Case Study For Treatment Of Stiff Knee Pain
Stiffness and pain is often a symptom of arthritis or osteoarthritis of the knee. This is a condition that is incurable and can also present with pain and swelling. Treatment for stiff knee pain depends upon the patient. In some cases, surgery is recommended whereas in others, conservative medical treatment is prescribed.
How Mike Treated his Stiff Knee Pain
Mike was a retired, healthy, 70 year old man who liked to golf. He noticed lately when he got up in the morning that his knee was very stiff. It took a bit of limbering up for him to get it going. This began to occur with increasing frequency.
In addition to the stiff knee, he also began to experience pain. The pain in the joint was more pronounced after he golfed. He thought perhaps he had hurt his knee in some way but could not recall any specific incident. Like many people, Mike did not seek out the advice of his doctor until the stiff knee pain got so bad that it was impossible to ignore.
The doctor examined him and also performed an x-ray. He diagnosed Mike with osteoarthritis of the knee. This is an incurable condition that affects many people and can result in disfigurement of the joint to the point where the person cannot walk. Mike was told he could treat the stiff knee pain in a number of different ways.
These included:
1.) Medication and wearing a knee brace
2.) Exercises to preserve the use of the knee
3.) Knee surgery
Mike was not happy about the diagnosis or the prospect that he might not be able to play golf; the game he loved so much. He was also not happy with the idea of undergoing knee surgery. He had a golf buddy who underwent this type of surgery and was none the better despite it. His friend walked with a pronounced limp and still complained of pain.
The Option of Conservative Treatment
Mike chose to treat the stiff knee pain conservatively. He decided to use the anti-inflammatory drugs as well as a knee brace. This helped considerably and alleviated much of the pain. When he did feel pain, he took over the counter pain killers (Always speak with your physician about taking medications/drugs.)
In addition to using the knee brace and medication, Mike also decided to lose weight. He felt that by losing weight he could take some of the stress off of his knee. He also decided to take up swimming to exercise. His doctor told him that swimming was one of the best exercises for people in his condition and could help him keep him more active. On top of that, the swimming also helped him lose weight.
The Outcome
Mike found that after 2 months of treating the stiff knee pain conservatively, he did not experience the pain much at all. The knee brace helped him a lot when he golfed and enabled him to enjoy the game even more. The swimming kept him fit and enabled him to lose 20 pounds. The stiff knee pain still bothers him a bit once in a while but not as often as it did before and is nothing that he cannot handle. He is in better shape than before and did not have to undergo surgery.
Bottom Line
If you want to help treat your knee pain then a knee brace is a very affordable, conservative approach to helping to deal with knee issues. The support that they can give you can really help you with your current pain problems, while helping you to avoid future ones as well.
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