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Severe knee arthritis can be debilitating. As the condition deteriorates you will find that most
activities, sometimes even walking, may become progressively more difficult and painful.

Should you curtail your activities if you have severe knee arthritis?

If you are suffering from severe knee arthritis your first instinct will be to cut back on the
activities that seem to aggravate the pain in the knee. In fact your doctor will advise you to take
the elevator instead of the stairs and to avoid going on long, brisk walks or carrying heavy loads.

On the flip side, however, you cannot really afford to become totally inactive as this could cause
other problems. Treating this condition effectively requires you to remaining as active as
possible, so that you do not gain weight or worsen your overall health condition.

A recent study that was reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine, indicated that people with
hip arthritis who force themselves to remain active do better in the long run than those who
chose to become inactive. Being inactive also leads to other complications including obesity as
well as loss of muscle and bone strength.

How Severe Knee Arthritis can be Treated

The treatment regimen should will first involve the most basic steps and then progress to the
more involved procedures should the need arise. In severe cases, surgery may be considered.
Treatment regimen is on a person-to-person basis as not all treatments are appropriate for every
patient. You should have a discussion with your doctor to determine which treatments are
appropriate to your problem.

Your treatment options include:

1.) Weight Loss: This aspect of the treatment regimen can be considered as one of the most
important as excess weight puts additional strain on the knees, which will just worsen the
condition.

2.) Modification of Daily Activity : While you may want to set some limits on some of your
activities, you should explore new exercise methods with the clearance of the doctor. Patients
may also try aquatic exercises as it is an excellent option for patients who have difficulty
exercising.
(.) Use of Walking Aids: Using a cane or a single crutch can help decrease the load pressure
placed on the arthritic joint.

4.) Physical Therapy: Physical activity to strengthen the muscles around the knee joint can
prevent atrophy of the muscles and will maintain functional use of the knee while reducing the
burden being put on it.

5. ) Use of Anti-Inflammatory Medications: NSAIDs and other ant-inflammatory drugs are

prescribed by the doctor to manage the pain and inflammation components of the severe knee
arthritis.
Use of Cortisone Injections: Your doctor may opt for cortisone injections to reduce inflammation
and relieve the intense pain within the joint.

6.) Use of Knee Braces: Using supportive devices such as knee braces have been found to be a
very effective element of the treatment. There are two types of knee braces for patients with
severe knee arthritis. The unloader knee brace shifts load away from the affected region of the
knee. On the other hand, the support knee brace helps "support" the entire knee load. A well
designed knee support is referred to by many people as a "pain pill" due to the pain reduction
that it can help provide. With improved alignment and the meaningful support that these braces
provide, you should not look past their benefits. Many times these "unloader" knee braces are
also referred to as OA (osteoarthritis) knee braces.

If you believe that you can benefit from pain reduction and improved knee stability then you
should consider a knee support today.

If you would like free information just like this visit us online at http://www.drbraceco.com Dr.
Brace Co. is an education based site that can provide helpful information and meaningful support
for your knee.