Life With Arthritis

A common and manageable finding

Arthritis is an incredibly common finding on x-ray as we get older. Close to 100% of people over 60 will have some type of degenerative change on medical imaging. Arthritis is a part of the normal aging process. What is not normal is the pain that people may be experiencing as well. As previously stated nearly every aging person will have arthritis, but not all elderly people will have pain associated with arthritis. Often people will state that they have knee pain from arthritis, but that pain may be unrelated. With exercise and a thorough exam we may be able to rapidly change the pain that you are experiencing.

A recent study by Rosedale, et al. looked at 180 patients with knee osteoarthritis who were candidates for total knee replacements. 120 of those patients were put on a specific exercise program for 2 weeks; a control group of 60 patients did not do anything. In the exercise group there were large improvements in pain and function compared to the control group. So if your doctor tells you that you have arthritis and you may need to get a knee replacement DO NOT PANIC. We can take a look at your knee and work to avoid surgery while also improving other aspects of your health.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24450370