Using a Knee Brace to Manage Arthritis and Knee Pain
Our knees take on quite an incredible amount of impact during various sports, activities, and just everyday movement, so it’s really no wonder that it is common for adults to experience some form of acute (short term and immediately following an activity) or chronic (long term) knee pain at some point that requires extra general support and stability such as using an open-patella knee brace.
What is Arthritis?
Arthritis is inflammation in the joints that causes symptoms such as tenderness, swelling, stiffness, range of motion issues, pain, and locking or instability issues. Arthritis may occur after an injury, with age, or due to other conditions that wear away the cartilage in a joint; there are over 100 different types of arthritis. Around half of all adults aged 65 and up will experience arthritis, whether in the knee or other joints. Around one-third of adults experience arthritis in their middle-aged years, before 65.
Other Causes of Knee Pain
There are other causes of knee pain as well as arthritis. While running is an excellent cardio activity, running without properly fitting or properly padded footwear puts one at risk of injuring the knees, especially the cartilage. Even above average amounts of walking, especially if on all hard surfaces, may over time lead to knee pain. Many sports include running, jumping, and similar motions that require high quality, supportive footwear, and proper posture and techniques to avoid damaging the knees, and can result in knee pain over time. Certain jobs that require a lot of standing or being on your feet all day, or repetitive motions, also put you at risk for developing knee-related issues.
Arthritis in the Knee and General Knee Pain Treatment
The knee is made up of four bones - the meeting of the end of the femur, the patella, the tibia, and the fibula - and the cartilage and accompanying tendons. When inflamed, walking can be difficult if not impossible. Treatments may include a combination of the following under a doctor’s care:
- Often low impact exercises and stretching are recommended. This may take the form of water aerobics, certain martial arts, yoga, spinning classes, use of ellipticals, and other similar exercises. Open-patella knee braces are recommended as they will provide stability and support when worn during low-impact activities.
- Both heat and cold can be used to treat knee pain - heat when there is stiffness, to increase the blood flow and warm up the muscles - and cold when swelling and inflammation occur, to constrict the blood vessels temporarily.
- Occupational therapy can help you alter the way you do everyday activities in the most pain-free way possible, using different joints other than your knees to do more of the work when possible. Open-patella knee braces can provide stability and support during occupational therapy.
- Certain over the counter medications may be recommended to aid in the control of swelling and pain, or in the case of osteoarthritis, a specific type of arthritis, medications may be prescribed to stop or slow down the progress of the condition.
- Sometimes surgery may be required to clean up the cartilage in the knee. Often various stages of knee braces including an open-patella knee brace will be worn after surgery. For more information, we recommend reading our article on how to use knee braces during surgery or injury recovery.
An open-patella knee brace gives support and stability to a knee at risk of buckling or locking up. Physix Gear Sport has recognized that a major problem with other brands of open-patella knee braces has been that the brace slips out of place on the knee, and has combatted this issue by including non-slip silicone edging to the brace. To provide extra support, a knee strap and stabilizer tension technology ensure this brace is not only comfortable but also effective in its function.
Where to Purchase Treatment Products
Physix Gear Sport is the World Leader in supportive knee gear and manufactures the best open-patella knee braces on the market today! Physix Gear has a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so there is no risk and you can click here to order your knee brace to ship to your home today. If for some reason this knee brace does not work for you, send it back for a full refund!