SearchExclusive.com

Best Treatment Options for Osteoarthritis of the Knee

Osteoarthritis is a chronic disorder which affects the joints. Osteoarthritis of the knee occurs when the cushion or cartilage between knee joints breaks down, causing stiffness, pain, and swelling. Usually, doctors recommend different treatments to help with the swelling and pain. Treatment options depend on a variety of factors such as the level of pain, the impact of osteoarthritis in your daily life, and your medical history. In most cases, treatment consists of some healthy lifestyle changes and a combination of therapies. Let’s have a look at some of the treatment options for osteoarthritis of the knee:

Healthy habits
A change in lifestyle can be helpful if you have osteoarthritis of the knee. A doctor can recommend the incorporation of some changes in your treatment plan such as:

Regular exercise
Workout is necessary as it can help you cope with osteoarthritis. It helps with weight loss (to ease the strain on your joints), improves muscle strength, reduces joint swelling and pain, and preserves the range of movement in joints. Experts typically recommend low-impact aerobic workouts like walking, biking, or swimming. Another great option you can explore is water aerobics because it alleviates pressure on your joints and allows you to enjoy the benefits of an aerobic workout. In case your osteoarthritis is severe, avoid high impact exercises like step aerobics or running. Ensure to talk to a doctor about a suitable exercise regimen.

Healthy weight
For people who are overweight, losing weight can be beneficial because it reduces the strain on the joints, thus alleviating their symptoms. Other than exercising regularly, one should eat healthy foods.

Below are essential tips for a balanced diet:

Get at least two servings of fish each week
Limit the intake of salt, saturated fats, and sugar
Avoid fried foods
Ensure your diet contains vegetables, proteins, fruits, fats, and carbohydrates
Eat red meat only two times a week

The key here is to maintain a healthy body weight according to your body type and needs.

Over-the-counter (OTC) pain relief prescriptions
You can take osteoarthritis medication for relieving pain and minimizing your symptoms. Different brands of medicines in the market help to relieve mild pain, though some of them have common side effects like nausea and stomach problems. Your doctor will prescribe pain relievers depending on the severity of the condition. You can also get a joint replacement fluid that acts as a lubricant and shock absorber.

Therapies for rehabilitation and relief
Therapies can aid in relieving the symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee. Some options include occupational, physical, and alternative therapies. Physical therapy utilizes exercises to condition the muscles and improve joint mobility and flexibility. Occupational therapy helps you manage your normal activities like bathing, dressing, and working. You only need these therapies for a limited duration of time while you learn how to live with osteoarthritis.

Alternative therapies for osteoarthritis include hydrotherapy, massage, and relaxation therapies. You can also opt for acupuncture in some cases.

Viscosupplements for cushioning joints
People with osteoarthritis of the knee face a problem where the knee joint fluid degrades. These fluids offer lubrication and cushioning for the joints. Once viscosupplements are injected into the knee directly, they replace the degraded knee fluid with a gel substance that resembles the normal fluid found in a joint. Thus, it helps to relieve pain, and it cushions and lubricates the joints.

Surgeries to repair joints
In case you have severe joint pain and other therapies haven’t offered the relief you need, the next option you can consider is surgery. Your physician can help you decide if you need it or not. Common surgical options for osteoarthritis of the knee include:

Osteotomy: This procedure involves cutting the bones to take excess pressure off the injured section of the joint and rightly align the bones thereafter. This treatment is suitable for people who are more active and aren’t 40 years old. People whose bones are not at correct angles can also opt for this surgery. The operation is quite useful and can stop joint damage.
Arthroscopic surgery: This minimally invasive procedure is used to clean debris from the joints or to repair an injury on it. This treatment option is suitable for people who are under 40 years of age. It relieves the painful symptoms of osteoarthritis almost immediately.
Joint replacement: This procedure is complicated, and it involves replacing the damaged or injured part of the knee with certain artificial parts. This procedure has been studied extensively and is proven to improve mobility and daily function while reducing pain. However, the joints wear out over time since they are artificial.

Whether you have mild, moderate, or severe osteoarthritis of the knee, your doctor can help you come up with the best treatment option. Make sure that you start your treatment immediately after you notice the symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Related Reading

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Most of the dogs do not have a food fuss and may eat almost anything that you feed them. Dogs are not choosy at all when it comes to food and nutrition. Hence, it is important to make sure that the food that you are purchasing for your dog is healthy. The landscape of dog food has been developing by leaps and bounds in recent times. There is a wide variety of options to choose from in the online and offline market. Given the wide range of options that are available today, buying the best dog food might seem to be a confusing task indeed. All the commercial pet food that is available in the market today is regulated by the FDA. Therefore, most of the products do contain nutritious, healthy, and safe ingredients. But it does help to know certain basic factors you should look for while buying food for your dog. Prioritize on the nutritional guarantee The best dog food, which meets the dog’s needs adequately has a statement written on the label of the product, from the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Buy from some of the best dog food brands, such as Fromm Family Foods, Earthborn Holistic, Nature’s Variety Instinct, and The Honest Kitchen.

Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

The most important aspect when designing your kitchen is deciding on the type of cabinets. In addition to functionality, kitchen cabinets score on aesthetics as well. Once the layout is planned, you can go ahead with choosing the cabinets. If you’re remodeling your home or just the kitchen, what you need to consider are the types of cabinets that furnish your kitchen. Here are a few types of kitchen cabinets that you can choose from. Base cabinets These kitchen cabinets are mounted on the floor and they are placed after checking out the floor plan. A major part of your job in the kitchen is on these base cabinets, which hold and support the countertops. These base cabinets are combined to carve out kitchen islands. A number of base cabinets are fused/set against one another and installed on site. The base cabinets, in addition to supporting the countertops, serve as drawers to hold your cutlery and appliances. Wall cabinets Mounted on the walls, these cabinets can store everything, right from your cookware to cookbooks. In terms of design, they offer utmost flexibility. Wall cabinet kitchen is available in varying heights, multiple widths, and custom depth options. This customization helps you to fit in your stuff of varying shapes and sizes into the wall cabinets.

How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

In today’s world, where you are presented with over a dozen choices for every item you would purchase for your own kitchen, it is not surprising that you have an equal number of options for your dog’s food. However, choosing the perfect brand and formula for your dog out of a range of options in the market is not an easy job. Your pet depends on you and trusts you to make the right choice for them. Therefore, it is imperative that you do your research about the products available in the market, understand what your dog needs, know what might be your pet’s problems, and then make a sound decision. What is a sensitive stomach? Dogs are known to have voracious and large appetites. Keeping that in mind, it is normal to assume that they have strong stomachs. They can eat close to anything be it sweets, bakes, chewy gum, hard leather or even woolen socks for that matter! It always so happens that the strongest of them are prone to allergies and can develop a disorder which is medically translated as a sensitive stomach. This might be due to a sudden change in the food habits or even due an infection picked up from somewhere.

All You Need to Know about Cat Food

For cat owners, cat food is a hot topic. You need to think about it in different aspects. The best thing is to know which ingredients are good for cat food and which are harmful. If you are aware of this, you can get an idea about the quality of the cat food just by going through the label. It is always sensible to stick to one brand of cat food. However, you may also want to try and prepare cat food yourself. There are also various options for wet cat food as well. Cat’s love for fish is universal, so you can do without going for expensive cat food. Nevertheless, whether you buy it or prepare cat food at home, you need to ensure that the food contains enough nutrition and calories. You would need to have some idea about the ingredients that must be present in cat food and make a worthy selection for your cat. Basic ingredients present in good cat foods Cats need a variety of nutrients to stay healthy and active; they need various vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and oils. The following is a brief explanation of the basic ingredients that should be present in cat foods.