Knee Replacement

Do You Need A Knee Brace For Your Arthritis?

The term "Arthritis" is associated with pain around the area of the knees and the frightening fear of knee replacement or arthritis knee brace. But did you know that there are three basic types of arthritis that affects the knee joint? Well, the experts say there are three basic types. Let's find out more about the three categories.

Osteoarthritis (OA)

This is one of the most common forms of knee arthritis. This is known as a gradually progressive degenerative disease in which the joint cartilage slowly wears away. This is a condition that is most known to affect middle-aged and older people.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

This is an inflammatory form of arthritis that can destroy the joint cartilage. RA can occur at any age and has a tendency to affect both knees.

Post-traumatic Arthritis

Post-traumatic arthritis develops usually after there has been an injury to the knee. This type of arthritis is similar to osteoarthritis. It may develop years after a fracture, ligament injury, or meniscus tear.

The symptoms of arthritis are usually associated with pain that grows gradually. But this doesn't mean that a sudden onset can be completely ruled out. The joint may become stiff and swollen, this making it extremely difficult to bend or straighten the knee without feeling terrible pain.

Don't be surprised to find that the pain and swelling seem to worsen in the morning or after a period of inactivity. Pain may also increase after certain activities such as walking, stair climbing, or kneeling. Just because you suffer pain, it doesn't mean you have to fear knee replacement or start wearing arthritis knee braces.

When there is a pain around the knees that makes you feel a sudden, tearing weakness in the knee, this is terms as either "locking" or "buckling."

For people in their middle age or old age, changes in the weather are also an important factor that affects the degree of pain. But that doesn't mean they press the panic button and imagine that they are in for a knee replacement.

What if you suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee? Don't worry; knee replacement is not the only solution. There are so many non surgical options that you can choose. Statistics prove that out of four, only one patient with osteoarthritis of the knee turns out to need surgery. Of course, the effectiveness of different treatments varies from one to patient to another. The purpose of treatment is to reduce the terrible pain, increase the knees function and reduce the troublesome symptoms.

For the early stages, arthritis of the knee can be easily treated with lifestyle modifications, proper exercise and recommended supportive devices. When we talk of supportive devices, doctors recommend arthritis knee braces. If you are wondering how arthritis knee brace is useful, the answer is simple. Arthritis knee braces would assist with stability and function.

Two types of arthritis knee braces are often used namely unloader and support braces. An "unloader" brace shifts load away from the affected portion of the knee while the "support" brace helps support the entire knee load. The best thing about opting for knee braces instead of knee replacements is that there would be a definite decrease in pain around the knee and a marked difference in the ability to walk longer distances. With this discussion, you can now be confident of opting for arthritis knee braces and you can rule out the danger of knee replacement option altogether.