Knee joint is the most movable and load bearing joint of our body. Knee flexion increases knee load when you ascend or descend stairs, sit down and stand up, walk, run etc. and constant load causes damages on the joint. Age related joint viscosity reduction, decrease of cartilage generation and bone disorders also cause pains and movement restrictions on the knee joints.
For this reason, you must necessarily see a physiotherapy and rehabilitation doctor if one or more of the following symptoms are observed:
The load on knee joint increases in women due to post-menopause weaknesses in hip bonds and cartilage tissue softening and more load falls on the inner part of knees because of angle change on knees. This, in turn, results in corrosion on joint surfaces, joint cartilage softening and bone deformations.
Providing training to the patient is highly important for treatment. The awareness of individuals must be raised in terms of the disease.
Damaged joint must be avoided of overuse. The complaints related to osteoarthritis on load bearing knees can be minimized after loss of weight. Resting is recommended during painful periods.
Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs used in knee osteoarthritis are only painkillers and they do not treat osteoarthritis. They must only be used to suppress inflammation in acute stage where temperature increase and swelling are observed on the knee.
Exercises must be prescribed individually in knee joint osteoarthritis; excessive activity may increase pain. Therefore, exercises must be precisely arranged.
Upon the acceleration of technological developments, physiotherapies which were previously applied for tissue heating have been replaced with physiotherapies intended for tissue recovery. Tissue damages can be treated at an early phase thanks to efficient physiotherapy devices used both for bones and soft tissues on knee joint. Physiotherapy devices are also used for the purpose of strengthening iliac and femoral muscles to minimize load on knee joint and maximize resistance.
Self recovery mechanisms of the body have also gained important in recent years upon the conclusion that the effect of natural treatment methods is superior to chemical drugs. As a result of scientific studies, it has been suggested that PRP method allows tissue recovery in musculoskeletal system diseases.
PRP is the abbreviation of “Platelet Rich Plasma”. The drug is prepared with the patient’s own blood in this method. In other words, it is a natural treatment method. PRP treatment is not a painkiller therapy; it aims at treating the disease.