Osteoarthritis - Treating a Degenerative Knee Problem - The Condition That Will Try to Slow You Down

Do you ever have pain from Osteoarthritis (OA) or another degenerative knee issue?

Osteoarthritis (OA) and other knee problems that are degenerative in nature are not typically an emergent condition. Degenerative issues can still be very difficult knee problems to deal with, that can cause devastating discomfort and gets increasingly worsen as time goes on. Unfortunately, in a severe case, the knee joint can become increasingly deformed as misalignment issues perpetuate and this can hurt someone's ability to move.

1.) Signs & Symptoms of Degenerative Knee Problems

A.) Discomfort in the knee joint while moving about about or standing in a fixed position B.) A Stiff Knee C.) An increase in fluid at the knee joint

These signs typically bring an individual who is having trouble due to Osteoarthritis (OA) to the physician as the throbbing gets worse and your ability to move becomes more and more difficult.

2.) How Will Your Doctor Diagnose A Degenerative Knee Joint Condition

Your medical doctor will validate if you have OA (Osteoarthritis) after reviewing X-Rays of your knees. A physician will typically avoid making a clinical diagnosis of OA (Osteoarthritis) just from understanding your symptoms, because OA can be like other conditions as well. Once the diagnosis of Osteoarthritis has been realized, then you both can discuss various treatment methods for Osteoarthritis.

3.) Some Helpful Treatment Options

Management for this problem can include over the counter pain medications to donning a knee well designed brace when your pain gets out of hand, to going in and having a knee replacement surgery. The management of Osteoarthritis will depend upon the healthiness of the specific individual, how old they are and the development of the disease.

A.) Use of Cortisone

While cortisone injections can really help for decreasing the pain, but the problem is that the relief does not last forever. With these injections, you will most likely expect to get relief from the pain for a few days to a couple weeks. Sometimes it is more than a couple weeks, but not always. These cortisone shots are not inexpensive and will require for you to visit your physician on a routine basis.

B.) Knee Braces For Support and Pain Reduction

Sometimes, if a person has a medial compartment style of Osteoarthritis then can really benefit from the use of an unloader style knee brace. These low profile, light weight braces can help to bring the leg into improved alignment and can help to reduce pain while improving your stability at the same time.

If a person suffers from arthritis or another degenerative knee ailment in general, then a brace can also help this person as well. It is good to talk to your knee brace provider about your different options.

5.) Self Diagnosis

We do recommend that you speak to your physician about medical advice. This information is health oriented, but we can not take the place of your physician.