HOW DO ACTIVITY MODIFICATIONS HELP TREAT KNEE OA?
Many people with knee osteoarthritis are physically active and want to stay that way. If you are in this category, you may have lots of questions about what you should and should not be doing. Activity modifications are important for preventing overuse, reducing injuries, protecting the knees, and slowing down arthritic damage long-term.
The best approach for modifying activities is to be reasonable. Make the following modifications to protect your knees when you have knee OA:
- ELIMINATE HIGH-RISK ACTIVITIES: Sports or hobbies that involve repetitive jumps, kneeling, twisting, or falls/collisions must be avoided. Arthritic knees can no longer tolerate these activities. These are high impact movements that will trigger pain and speed up the “wear and tear” process.
- Modify DURATION: You should consider shortening the duration of each exercise session to minimize joint stress and promote healing/recovery. If you exercise multiple times a day, then you should avoid overlapping activities and stick to limits in total daily activity.
- Modify INTENSITY: Never go “all out” all the time when you exercise. Take the edge off and take it easy as much as you can. This allows you to enjoy your activities more, with less risk.
- Modify FREQUENCY: Frequency refers to the number of days you exercise per week. Always take at least 1-2 days off per week from vigorous exercise. If you do multiple activities in a given week, space them out and avoid same-day overlap.
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