking acupoints in your body. Acupuncture can also help relieve pain and control inflammation.

6. Weight loss

If you have obesity — and more than 40% of adults in the US fit this bill — you place more pressure on your knees, which can lead to premature degeneration in the joints. So, if you’re already struggling with achy knees due to OA, weight loss is a great way to slow the progression of the disease.

There are other therapies we can share with you, but it's challenging to say here what might work best for your knee OA and your lifestyle. 

For an improved knee OA management plan personalized to your needs, please contact us today at one of our offices in Santa Clara or Redwood City, California, to schedule a consultation.