Knee Arthritis In a 75-Year-Old
Knee arthritis is one of the most common problems patients see Dennis M. Lox M.D. for. Dr. Lox is a Sports and Regenerative Medicine expert, and this 75-year-old woman with knee arthritis came to see him for this purpose. Dr. Lox treats all types of degenerative arthritis, basically from head to toe. As we age, and especially in later life, both knees have some degree of degenerative arthritis. Humans walk upright, therefore the stress and load upon the knee are impacted to both knees. An early life knee injury or knee surgery will undoubtedly affect that knee more, however, it is not uncommon to see both knees markedly affected by age 60 and above.
Weight Gain with Knee Arthritis
Weight gain when a person has knee arthritis is also a frequent problem, especially this last year with the coronavirus pandemic. The average weight gain was around 15 pounds, however, Dr. Lox saw such a wide fluctuation among patients so it is important to talk about this. Patients actually gained 50 pounds in a month during the April shutdown. There were 3 patients in one week weighing just under 400 pounds. This extreme weight transfers the excessive load to the knee, so much it is actually joint overload. For every 10 pounds gained, it is 50 pounds of force on the knee. Understandably, this compounds treatment and requires the patient to be part of the treatment success plan. Not understanding this, also leads to additional medical problems and long-term debility. Part of Dr. Lox’s job is to help the patient today, tomorrow, and 5-10 years later. Not thinking about the future or having a long-term game plan, is how patients end up disabled and in nursing homes. Dr. Lox tries to impart wisdom for the future, to make good choices today, so they have choices about their lives in the future.
Progressive Degenerative Arthritis
The key to understanding degenerative arthritis is that it is progressive. It is not stagnant, it does not stay the same over time, it gets worse with time. The x-rays you have today will not look the same in 5 years, the arthritis gets worse.
This is why predicting future problems can be made if nothing is done to address degenerative arthritis. How much worse, or the rate of progression can be also inferred by many variables such as, prior trauma, or knee surgery, certain sports that impact the knee, occupation, and weight.
Knee Arthritis Treatments
The normal current medical model of knee arthritis treatment is symptom control, not fixing the problem of progressive degenerative arthritis. All anti-inflammatory medications and corticosteroids injections do not halt the progressive nature of degenerative arthritis. They may temporarily control pain or swelling, but do not alter the rate of progressive degenerative arthritis.
Many patients also have Hyaluronic acid injections, which they refer to by many names gel shots, rooster comb, or by the brand name of several of the medication names on the market. These also do not stop the progressive nature of degenerative knee arthritis. It can’t as Hyaluronic acid is already in the knee joint. Approximately one-third derive short-term relief, while two-thirds derive no relief.
Therefore, approaching progressive degenerative knee arthritis requires a different approach for better success. That is where Dr. Lox and Regenerative Medicine can make a difference.
A Regenerative Personalized Approach
Understanding the progressive nature of degenerative knee arthritis, and the factors which contribute to the faster acceleration of the progression, Dr. Lox can utilize his expertise in Sports and Regenerative Medicine to combine stem cell science to halt or reverse the progression depending on the situation. This is the fine art of understanding each and every patient, and the differences which make each patient unique. By understanding these differences, and incorporating science to help each patient, an individualized patient-centered approach can be implemented. It is true in this case that knowledge is power, and the power is to change the outcome by utilizing cutting-edge science, and personal changes to get the best results. Ignoring the problem won’t make degenerative arthritis go away. Embracing change, and making the decision to seek consultation with Dr. Lox may be the start of a new way of looking at life.
