Seaweed Extract to treat Knee Osteoarthritis

Seaweed extract has been found to have anti-inflammatory properties.

An Australian study has looked at the effect of some of these extracts on knee osteoarthritis

They found very promising results but the results need to be taken with a grain of salt because:

It was a very small study (only 12 subjects)

The study was not blinded and did not have a control

It was funded by the manufacturer.

 

The results therefore are nothing more than an indication that more research is required. As the authors note, it is time for a double blinded, randomized control study. If the results are as promising in the next round everyone will stand up and notice.

 

See the study here.

Acupuncture no better than placebo for Knee Osteoarthritis

A study comparing acupuncture with a placebo control (sham acupuncture) has found no benefit for those suffering from knee osteoarthritis.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/198017.php

It is unlikely to harm but unlikely to help it seems.

For non-surgical treatments you can stick to the trusted options:

• Weight Loss
• Quadriceps strengthening exercises
• Unloader knee Braces

OA Assist Unloader Knee Brace

When talking about single hinge unloader knee braces I often mention the Unloader One and Thruster. Both of these are designed for moderate to severe cases.

The OA Assist by Donjoy is an excellent single upright unloader for mild to moderate knee arthritis.

 

Here is a brief video on the OA Assist:

 

Of all the unloader knee braces on the market this has to be one of the easiest to fit. Strap it on and off you go.

Unloader One Animation

Here is an animation by Ossur demonstrating the indications for use of their Unloader One knee brace.

I do note that the knee shown has osteoarthritis in both the medial and lateral compartment. This is a mistake on their part as the whole reason you use an unloader knee brace is to shift the body weight away from the bad side and onto the good side.

If you don't have a "good" side to shift onto, you should not use the brace.

Unloader Knee Braces are for unicompartmental osteoarthritis which is arthritis in one half of the knee only.

Buy Time With an Unloader Knee Brace

One of the best reasons to uses non-surgical treatments is to buy yourself some time. Avoiding having a knee for 10 years and you benefit from the advances in technology that occur in that period of time.

 

With an aging population, there are billions of dollars to be made in the field of arthritis treatment so the amount of money invested has been rising rapidly. This is good news for anyone suffering from osteoarthritis. Stem cell research (see here for an example) is one such area where there have been promising early results.

There is no point waiting until you can't walk at all before having surgery but there is a lot to be gained by delaying it with the use of aids such as an unloader knee brace

Arthritis Foundation Supports Unloader Knee Braces

Just reading about the Arthritis Foundation quoting the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons saying that unloader knee braces

"may provide significant reduction in pain when properly fitted in selected patients with osteoarthritis of the knee."

The Physician and Sports Medicine Journal added this "ongoing research provides solid evidence that the [design] of these braces can normalize joint mechanics"

It seems that as a non-operative treatment, unloader knee braces are becoming increasingly popular as the evidence supporting them grows

The Unloader Knee Brace to treat osteoarthritis

What's all this about unloader knee braces?

 

Well if you have an arthritic knee, the old way of managing it was pain killers, and pain killers, and more pain killers until things got so bad you had a knee replacement.

 

These days the aim is to treat this disease every step along the way. That means using tactics like exercise, weight loss and the unloader knee brace.

 

Here is a simple animation I found on knee arthritis 

Sums it up pretty well.

Sound familiar to anyone?