Research suggests around 1 in 11 in Australia has osteoarthritis (OA). OA can be caused
and influenced by many modifiable factors such as previous joint damage, being overweight,
heavy work and weak muscles.
Osteoarthritis is a common condition many people suffer with, yet many people just accept
their level of pain. It is also a common belief that OA is simply ‘wear and tear’ in their joints
and there is nothing they can do about it!
This couldn’t be further from the truth! Arthritis is actually a whole joint disease, with the most
common reason being people not being active as they age. Osteoarthritis is often described
as a “wear and tear disease”. This description should be avoided since it leads many people
to think that they cannot and should not be physically active. This is wrong as proven
throughout substantial research, which points to the fact that cartilage (this covers the ends
of bones) needs moderate load through physical activity to regenerate itself.
Clinical guidelines for the treatment of knee and hip OA recommend patient education,
exercise and weight loss (if needed) as first line treatment. Unfortunately these 3 treatments
are rarely the first thought of action in Australia. Clinical practice in Australia usually begins
with a referral to an orthopaedic surgeon before any of these methods are trialed, but there
is overwhelming evidence that this is often unnecessary and can be avoided!
So if you have been recently diagnosed with OA, the next step is to come in for an
assessment and a chat to your Physiotherapist about what exercise you can begin to
perform safely. The session will involve some quality education on OA that will likely change
your viewpoint on what movements you can perform on a daily basis, all whilst improving
your pain and function in your joints for the short and long term!
Research suggests it can take as little as 6-12 weeks of strength and control training, on
average 2 x per week, to have significant positive effects on your joints. Ask your
Physiotherapist about the GLAD program and an assessment specifically for this type of
training. We run programs based off the GLAD program, which is likely to be suitable to treat
your OA. This is because it has varying degrees of difficulty, so dependent on your
symptoms it is more than likely we can get you started on a program and feeling the positive
effects of movement, strength and control training in no time at all!