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Vancouver Chiropractic Exercise Ideas for Knee Osteoarthritis Management

Many people have knee osteoarthritis in one knee or both. That does not make it any easier on its sufferers though. Vancouver Disc Centers has some novel exercise tips and treatments our Vancouver knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients will want to try for themselves.

KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS (KOA): What It Is and How Common It Is

Knee osteoarthritis is aging-related and everywhere! 86 million people around the world over 20 years old were diagnosed with it in 2020. Typically, knee osteoarthritis sufferers feel a loss of knee extensor strength, a greater severity of knee pain, and a drop in functional performance. (1) Knee osteoarthritis is the degeneration of cartilage, part of the natural aging process whether we like it or not. Physical activity has demonstrated a positive effect on cartilage structure despite not yet knowing which exercise is best. (2) Vancouver Disc Centers sees new treatment ideas being published all the time.

KOA TREATMENT:  Your Vancouver chiropractor has it.

A chiropractic treatment approach has demonstrated potential. A trial of Cox® flexion distraction decompression principled treatment for knee osteoarthritis – namely distraction of the knee – resulted in relief of patient-perceived pain from 7.7 (out of 10) to 1.8 in a mean of 5.3 visits in 3 weeks for 25 patients. (3) Vancouver Disc Centers can partner this treatment (and even some cartilage-supportive nutrition!) with your home-exercise for relief.

KOA TREATMENT: YOU, our Vancouver knee pain patient

Even though the benefits of exercise abound for KOA is well established, KOA sufferers do not very well stick to the exercise practice. One study set up an easy-to-follow video set and automated recording calendar of when they did each video that showed an 82.4% participation rate. Not bad! The patients also shared their noticed satisfaction, pain reduction, and better physical function. (4) One month-long intervention of unilateral, non-KOA knee extensor strength training resulted in significant improvement in the knee extensor strength of the knee with KOA! This is called “cross education phenomenon.” The improved extensor strength and neuromuscular function of the knee with KOA maintained itself for 3 months. (1) Vancouver Disc Centers knows a KOA sufferer won’t care which knee is exercised as long as relief is forthcoming! A planned YOGA (YOGa and strengthening exercise for knee osteoArthritis) study was recently described to see how yoga’s mind-body exercise format - recognized as enhancing flexibility, muscle strength, balance and fitness - might decrease the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis and even improve other outcomes like pain, function, quality of life, gait speed, cost effectiveness, and others. (5) Another study looked into how blood flow restriction with low and high load resistance exercise of the KOA-affected knee modified various blood tests in female patients with unilateral KOA and found that markers for skeletal muscle tissues were increased. (6) All these studies on a multitude of approaches to manage knee osteoarthritis may hopefully unearth a way to ease/prevent/better manage this common ailment.

CONTACT Vancouver Disc Centers

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Luigi Albano on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes relieving chiropractic knee treatment via The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for patients with KOA.

Schedule your Vancouver chiropractic appointment soon. Do you experience knee osteoarthritis? Come in for a visit!

Vancouver Disc Centers shares recent studies regarding the exercise suggestions for knee osteoarthritis relief, even exercising the healthy knee for relief in the painful knee!
 
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"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by Dr. James M. Cox I."