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4 Ways to Enhance Your Orthopedic Doctor's Treatments for Knee Osteoarthritis

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Your orthopedic doctor should be able to significantly reduce your pain and suffering due to knee osteoarthritis using treatments such as arthroplasty. But there are a few things you can do to enhance your pain relief results and therefore make your doctor's job a little easier overall. Consider utilizing one or more of these techniques:

Engage in Water Therapy

Vigorous exercise is tough on the knees and can cause more pain than relief as time goes on, so consider taking part in water therapy to do full body workouts. Because of the buoyancy your body experiences in the water, you should find it easy to make movements that improve your strength, flexibility, and even your endurance.

Find a water therapy teacher in your area that specializes in osteoarthritis exercises. They'll teach you specific ways of moving your body in a way that supports your musculoskeletal system while learning to adapt to the effects of your arthritis as it progresses. Once you've learned some basic moves, you can practice water therapy in your personal pool at home or on your own time at a community pool.

Practice Yoga Moves

While some yoga moves are quite intense and tend to put pressure on the body, many moves are gentle enough to utilize for relief from any pain you feel due to osteoarthritis. Practicing yoga moves that incorporate deep breathing and meditative exercises on a regular basis is an effective way to increase flexibility in the joints while reducing pain, lower your physical and mental stress levels, and relieve muscle tension throughout your entire body.

Working with a teacher in person is helpful because they'll be able to correct your posture and ensure that you perform the moves you learn properly. But if you aren't comfortable with practicing yoga in public, you can rent DVDs and book from your local library to learn some effective moves in the comfort of your home. Once you feel confident performing a handful of moves, you can create your own yoga workouts that are tailored to your physical abilities and time constraints.

Start a Walking Regimen

Another exercise you can participate in that's easy on the bones, muscles, and joints is walking. It may seem as though walking would put wear and tear on your knees and make your osteoarthritis pain even more prominent, but walking can be done in short spurts which means you can stop before the exercise becomes too much for your knees to handle. And walking will help keep your weight in check – any extra weight you're carrying around puts unnecessary pressure on the knees and joints which can lead to even more pain as time goes on.

Schedule a family walk around the block with your family each evening after dinner, or spend five minutes strolling around the community during your lunch break at work. You can even park your car at the far end of a store parking lot to get a little walking exercise in. There is no need to make your walking regimen feel like a chore. Keep things interesting by choosing different places and times of the day to get your walk on.

Schedule Acupuncture Sessions

While researchers don't yet understand why acupuncture works for osteoarthritis pain, their studies indicate that the treatment does indeed reduce stiffness and relieve pain in the knees. Acupuncture involves having needles inserted into your skin at specific pressure points to stimulate the body's signaling system and promote healing. You'll likely need to attend several acupuncture sessions before getting the results you expect, and the results probably won't last forever without ongoing periodic treatments.

Expect to see your acupuncturist at least once every three months to maintain your pain relief results long-term. Each acupuncturist has their own unique treatment protocols, so the exact number of treatments you'll need throughout the year will vary depending on who you're working with. Work with your acupuncturist to create a yearly treatment schedule during your initial consultation.  

These treatment options are sure to help enhance the treatments your orthopedic doctor prescribes and ensure long-term pain relief so you can live a happier, healthier, and more active life. To learn more, contact companies like Gotham City Orthopedics.


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