Knee pain from arthritis shouldn’t keep you from doing more. Let’s help relieve your knee pain together!
The two most common forms of arthritis in the knee are rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Whether it’s a friend or family member, we’ve heard about both and they can significantly affect quality of life.
Why is osteoarthritis one of the most common types of arthritis in the knees?
Simply put, think of osteoarthritis (OA for short) as the wear and tear form of arthritis.
Typically, throughout our lives as we are working hard and putting more time in on our feet, our joints experience this wear and tear (some faster than others). This can be through repetitive workplace tasks, leisure activities, or even everyday life. The cartilage which acts as a cushion to protect the bones in a joint wears away over time. When our knees take more pressure, this cartilage can even wear away unevenly and lead to “bone-on-bone” contact within the knee joint leading to pain.
Rheumatoid arthritis?
While rheumatoid arthritis isn’t quite as common as OA, it can be another culprit when it comes to arthritic knee pain. Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that can affect multiple joints throughout the body and is a little different from osteoarthritis as it is an autoimmune disease. Your knees are lined with a synovial membrane that holds fluid to protect and nourish the cartilage of the knee. When you have rheumatoid arthritis, the body’s immune cells attack this membrane, leading to increased pressure through the cartilage, replicating symptoms very similar to osteoarthritis!
Symptoms of arthritis in the knee?
- Joint tenderness and swelling
- Difficulty with weight bearing or activities that require a lot of time on feet
- A knee that tends to give out or buckle
- Weather-induced pain changes
What can I do to help with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis pain?
Good news! There are many different solutions out there!
Assessment: The best first step is to contact your nearest BioPed Pedorthist as they will be able to provide you with a fully comprehensive assessment and gait analysis. With this information, we’ll be able to decide on the best treatment plan and give you information that will help you fight long-term arthritis.
Orthotics
External support for the foot can be another effective solution to help with your knee discomfort. These devices can be used inside your shoe to help realign the lower limb and make your feet more efficient at managing the pressure you put through them. If abnormal pressures in the knee are being caused by something abnormal happening at the foot, this option is very important! By reducing the pressure through the knees, we can help to reduce cartilage breakdown over time and ease pain. One major benefit of orthotics is that they can be fitted into any shoe. Unlike bracing, no one will even know you’re wearing them!
Footwear
Let’s not forget footwear! Think of footwear as your foundation. Seeking out proper fitting footwear that is suited for your lifestyle is key to reducing the pressure you put through your feet and knees. But not just footwear for outside, think inside too. Supporting your feet throughout the day even when inside, is a smart plan to keep those knees pain free.
Bracing
External support for the knee can be a helpful approach when trying to get your osteoarthritis pain under control. Usually, with osteoarthritis of the knee, we see the medial joint compartment affected. Knee bracing for OA has the main goal to relieve the affected compartment by unloading the joint. When it comes to mitigating knee pain from OA, unloading the joint can be a very helpful tool. This is almost always the best solution as we can most directly affect the injured compartment with bracing. There are many different braces out there for arthritic knee pain whether it be pre-made and sized over the counter types, or for the best fit – custom!
