Arthritis of the Knee Joint

1. Should you limit your activities? - If you have knee arthritis, the more you walk the more the knee will hurt. In time, running, tennis, golf and eventually even walking may become impossible. You can minimize the pain by simply cutting back on activities which seem to aggravate the knee. Whenever possible, use an elevator (or an escalator) instead of stairs, and avoid long walks that leave you in pain. However, “saving the joint” by becoming totally sedentary will not slow down the arthritis. Therefore it is recommended that you remain as active as your pain will comfortably allow. A reported study in the Annals of Internal Medicine, in 1992 suggests that people with hip arthritis who force themselves to remain active may do better in the long run than those who “baby” themselves. Also, being totally sedentary leads to a loss of muscle and bone strength. If you feel that you really need it, ask Dr. Huddleston’s staff to arrange for a handicapped parking sign for your car, but you are better off parking further away and forcing yourself to walk!

2. A cane has been known since pre-biblical times to be an effective pain-reliever for knee arthritis. Unfortunately most people today are too vain to use one! Two important facts about canes: 1). Hold the cane in the opposite hand (yes, the opposite hand) from the side with the knee problem and: 2). The cane should be the correct height. Any medical supply company that sells you a cane will adjust it to the correct length. The physical therapy department at the Southern California Orthopedic Institute can also adjust the length for you if needed.

3. Weight loss will probably decrease your pain if you are greatly overweight. But weight reduction alone is unlikely to completely relieve the pain. Obesity also makes the knee operation more difficult, and complications occur more frequently in overweight people. Dr. Huddleston realizes that it can be very difficult to lose weight when you are not very active because of your knee pain. Do the best you can!

4. Gold injections and methotrexate may be useful in rheumatoid arthritis. The treatment is complex and usually only given under the supervision of a rheumatologist.

5. Cortisone injection. The symptoms of mild and moderate degrees of arthritis frequently improve with the injection of cortisone into the joint. This is not recommended more than once every two to three months or so if it works. The amount needed is very small and side effects are rare or minor. The more advanced the arthritic damage the less likely is Cortisone to be beneficial.

6. Knee braces generally have not been found to be very helpful for knee arthritis, but recently special braces and wedged shoes have been shown to be helpful in some cases. An ace bandage may help to control swelling of the joint and gives some psychological benefit as well.

7. Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Agents