Hip and knee arthritis
Hip and knee arthritis / osteoarthritis
The most common cause of hip and knee pain is osteoarthritis. It is a denegerative condition caused by wear and tear of the cartilage associated with inflammation, pain, and loss of mobility in the joint. Symptoms include deep aching pain in the front aspect of the hip / groin radiating down the front aspect of the thigh for hip arthritis; and pain inside or outside the knee folowing exercise or impact activity for knee arthritis. Stiffness often presents in the morning nad on moving from prolonged sitting. At times, the knee may swell up and you may hear clicking or cracking noises when bending and straightening the knee.
The pain is usually activity depending and can be exacervated by walking, running, climbing stairs and getting in and out of low chairs. This condition can lead to muscle weakness around the hip and knee, which can further contribute towards the deterioration of the joint cartilages. Weaker buttock / leg muscles also provide less shock absorption capabilities than their strong counterparts, which increases your joint compression forces and pain.
Treatment for hip and knee arthritis / osteoarthritis
Physiotherapy can help to ease the symptoms of osteoarthritis in the hips and knees and prevent the condition from worsening overtime. The aim is to strengthen the surrounding muscle to provide better stability and to prolong the life of the hip and knee joints in order to defer / avoid surgery. The focus will be on reducing pain, building up strength on the muscles acting around the knee, hip and ankle and improving flexibility. Manual physiotherapy techniques may include:
- Joint mobilisations to reduce joint stiffness
- Frictioning tendon to promote healing and improve mobility
- Myofascial and deep tissue release for muscle tightness
- Trigger point release
- Acupuncture and dry needling to reduce pain and muscle tightness
- TENS for pain relief
- Kinesiology taping and strapping for support of joints and muscles
- Muscle energy techniques
- Mobilisations with movement
- Individualised exercise programme incorporating strengthening, stretching and proprioception (PhysioQinetics Youtube Channel)
- Gait and running re-education
- Sport-specific rehabilitation
Some osteoarthritis hip and knee patients may go on and require joint replacement surgery, but pre- and post- surgical physiotherapy will speed up the recovery process significantly and maximise your recovery potential.