A new randomized-control trial study has just been published in the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy concerning exercise intervention of females with patellofemoral pain (front knee pain).
This study had two groups: the first being prescribed an exercise intervention concentrating on hip abduction and hip external rotation strengthening, the other group being the no-exercise control.
The exercise program consisted of two elastic band strengthening exercises of the hip done 3x/week. After 8 weeks the exercise group showed a significant decrease in pain as well as function (based on self administered survey), and the control (non-exercise) group had no change in either outcomes.
This shows that although you may be dealing with pain in one area (the knee), the source of the problem may be coming from another location along the kinetic chain (in this case, the hip)!
Khayambashi, K. et al. (2012). The Effects of Isolated Hip Abductor and External Rotator Muscle Strengthening on Pain, Health Status, and Hip Strength in Females With Patellofemoral Pain: A Randomized Control Trial. The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 42(1), 22-29.
I would be interested in reading about obesity and knee pain...there are a number of very large women in my office that complain daily about their knees and hips and that they are having surgery soon. Could this be prevented with weight loss?
ReplyDeleteAs well, I would love to read a piece about staying pain and injury free at a desk job...proper posture, exercised that don't make you stand out at work, proper lifting techniques, etc.
It sounds like these women may have possibly developed severe osteoarthritis (OA) of either their hips or the knees.
ReplyDeleteOA is the degeneration of the joint surface which can lead to pain and restricted range of motion. Some of the risk factors in developing OA does include obesity. For every one pound of extra body weight you carry in the torso, there is another four pounds of weight pushed through your knees during gait (walking).
If you were to lose weight, you can see how your knees could benefit from having the reduced pressure in weight-bearing.
Now as for answering the question of the surgery being prevented with weight loss. If the joint surface is very damaged, exercises to lose weight may be too painful and may actually increase the pain in the knees. Surgery may be indicated in these patients.
After surgery the joint paint is immediately gone, as it is now an artificial joint in its place. This would give the person the chance to exercise without the joint pain and develop more muscular strength and endurance, as well as weight control and increase their cardiovascular health.
OA cannot be reversed, but the process can be slowed through proper rehabilitation set up by your physiotherapist. A proper biomechanical assessment with appropriate exercise programming will be beneficial for those with early signs of OA.
Thanks Seabright16 for your questions.
Hi
ReplyDeleteVery instructive & great post,
Thanks for wonderful blog. Really found this information helpful.
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