Osteoarthritis, Should you be in Pain?

Have you heard about osteoarthritis or have you been recently diagnosed with it? Well today it’s time to spread the light and debunk some myths about it.  
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Osteoarthritis is a condition which is characterised by the breakdown of the cartilage that overlies the ends of bones in joints.

​The interesting thing with osteoarthritis is not everyone that has it actually has pain or reduced function!  
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​Now here is some even better news 

• Around 2.2 million (9.3%) Australians have this condition. 
• But approximately 4 out of every 10 people without knee pain actually had osteoarthritis or cartilage defects in their knees.  

 
This suggests that just because you are diagnosed with Osteoarthritis does not mean that you are destined to feel pain. The chances are actually probably higher that you go your whole life without feeling any pain!  
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Now what exactly causes your pain then?  
Well, a lot of research suggests it has a lot to do with the way your walk/ sit/ move which can affect the amount of load that is put on your joints.  

• Research has found that restricted hip movement causes an increase in knee pain.  
• ​Another research article showed that losing up to 10% of weight reduced pain by up to 50%! ​

Now this is all great news!!  
If you are diagnosed with osteoarthritis, come down and see us at Physiolabs. We will set you up with a good exercise program for strength and movement, and if all things go to plan you should return to full function without pain in no time! ​

References

• https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-musculoskeletal-conditions/osteoarthritis/contents/what-is-osteoarthritis 
  
• https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/53/20/1268 
  

• https://www.everydayhealth.com/osteoarthritis/treating-knee-osteoarthritis-whats-missing-from-modern-care/ 
  
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4238740/ ​