5 Surprising Facts About OsteoArthritis Of The Knee Pain

Are you ready for this? Arthritis is the nation’s No. 1 cause of disability! Shocking, we know. Within the arthritis category, there are many types of the ailment, but OsteoArthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis, affecting nearly 27 million Americans. What’s more, almost 1 out of every 2 people symptoms of will develop OsteoArthritis of the knee pain in their lifetime, according to the Center for Disease Control. Chances are you have or know someone that has or will have OA, so take note of these 5 surprising facts about OsteoArthritis of the knee pain.

What is OsteoArthritis of the Knee Pain?

OsteoArthritis of the knee pain is caused by the protective cartilage in your knee wearing down over time allows your knee bones to rub together. The more the cartilage wears out, the more severe the pain, swelling, and loss of range of motion.

Surprising Facts about OsteoArthritis of the Knee Pain

Fact #1: High School Injuries lead to OsteoArthritis of the Knee Pain The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) reports that  Joints that have been previously injured before the onset of OsteoArthritis of the knee are more likely to develop osteoarthritis than joints that haven’t been injured.  It is also important to note that young adults you suffer a knee injury are at six times more risk of developing OA by the age of 65 six times than their non-injured counterparts. Those with hip injuries are three times more likely to develop OA in that joint by age 65. Common injuries that may lead to OA include:

• torn cartilage
• dislocated joints
• ligament injuries
• ACL strains and tears

Fact #2: 10lbs Overweight = 400lbs Extra weight on the Knee

One in 5 Americans has been diagnosed with arthritis, however, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that number jumps to more than 1 in 3 among obese people. Surprisingly, approximately  2 out of 3 Americans are either overweight or obese. No wonder the numbers for OA are so high. Arthritis.org indicates that “Every pound of excess weight exerts about 4 pounds of extra pressure on the knees. So a person who is 10 pounds overweight has 40 pounds of extra pressure on his knees; if a person is 100 pounds overweight, that is 400 pounds of extra pressure on his knees”. The more weight that’s on a joint, the more stressed the joint becomes, and the more likely it will wear down and be damaged, but for those disciplined to drop a few pounds, the results can be huge and the former knee pain minimized or eliminated altogether.

Fact #3: OsteoArthritis of the Knee Pain Impacts Your Paycheck

Men and women between the ages of 18 to 64 with arthritis are less likely to be employed than those of the same age without arthritis, according to Arthritis.org. Often the pain makes standing and moving so uncomfortable that patients cannot function to their full capacity. “People with arthritis or a rheumatic condition lose more workdays every year due to illness or injury than adults with any other medical condition. [Additionally,] people with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis –just two kinds of arthritis – miss a combined of 172 million workdays every year”.

Fact #4: Sleep Makes OsteoArthritis of the Knee Pain Worse

Lack of sleep, that is. Doctors are recognizing a correlation between sleep and OsteoArthritis of the knee pain. “Pain itself changes the way the central nervous system works, causing a person to become hypersensitive to pain. This is called central sensitization. People who have central sensitization can feel more pain with less provocation”  says M. Elaine Husni, MD, MPH, director of the Arthritis & Musculoskeletal Treatment Center at the Cleveland Clinic. The increasing levels of pain make it difficult to sleep, while the inability to sleep makes it hard for the body to recover properly, further exasperating the knee pain – the circle is vicious. Seeking out treatment for OA to help alleviate some of the pain in order to sleep could yield benefits that allow the body to start the healing process.

Fact #5: Gender Plays a Role in OsteoArthritis Too

Studies show that more women than men develop OA in their lifetimes. Until about age 55, both sexes have roughly the same amount of individuals that are affected by arthritis. Past the age of 55, females are up to 3 or 4 times more likely to have OA than men of the same age. In other words, about 60 percent of women 55 or older are likely to have OA . Dr. Alexander Shikhman, MD, Ph.D., founder of the Institute for Specialized Medicine in Del Mar, Calif., and medical director of Restorative Remedies says that “Men are more prone to experience arthritis in their hips, while women tend to have it in the knees or hands. Also, because women’s hips are wider than their knees, their knee joints are not aligned as straight as men’s. The alignment of a woman’s body leads to a higher rate of knee injuries, and injuries can lead to osteoarthritis later in life”. Other experiences such as starting menstruation cycles at age 11 or earlier and/or giving birth at any time throughout a woman’s life seem to be correlating risk factors for osteoarthritis.

OsteoArthritis of the Knee Pain Treatment

Luckily there are several treatments for osteoarthritis of the knee pain. One of the most effective treatments is a series of  hyaluronic acid and/or BioDRestor stem cell injections that relubricate the knee and reduce inflammation. Many of the patients at Arrowhead Health Centers who have undergone this procedure see a reduced need for surgery down the road. If you’d like to avoid knee surgery and return to your active lifestyle, consider the customized osteoarthritis of the knee program today. We’ll work with you to decide if you need injections, how many, which would be best for you, hyaluronic acid and/or BioDRestor stem cell. We want you to get healthy and we know you want it to. Call our office today.