READ OUR BLOG



dodgy-knee.jpg
18/May/2023

Do you have osteoarthritis in your knees? Does the pain sometimes interfere with your ability to be as quick or mobile as you’d like? If so, you’re not alone – it’s a big club!

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis, affecting 1 in 11 Australians. It can develop in any joint but commonly occurs in weight-bearing joints like your knees. And because it’s so common and causes lots of pain and distress, we’re all looking for effective treatments to manage the pain and keep moving.

The good news is there’s strong evidence about the most effective treatments for knee OA, those that aren’t effective, and those that don’t have enough evidence to support their use.

And yet, a recent study has shown an increasing number of people with OA are investigating some less effective treatments such as stem cells, platelet-rich plasma, and Botulinum toxin.

There are likely many reasons for this.

We’ve become much more familiar with searching online for information during the pandemic.

Information about the effectiveness (or not) of treatments isn’t always translated for consumers. And unfortunately, to access much of this information, you need access to journals and databases that are often behind a paywall.

Another problem is that it’s easy for anyone to create a video, blog, or social media post about the latest and greatest treatment without using current evidence. Their reasons for doing so can be many – from sharing personal experiences in the hopes of helping others to purely commercial gain. This info is everywhere online, easily accessible and often looks legitimate.

So you need to weigh any information carefully, be cautious and discuss your options with your doctor.

Here’s a snapshot of what we know works (or doesn’t) for knee OA

Staying active and exercising regularly

You had to know this was coming 😉. Research has repeatedly shown that exercise is key in managing knee OA (and other musculoskeletal conditions). A tailored exercise program developed by a physiotherapist or exercise physiologist can help reduce knee pain and improve knee function. If pain prevents you from exercising, you may find that warm water exercise is a good starting point. Warm water pools offer the comfort of warmth and the buoyancy of the water to ease the load on your joints.

Managing your weight

Being overweight or obese is directly related to the risk of developing knee OA. It’s also likely to speed up how quickly your OA develops or progresses. Evidence shows a relationship between weight loss and relief of symptoms such as pain and stiffness. But weight loss can be a long process for many people. And it’s challenging, especially when pain affects your ability to be as active as you’d like. However, it’s good to know that any weight loss can reduce your pain and increase your ability to exercise. So making small, achievable changes to your eating and exercise habits can bring big results. If you’d like to lose weight to improve your symptoms, your doctor and/or dietitian can assist you in losing weight safely.

Dealing with stress and your emotions

It’s natural to feel stress, anxiety and frustration when living with chronic pain. However, if you’re always fearful or worried about it, it can worsen your pain. That’s because pain isn’t just a physical sensation – it also involves your perceptions, feelings and thoughts.

The worse you think your pain will be, the worse it can feel. It can affect your sleep, and you become less active. These feelings, thoughts and behaviours can become a vicious cycle.

Talking with a family member, close friend, or a health professional about how you’re feeling can get it out in the open so you can start dealing with these feelings and hopefully break this cycle.

Strategies like breathing exercises, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), meditation, heat, and gentle activities like tai chi, walking, swimming, and cycling can also help you control your stress and anxiety.

What about medicines?

No medicine can affect the underlying disease process of OA. Still, combined with self-care and lifestyle changes, medicines may provide temporary pain relief and help you stay active.

There are a variety of medicines used in the management of knee OA, and each comes with varying degrees of evidence to support their use. They may be taken by mouth as a tablet or capsule (orally), applied directly to the skin in the form of gels and rubs (topical), or injected into the joint (intra-articular). Discuss the benefits and risks with your doctor if you’re interested in the following medicines.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines or NSAIDs (e.g. Nurofen, Celebrex, Voltaren). Depending on the dosage and other ingredients, NSAIDs are available over-the-counter or with a prescription. Oral NSAIDs are the preferred first-line drug treatment for OA and have been shown to reduce pain and symptoms in knee OA.

It’s important to note that NSAIDs are designed to be taken at low doses for short periods. Always talk to your doctor before starting NSAIDs, as they can cause harmful side effects, especially in older people.

Paracetamol (e.g. Panadol, Panamax). Research has shown that paracetamol provides only low-level pain relief and, in some cases, no pain relief compared to a placebo in knee OA. However, some people report that it helps reduce their pain so they can be more active. If you can’t take NSAIDs, they may also be an option. Before using paracetamol, talk with your GP to see if it’s appropriate.

Some medicines aren’t effective

Other medicines have been used for OA in the past that we now know aren’t effective and may have harmful side effects.

Opioids. Opioids are powerful pain-relieving medicines. They’re effective at reducing acute pain (or the pain resulting from an injury or surgery), but evidence shows they have little effect on OA pain. Opioids also have many potentially serious side effects. That’s why they’re not recommended in the management of knee OA.

Capsaicin. Capsaicin is the active ingredient in chilli peppers – it makes them ‘hot’. Capsaicin in creams and lotions has been used to help reduce OA pain, and some people report beneficial effects. However, evidence for its effectiveness in knee OA is low, and it’s generally not recommended. It also has side effects when applied, such as a burning sensation, which can take several uses to wear off.

Glucosamine and chondroitin. Studies have found no benefit from taking glucosamine and/or chondroitin for osteoarthritis.

The pointy end of the stick – intra-articular injections

Intra-articular injections are given directly into the knee joint. They include steroids, platelet-rich plasma, stem cells, hyaluronic acid and Botulinum toxin. Let’s look at them a bit more closely.

Corticosteroid injections. If you have persistent knee pain and haven’t had relief from oral medicines or other treatments (e.g. exercise, weight loss), your doctor may suggest a corticosteroid (steroid) injection. However, the duration of pain relief can vary from a few days to a few weeks, and the number of injections you can have is limited due to potential harm. There’s also emerging evidence that long-term use of these injections may cause OA to worsen in the affected joint.

Hyaluronic acid injections. The benefits of hyaluronic acid joint injections (also known as viscosupplementation or hyaluronan injections) are uncertain. Research findings have been inconsistent, and although some people find the treatment helpful, it can be expensive and isn’t generally recommended. The Australian Rheumatology Association states, “emerging evidence indicates that the effect of hyaluronic acid could be smaller than previously reported.”

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections. Platelets are small cell fragments in the blood that help form blood clots to slow or stop bleeding and help wounds heal. PRP is a concentrated version of a person’s platelets injected into the affected joint. An Australian clinical trial led by researchers at the University of Melbourne, University of Sydney and Monash University has found that PRP was no better than a placebo at reducing symptoms in people with knee OA.

Stem cell injections. Despite being commercially available, there’s no evidence for using stem cell injections in treating knee OA. The International Society for Stem Cell Research and the Australian Rheumatology Association do not support using stem cell injections for osteoarthritis.

Botulinum toxin injections. The American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation Guidelines states that the small number of trials that have looked at the use of botulinum toxin in knee and hip OA ”suggest a lack of efficacy”.(1)

What about surgery?

Surgery may be an option for some people with knee OA when all non-surgical treatment options have failed, and knee pain and reduced function impact their quality of life. In this case, your doctor may refer you to an orthopaedic surgeon to discuss your options.

A total joint replacement of the knee is the most common type of surgery for knee OA. However, having an artificial knee means there will still be some limitations. An artificial knee won’t have the same sideways movement as a natural knee. It won’t bend fully, so getting down and up from kneeling is more likely to be challenging.

Arthroscopy is a surgical technique that involves the insertion of small surgical instruments, including a camera, into the knee. This allows the surgeon to examine the inside of the joint and cut, shave and remove material from the inside of the knee joint. “The Australian Government and most orthopaedic surgeons recommend against using arthroscopy for osteoarthritis of the knee. Research shows that doing an arthroscopy for this condition isn’t effective. Arthroscopy should only be used for knee OA if other treatments fail, such as losing weight, exercising and taking pain relievers.” (2)

Contact our free national Help Line

Call our nurses if you have questions about managing your painmusculoskeletal condition, treatment options, mental health issuestelehealth, or accessing services. They’re available weekdays between 9am-5pm on 1800 263 265; email (helpline@msk.org.au) or via Messenger.

More to explore

References

(1) Kolasinski, S.L., et al. 2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation Guideline for the Management of Osteoarthritis of the Hand, Hip, and Knee. Arthritis & Rheumatology (2020).
(2) Arthroscopy, Healthdirect


bursitis.jpg
07/Dec/2022

If you’ve ever had bursitis, you know how painful it can be. I had the displeasure of experiencing it several years ago when I slipped in the bathroom and fell heavily. Unfortunately, my shoulder took the full brunt of the fall 😫. I honestly thought I’d broken a bone; it was so painful! But after seeing my doctor, it turns out I had bursitis. And so began several weeks of ice packs, rest and gentle exercise. The good news is that my shoulder recovered completely. But I realised that although I’d heard of bursitis, I didn’t know what this common, painful condition was.

So let’s look at bursitis – what it is, what causes it (apart from falls 😉) and what are the treatment options.

What is bursitis?

Simply put, bursitis is the inflammation of a bursa. A bursa (plural bursae) is a small fluid-filled sac that cushions your bones and soft tissues (muscles, tendons and skin) in and around your joint.

They reduce friction between moving parts (e.g. between a bone and a tendon), enabling them to move smoothly over each other.

When a bursa becomes irritated or inflamed, it fills up with excess fluid. This causes pain and restricts movement.

What causes bursitis?

Bursitis can develop quickly (acute bursitis) or more slowly (chronic bursitis). Common causes include:

  • injury, e.g. having a fall and landing hard on your shoulder or hip
  • overusing a joint, especially if the movements are repetitive, e.g. typing, playing tennis
  • prolonged pressure, e.g. kneeling for long periods while laying carpet or scrubbing floors
  • joint stress, e.g. from being overweight or having an uneven walk (gait)
  • other health conditions, e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, gout, diabetes
  • infection, e.g. if a joint is injured and bacteria enter the bursa.

What are the symptoms of bursitis?

The signs and symptoms of bursitis include:

  • pain, especially when moving the joint
  • joint stiffness and swelling
  • restricted movement of the joint
  • warmth and reddening of the skin in the affected area.

The joints most commonly affected are the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee and heel.

How is it diagnosed?

If you have a painful, swollen joint or you’re finding it difficult to move a joint, it’s important that you discuss your symptoms with your doctor. Getting a diagnosis as soon as possible means that treatment can begin immediately.

To diagnose your condition, your doctor will:

  • Take your medical history and ask about your symptoms, recent injuries, the work you do, and other health issues.
  • Do a physical examination and look for redness and swelling in and around the joint, and test your joint’s range of movement.

If your doctor thinks your bursa is infected, they may remove a sample of fluid from your bursa. This will be examined under a microscope for signs of infection.

Scans such as x-rays and ultrasounds are usually unnecessary; however, your doctor may send you for a scan to rule out the possibility of another condition.

How is bursitis treated?

Some people can manage the pain, inflammation and stiffness of bursitis with self-care, such as cold packs, rest and gentle exercise. However, other people will require medical treatment to manage.

In this case, your doctor may recommend using over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs). They can be taken as a tablet (orally) or applied directly to the skin (topically) as a cream or gel. In cases of severe pain, your doctor may prescribe stronger anti-inflammatory medicines or inject a corticosteroid into the bursa.

You may also see a physiotherapist or exercise physiologist who can recommend exercises to help your joints move more easily and prevent bursitis from occurring again.

If your bursitis is caused by an infection, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics to treat the infection. In some cases, a needle is inserted into the bursa to remove the infected fluid. This may happen several times until the infection has cleared.

If the bursitis was triggered by a particular form of overuse, it‘s important to avoid that activity or modify how you perform it. An occupational therapist or physiotherapist can help you find solutions to this problem.

What can I do to control my symptoms?

You can do many things to relieve your pain and inflammation.

  • Protect and rest the joint to help the bursa recover. Your doctor or physiotherapist will advise you on how to rest the joint and for how long. This could include using cushions or pads when sitting or kneeling for long periods, using a sling or walking stick, modifying your activities etc.
  • Ice packs can help soothe red, inflamed joints, and heat packs and rubs can relax tense, painful muscles.
  • Maintain a healthy weight to reduce the pressure and stress on weight-bearing joints such as hips and knees.
  • Continue to stay active as much as you can while following any instructions provided by your healthcare team to protect your bursa.
  • Your doctor, physiotherapist and/or occupational therapist can offer other suggestions and strategies to reduce your risk of developing bursitis again.

Contact our free national Help Line

Call our nurses if you have questions about managing your painmusculoskeletal condition, treatment options, mental health issuestelehealth, or accessing services. They’re available weekdays between 9am-5pm on 1800 263 265; email (helpline@msk.org.au) or via Messenger.

More to explore


sore-knee.jpg
10/Aug/2022

Although it sounds like it, a Baker’s cyst isn’t named after an occupation like housemaid’s knee (prepatellar bursitis), policeman’s heel (plantar calcaneal bursitis) or writer’s cramp (hand dystonia). It has nothing to do with the act of making delicious, delicious bread 🍞 or other baked goods 😋.

Baker’s cysts are named after Dr W.M Baker, the 19th-century surgeon who first described cysts that form on the back of the knee. Their clinical name is popliteal cyst. Often people don’t know they have a Baker’s cyst, especially if it’s not causing pain. However, sometimes they can cause problems.

Your knee – a complex joint

To understand how a Baker’s cyst affects your knee, it’s helpful to know a little about your knee joint.

Your knee is a large and complex joint where three bones meet: your thighbone (femur), shinbone (tibia) and kneecap (patella). Covering the ends of your bones is a thin layer of tissue called cartilage. It provides a slippery cushion that absorbs shocks, helps your joints move smoothly and prevents bones from rubbing against each other.

Surrounding the joint is a tough capsule filled with a lubricating fluid (synovial fluid). This fluid allows your knee to move freely.

A Baker’s cyst can form when an injury or arthritis causes your knee to produce too much synovial fluid. This excess fluid bulges from the joint capsule behind the knee as a protruding sac (see image).

Cysts can vary in size and cause symptoms such as pain or stiffness in the knee joint.

Baker’s cysts may not require treatment, but if they do, they can be treated effectively with self-care and medical treatment.

Causes

Some of the common causes of Baker’s cyst include:

Symptoms

Often, there are no symptoms, and you may not even know you have a cyst. If symptoms do occur, they can include:

  • a lump or swelling behind the knee
  • knee pain
  • stiffness or tightness of the knee
  • limited range of knee movement (if the cyst is large).

Diagnosis

Many people don’t know they have a Baker’s cyst as it may be small and painless.

However, you should see your doctor if you notice a painful lump in the space behind your knee.

Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history and examine your knee. They’re usually able to diagnose a Baker’s cyst based on this.

Sometimes a doctor may organise scans of the joint, usually an ultrasound, or if the diagnosis is uncertain, possibly an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). This is to rule out other rare causes of the lump, such as a popliteal aneurysm, blood clot or tumour.

Complications

The symptoms of a Baker’s cyst are usually mild; however, in rare cases, the cyst may burst, leaking fluid into the calf region. This can cause increased pain in the knee and swelling or redness in the calf.

If you experience swelling or warmth in your calf, you should seek medical advice quickly.

It can be difficult to tell the difference between the complications of Baker’s cyst and more serious but less common problems such as a blood clot in a vein in your leg. So it’s better to be safe and get it checked out.

Treatment

You probably won’t need treatment if you have no symptoms or only mild pain.

However, if it is causing you pain, your doctor will develop a treatment plan that may include:

  • Self-care. You can reduce the pain and swelling by using an ice pack on your knee for short periods. Make sure to wrap it in a cloth so the pack doesn’t come into direct contact with your skin. You should also protect and rest the joint. Elevate your knee while resting it, and avoid activities that strain your knee (e.g. jogging). You may also find it helpful to use a cane or crutches for a short period or wear a knee support.
  • Medicines such as paracetamol or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (e.g. ibuprofen) may provide temporary pain relief. These medicines are available over-the-counter or with a prescription, depending on their dosage and other ingredients.
    A corticosteroid (steroid) injection may be helpful for people who haven’t found relief from other treatments or if they have severe pain.
  • Treating the underlying condition (e.g. arthritis) is also important, so your doctor may discuss other medicines and treatment options.
  • Seeing a physiotherapist or exercise physiologist for gentle strengthening and range of movement exercises to reduce symptoms and maintain knee function.
  • Draining the cyst by inserting a needle into it (needle aspiration) and removing the fluid. This may be done under ultrasound.
  • Surgery is rarely needed to treat a Baker’s cyst. However, it may be an option in some cases to treat the cause of the cyst (e.g. an injury) or to remove the cyst if all other treatments haven’t provided relief.

Contact our free national Help Line

Call our nurses if you have questions about managing your painmusculoskeletal condition, treatment options, mental health issues, COVID-19, telehealth, or accessing services. They’re available weekdays between 9am-5pm on 1800 263 265; email (helpline@msk.org.au) or via Messenger.

More to explore


musculoskeletal health australia

Musculoskeletal Health Australia (or MHA) is the consumer organisation working with, and advocating on behalf of, people with arthritis, osteoporosis, back pain, gout and over 150 other musculoskeletal conditions.

Useful Links


Copyright by Musculoskeletal Health Australia 2024. All rights reserved

ABN: 26 811 336 442ACN: 607 996 921