Arthritis and knees.

Wear and tear = Osteoarthritis??? I was listening to Radio 4's Inside Health featuring Osteoarthritis, which has enhanced my understanding of the condition. Dr Mark Porter GP come journalist presents a seemingly bipartisan radio series covering many and varied health issues. Dr. Porter set the scene with the current medical beliefs that arthritis is also known as wear and tear and unfortunately can often lead to joint replacement surgery! This then is not the case, apparently when people hear “wear and tear” they imagine both ends of the bone rubbing together. Arthritis is not where the ends of bone grind together. It is the natural and normal degeneration of the cartilage that reduces the friction at the end of the bone. According to Inside Health and this where my ears pricked up, rest is definitely not the solution to arthritis. The pain, heat, redness and loss of function that you feel are a healthy inflammatory response by your body summoning immune troopers and a wrecking crew to gobble up damaged cells, allowing new chondrocytes to flourish and build new tissue. Inside Health, and NICE are kicking some old myths into touch. 1.) Arthritis needs rest. 2.) Cease exercise.

Exercise then promotes the imbibition of synovial fluid and the laying down of new tissue. This is especially the case in the knee joint where the knee cartilage is the premium hyaline type which is mostly likely to revive. Excessive and inappropriate exercise can be damaging, but a useful rule-of-thumb is to exercise in a pain free and poised manner. If your leg extensions hurt your knees then reduce the weight! Strengthening the muscles that bend and straighten the knee improves the function of the knee by improving knee stability, muscular efficiency and increasing venus and lymphatic return.

Dr. Porter discussed the research that shows good evidence for the use of physiotherapy, osteopathy and chiropractors in the treatment of arthritis.

Chondrocytes are cells that build connective tissues like cartilage.

Imbibition is how synovial fluid is absorbed into connective tissues.