Vancouver Chiropractic Exercise Ideas for Knee Osteoarthritis Management
Scores of 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 new 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 oh so common! 86 million people globally over the age of 20 were diagnosed with it in 2020. Typically, knee osteoarthritis sufferers have a loss of knee extensor strength, a greater severity of knee pain, and a decline 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 studied all the time.
KOA TREATMENT: Your Vancouver chiropractor has it.
A chiropractic treatment approach has demonstrated potential. A trial of treatment based on principles of Cox® flexion distraction decompression 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 known, KOA sufferers do not very well stick to the exercise practice. One study set up an easy-to-follow video series and automated recording calendar of when they did each video that demonstrated an 82.4% participation rate. Not bad! The patients also reported satisfaction, pain reduction, and improved physical function. (4) One month-long intervention of single knee, 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 will not care which knee is exercised as long as there is relief! A planned YOGA (YOGa and strengthening exercise for knee osteoArthritis) study was just described to see how yoga’s mind-body exercise format - known to improve flexibility, muscle strength, balance and fitness - might reduce the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis and even enhance other outcomes like pain, function, quality of life, gait speed, cost effectiveness, and others. (5) Another study considered 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 discovered that markers for skeletal muscle tissues were increased. (6) All these studies on a variety of approaches to handle knee osteoarthritis may hopefully unearth a way to ease/prevent/better manage this common condition.
CONTACT Vancouver Disc Centers
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Luigi Albano on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates beneficial chiropractic knee treatment via The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for patients with KOA.
Make your Vancouver chiropractic appointment soon. Are you ready for some knee pain relief? Come see us!
