If your knees start throbbing like those of post-game NFL players, remember all of your options -- and not just the easy ones, health experts say.
Knee replacement surgeries are expected to soar as Baby Boomers try to stay active longer, but self-care treatments can help with pain, restore mobility and delay or eliminate the need for surgery.
"Total knee replacement is an epidemic in our country," says Marj Albohm, president of the National Athletic Trainers' Association. "That circles back to the American way. Fix it. Give me an operation."
Replacement operations increased 100% over the past 10 years and are expected to rise 500% by 2030 , according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Traumatic injuries and osteoarthritis, which troubles 27 million American adults by damaging cartilage and bone and causing pain, stiffness and swelling, can lead to expensive surgeries.
The best ways to slow down arthritis and help preserve cartilage cushioning knees and other joints are to follow the Arthritis Foundation's guidelines, says John Richmond, chairman of the group who wrote the AAOS 2008 guidelines for treatments less invasive than knee replacements. At the top of the list is losing weight.
"The only treatment that actually slows down the progress of the disease is weight loss," says Richmond, chairman of New England Baptist Hospital's department of orthopedic surgery in Boston. "You might think restricting activity would help, but it does not."
Among the Arthritis Foundation's strategies to combat pain and restore mobility:
Lose weight. Every pound lost reduces the weight on your knees by 4 pounds, says Patience White, chief public health officer of the Arthritis Foundation, which funds research for treatments and a cure.
Get exercising. Include low-impact aerobic exercises (cycling, brisk walking, gardening and dancing) in your workout routine. "We can't say this enough. Exercise helps with pain and is good for overall health,'' says White.
Increase muscle. Work all the muscle groups twice a week. Stronger muscles can help support damaged joints.
But sometimes, a healthy routine won't help, and people opt for replacement surgery when pain restricts everyday activities.
Athletic trainer Paul Ullucci, 43, is fighting that fate. He has had six surgeries on his right knee and is putting off replacement surgery as long as possible. He combines exercise with other routines to help his knees, and it's working, he says.
Among his drills: Squats and bridges (lie on your back and push up your legs with a ball squeezed between them) are good exercises for both muscle groups.
"There's a lot of research showing proper exercise and stretching will actually prolong the knee's life," says Ullucci, a board member of the National Athletic Trainers' Association and president of the Ullucci Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy Inc. in Providence.
One of Ullucci's patients is a firefighter. "He's 53 and was told he needed knee replacement," says Ullucci. Instead, "we worked with him for 1 months, and he went back on the job. He needed to strengthen and have everything balanced in his body. But he's going up and down ladders again."
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