What is Knee Osteoarthritis?
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative condition that affects many people worldwide, and is predominantly seen in the elderly population. Most people with Knee OA first report pain with climbing stairs followed by stiffness in their knees after prolonged rest. It normally starts with one knee and would progress to both knees due to compensation. Severe cases would suffer from excruciating pain and stiffness in both their knees, along with joint deformity and wasting of their muscles around their knees. The wasting of the muscles come about because of the pain and the lack of movement. In such cases, total knee replacement may become their ultimate treatment.
Integrated approach of TCM and Physiotherapy to treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis
Here in EMW, we try to slow down the rate of knee degeneration to delay our patients in progressing to the severe stage of knee OA. In our clinical practice, we observe that a close combination of TCM, acupuncture and physiotherapy could be useful in relieving pain, and restoring the function and mobility in our patients with knee OA.
Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis in TCM approach
The efficacy of TCM and acupuncture in relieving knee pain has been reported in multiple researches. In fact, a large scale observational study had been done to evaluate the long-term clinical effects of TCM on knee osteoarthritis. It had suggested that TCM and acupuncture were linked with a decreased risk of total knee replacement in patients with knee osteoarthritis, and the efficacy improved with a longer treatment duration[1].
Based on the TCM theory, knee OA happens when your body starts to age and become weaker. The liver yin and kidney essence that keep your soft tissues and bones healthy and strong typically start to deplete when you reach 50 years old. This results in a poorer joint health and a weaker body, which makes you more susceptible to external pathogens such as wind, cold and dampness. The invasion of such external pathogens in your knee joints can affect the Qi and blood flow in the area, which results in knee pain and swelling.
Acupuncture involves inserting fine needles into the acupoints situated in the channels linked to your knee. This helps to stimulate and regulate the Qi flow, which restores its free flow to reduce pain. Modern medical research has also suggested that acupuncture could help to reduce knee joint inflammation and pain by improving blood circulation and producing analgesic effects through various bio-mechanisms. Depending on individual conditions, we could also prescribe TCM herbal medication to complement the acupuncture treatment.
Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis in Physiotherapy approach
Most importantly, with the reduction in your knee pain, you would be more motivated to start on your strengthening and range of motion exercise prescribed by our Physiotherapist. These exercises, together with TCM, work in strengthening the muscles surrounding your knee and improving your muscle balance. Consequently, this would help in improving your knee function and mobility.
If you are suffering from severe knee OA and need to undergo total knee replacement, you could still benefit from our TCM and physiotherapy treatments. Apart from managing the pain, it has been shown in studies that pre-habilitation exercises before total knee replacement help in increasing strength and function in patients with severe knee OA, and also contribute to post-surgical recovery[2].
The key to improving your long-term prognosis of knee OA is early intervention. Hence, do not wait further if you are already feeling pain and stiffness in your knees. For more information, you could visit us at EMW for an in depth consultation with our in-house TCM physician and Physiotherapist.
Reference
[1] Lo, Pei-Chia MD, MSa; Lin, Fong-Cheng MDb; Tsai, Yao-Chien MD, MSc; Lin, Shun-Ku MD, MSc,d,∗ Traditional Chinese medicine therapy reduces the risk of total knee replacement in patients with knee osteoarthritis, Medicine: June 2019 – Volume 98 – Issue 23 – p e15964
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000015964
[2] Swank AM, Kachelman JB, Bibeau W, Quesada PM, Nyland J, Malkani A, Topp RV. Prehabilitation before total knee arthroplasty increases strength and function in older adults with severe osteoarthritis. J Strength Cond Res. 2011 Feb;25(2):318-25. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e318202e431. PMID: 21217530.
