Knee joint osteoarthritis affects 365 million people worldwide and is the knee is most frequently affected joint. Symptomatic knee osteoarthritis affects 13% of women and 10% of men over 60 years old. Knee osteoarthritis typically features joint space narrowing, osteophytosis, pain, stiffness, and disability. Knee osteoarthritis most commonly occurs in one knee and not both. Knee osteoarthritis typically gets worse over time, often progressing from mild to severe over a period of 10 years.
The key to both preventing knee osteoarthritis and slowing down or stopping the progression of knee osteoarthritis is to address the postural and movement imbalances that are causing it. Posture simply means the alignment of bones and joints in the human body. The human body has eight major load joints that are designed to align vertically and horizontally with each other. When the joints of the body are aligned as designed, the joint surfaces are also aligned as designed. This means as we stand, walk, run, and jump the force of gravity is distributed evenly and optimally across the knee joint and cartilage. All movement in this case strengthens the cartilage of the knee and protects the knee from damage.
If the load joints are not aligned there will be increased pressure, friction, and stress placed on a certain portion of the knee joint which will lead to wear and tear of the cartilage over time. This wear and tear is what leads to osteoarthritis, joint space narrowing, osteophytosis, stiffness, swelling, and pain. The only way to stop the wear and tear is to realign the load joints of the body.
Posture alignment therapy is effective at restoring proper load joint alignment, muscle strength and flexibility, and movement patterns. As postural alignment is restored, knee pain will decrease and function will return.
Contact me for a free posture evaluation on Zoom today.
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