Millions of individuals walk around daily with “Knee OA”. But what exactly is knee OA and is this a problem? In layman’s terms knee OA is just aging of the knee joint. It is explained to people as something bad. People believe it is something that is going to hinder them and cause pain, BUT it does not have to. If you have enough birthdays, you will “have” age changes in your joints to some degree.

The thing people should know is “changes” reported on an x-ray DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT correlate with pain (regardless of what a doctor says). There are individuals with very little changes complaining about horrible pain, and those with gnarly knees reporting no pain.

Beliefs about x-rays and what doctors tell people are more harmful and often cause more pain than anything else. The psychology of pain is real and complex and that is where I will leave this discussion for now.

So how is exercise helpful for Knee OA?

Exercise has been shown to have what is called an analgesic effect (pain relief) for the person exercising. This means even if a person has some pain or discomfort, this may lessen with activity.

A major issue with Knee OA like with other forms of arthritis is people become less active. As a person becomes less active, they become stiffer, lose flexibility, and get weaker. All this adds up to impaired mobility and the ability to be active gets more difficult. These effects can spiral out of control truly impacting a person’s ability to live an enjoyable life. The question becomes how to get out of the spiral?

The answer…you guessed it…is exercise. But many people are unsure of what exercise is right for them or safe….Because when they try to be active it just hurts. Well, this is the place for a physical therapist. Physical therapists are muscle and joint experts who can evaluate the person’s problems and develop a safe plan for the person suffering with Knee OA.

But won’t exercise hurt or harm the issue? There may be some discomfort as a person gets used to a new exercise program, but that happens with any new exercise program. Working to improve flexibility, strength, and mobility will ultimately have nothing but positive effects for the individual.

If you or someone you know is dealing or suffering with knee OA that is impacting enjoyment of life, now is the perfect time to do something about it. Not sure where to start? Try starting HERE to learn some easy things to do at home. Have more questions? Then click HERE to get a personal call back to discuss the changes you want to make.