Are you someone suffering from the effects of knee arthritis?

There is new evidence out there searching for ways to overcome barriers and improve patient outcomes.

We know there are barriers on both ends of the spectrum (patient and medical provider). The challenge is developing a plan to meet the patient’s goals and desires. At the same time, we must create a plan meeting known guidelines for treating knee arthritis.

So to help those suffering, lets bring some of these barriers to the forefront.

1. Disagreement with medical provider recommendations- This includes insistence on imaging, fear of increased pain with activity, and lack of recognition of seriousness of health issue. Lets break these down even further. A good exam can easily detect if a person has arthritis. A picture of the knee often is not necessary and WILL NOT change treatment. It only puts one foot in the operating room (>700K knee replacements/yr). Pain with activity? That may happen, but no positive change will happen without activity. Sitting around out of fear will only make things WORSE!!!!!!!!! As for seriousness…best to treat EARLY when impact is very minor. Waiting until truly impacting life leads to less success with treatment. Want to avoid that operating room- must address early and aggressively.
2. Lack of understanding about the disease process- Knee arthritis is a slow progressive issue. It is also a normal part of aging. Yes, some may be pre-disposed to earlier onset or greater severity, but if you live to older than 40 years you will have some arthritis. And just because one may have arthritis does not mean they will have pain. I worked with a 90 y.o. woman with a horribly misshapen knee (visible arthritis) and she reported no knee pain (just foot pains). Arthritis can be preemptively addressed with great success. I could cite >500 articles showing benefit of therapy for knee arthritis, but I doubt that would mean much. Bottom line– if you feel as if you are slowed down by motion, strength, or otherwise, seek help early to avoid decline in function/quality of life.
3. Poor communication with health provider(s)- This runs both ways. Doctors use WORDS THAT HARM. They tell patients they are doomed with arthritis. That nothing can be done (FALSE). They tell patients their imaging is the problem or it is horrible and bad. Worse yet, doctors limit patients to 1 problem per visit at times. This means to discuss all their problems, patients must schedule multiple visits (this does not foster preventative medicine). Patients are often not upfront with their physician or therapist about difficulties they are having. Patients wait until their function diminishes before saying anything. Early treatment can solve many problems but dialogue has to occur early.

Now that we know some of the main barriers to knee arthritis care, it is time for change to begin. Time to have open discussion with your doctor or physical therapist about those small issues. This includes noticing more tightness or stiffness, trouble climbing stairs, feeling less strong or even poor balance. These are all items with the potential to change with the right treatment.

Not sure where you stand relative to knee arthritis?

The time to begin the conversation is NOW…

Several options are available today

1. Click HERE to learn more about knee arthritis pain and ways to treat it
2. Call 717-440-6197 and tell me all about your troubles and we can discuss options for you
3. Learn how a Discovery Session may provide even more answers for you

If you are over 40 years old, now is the time to be proactive. Time to keep yourself healthy and active, enjoying life the way you want. Do not be limited by aches and pains.