What are the benefits of physical therapy?
increases the range of motion of the knee joint, physical therapy is a non-invasive therapy that can increase the strength and flexibility of the connective tissue of (tenchi, muscle, fascia and joint capsule) around the joint and muscles, and can also help patients improve their tolerance during activity.
finds the root cause of the pain, physiotherapy is also a process of examination. Some patients with knee pain have the real problem in the hips. hip muscles are weak, which increases the load on the medial compartment of the knee joint, thereby causing pain. Experienced doctors will find problems during physical therapy. Help patients strengthen hip muscle exercise, improve lower limb strength lines, and reduce knee joint pressure.
reduces drug use, drugs for treating osteoarthritis may bring side effects, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs increase the risk of digestive ulcers, and some physiotherapy methods can replace the effects of some drugs, such as low-frequency pulsed magnetic therapy, interference electricity and ultrasound, infrared polarized light, medium-frequency direct current , radio shock wave and other , as well as traditional acupuncture and moxibustion treatments, will help relieve knee pain, stiffness, swelling, and spasm .
In one study , the researchers found no significant difference between patients undergoing meniscus tears and arthritis surgery and those undergoing physical therapy. The advantages of physical therapy are cost and recovery time, and people undergoing surgery must undergo a postoperative recovery process from weeks to months, and the surgery is invasive. What are the defects in physical therapy
?
. Patients have a big difference in their feelings. physical therapy has obvious effect on some patients, but has little effect on others. They feel that it has not improved. They have too many times and are too painful. They have not been able to do it after a while. The pain has been repeated over and over again. Some people also feel that functional training has further aggravated the condition.
The treatment range is limited, If X-rays have shown bone to bone, osteoarthritis has entered an advanced stage, and with the following symptoms, physical therapy may be difficult to work:
- Severe knee pain limits daily activities such as walking, shopping, and doing housework.
- moderate to severe pain both during the day and at night.
- persistent inflammation and swelling in the knees, and they did not improve after resting.
- NSAIDs are ineffective.
- Knee looks deformed.
and the surgical effect comparison, is now very mature, whether it is arthroscopic minimally invasive surgery or artificial knee arthroplasty. Most patients with knee arthroplasty can go to the ground the second or third day after the operation, and the lesions of bones are completely replaced by prosthesis, which fundamentally solves the problem. The development of osteoarthritis is irreversible. Some patients believe that surgery will be done sooner or later, and physical treatment cannot alleviate the development of osteoarthritis.
summary
According to statistics, 10% to 15% of patients with osteoarthritis receive physical therapy for a long time, and the treatment effect varies greatly. It has a more obvious effect on moderate and mild arthritis, but If the knee arthritis is severe, the effect of relying solely on physical therapy is relatively limited. Patients should also cooperate with drug treatment, and at the same time, strengthen the exercise of knee joint to have better efficacy. Patients with more serious conditions need minimally invasive surgery, while patients with advanced osteoarthritis should consider artificial joint replacement.
Medical science popularization, for reference only.
Reference:
"Quantitative Study on the Application Disorders and Promoting Factors of Physical Treatment of Osteoarthritis in Knee", PMC, 2020.
"Bone to Bone: What is OA? 》MobilityFit, 2019
