Knee osteoarthritis affects at least 240 million people today.
My name is Paul Carson and I help people 40+ understand, treat and prevent knee pain through education, exercise and self-management.
And these are my 4 simple things YOU should be doing every week to manage knee osteoarthritis:
1) Understanding Knee Osteoarthritis (OA)
2) Eat a Balanced Diet to Reduce Inflammation
3) Exercise & Physical Activity - Motion is Lotion
4) Master Pain Management for No More Flare Ups
Understanding Knee Osteoarthritis (OA)
OA is NOT ‘wear and tear’. We have substantial evidence that shows that it is a ‘disease’.
A disease is when an organ doesn’t behave as it should; in this case, it's our knee joint.
Normally, our joints, muscles and ligaments go through a continual process of breakdown, repair and improvement as we move, exercise and strengthen.
This is ‘normal’, but OA changes this by increasing the breakdown but reducing the repair and improvement.
This can result in pain, stiffness and reduced joint space.
Your body can still repair and improve, but it's a bit messy. Almost a hasty response to the increased breakdown - we see irrational repair in the form of osteophytes, little chunks of bone that can be seen on X-ray.
In-fact education is core to any effective osteoarthritis treatment plan! Exercise, drugs or surgery are less effective on their own.
Luckily, you are a subscriber, so you will always get the most up-to-date information.
Eat a Balanced Diet to Reduce Inflammation
I am not a fan of the health world, its unrealistic goals, ineffective pills and dangerous diets! To be honest, I don’t even like the phrase ‘healthy eating’ because it suggests that our default as humans has become to eat unhealthy foods… I prefer to say eat well!
And eating well is so easy! Follow my simple rules, and you will reduce pain and inflammation.
Eat within a 10 hour window from breakfast to dinner.
Aim to eat 30 different plants per week, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs, pulses and spices!
Eat something fermented every day (olives,blue cheese, kefir and pickles etc)
The evidence is clear - a 100ml glass of good quality red wine with dinner is good for the heart; otherwise minimise alcohol intake.
Protein: Greek yoghurt, eggs, cheese, local fish, meat and lots of pulses.
80% of the week your diet is clean and simple, the other 20% live a little!
Follow this and you will help control inflammation in your body, keep your body weight low and minimise the effects of knee osteoarthritis.
That means, less pain, less stiffness and more red wine 🍷
Exercise & Physical Activity - Motion is Lotion
Exercise is the best ‘medicine’ when it comes to knee osteoarthritis - it helps to reduce inflammation by reducing the number of pro-inflammatory chemicals in the knee joint. This will reduce your pain level and increase your function and wellbeing, what's not to love!
We are designed to move, so every day you must:
Walking 60 minutes (this includes in and around the house)
Movement snacks - don't sit for more than 3 hours at a time, break it up by standing up, doing some squats or going up and down the stairs.
Building strength will keep your muscles and joints happy, and it's actually very simple
25 repetitions (1 squat = 1 repetitions) per week, per muscle group with each exercise being at an rpe of 7-9 (1-3 reps remaining)
Push, Pull, Squat, Hinge
RPE of 10 = not able to do another repetition
RPE of 9 = able to do another repetition
RPE of 8 = able to do 2 more repetitions
RPE of 7 = able to do 3 more repetitions
That's it, and when the exercises get too easy, you just make them more difficult by adding weight.
It's also important to do what we call ‘aerobic’ exercise which just means getting out of breath and it trains your other muscle fibres (yes we have different types).
60 minutes per week
fast walk, cycle, row, swim, run, tennis, pickleball, whatever you like!
Master Pain Management for No More Flare Ups
A sudden increase in pain is inevitable and part of life when living with knee osteoarthritis, but if we are prepared, we can handle it! And remember, it always goes down.
The golden rule when pain increases, we don’t stop exercising, we adjust using the pain scale! Keep it between 1-4/10. 10 is maximum pain, 0 is no pain at all.
If something causes pain to go to 5/10 and up, reduce:
Time
Distance
Intensity
Frequency
Range (don't squat all the way down)
And do more of what helps!
Try NSAIDS - focus on topical rub directly onto pain temporarily
Or try yoga - slow breathing gentle movement, controlling the pain
Follow these principles and you can easily manage your knee osteoarthritis!
About the Author: > Paul Carson is a Licensed UK MSc Physiotherapist (HCPC/CSP). Through Fizzi Rehab, he helps patients move from "fragile" to "resilient" using evidence-based strength protocols.