Can we avoid knee replacement with alternative treatments?

The knee is one of the main load bearing joints in our body that gets worn out with age. Arthritis of the knee and pain in the knee joint is common in people of all ages and gender. The first alternative to knee surgery most physicians try is lifestyle modification. This may include weight loss, strengthening muscles, and increasing flexibility may help you avoid joint replacement. The main component for joint surgery avoidance is strengthening the muscles that support your joints. The quadriceps in the front of the thigh and the hamstrings in the back are key to knee strength. Every time you walk or run or do anything weight-bearing, the quads absorb the shock. The stronger your quads are, the less load that gets transferred into the joint. Stretching is also important to keep the muscles flexible. So movement is very important as it builds the leg muscle to support the knees, keeps the joints well lubricated, low impact exercises like walking, cycling and swimming are very good. Avoid activities that put extra strain on the knees. Losing weight will make you see the difference in your arthritis pain and knee joint pain. It lessens the load on the weight bearing joints to a big extent. Excess weight on the joints accelerates arthritis in our body as the joints have to work extra hard to support the body.

Hydrate means drink lots of water, as the cartilage in our body and in the joints are made of 80 percent water. If water is not enough in our body then the cartilage will show signs of stress which can worsen the disease. Balanced diet is very important for the body, it goes a long way to improve bone health. Eating healthy food and avoiding food that worsen the arthritis condition is important. Resting your body after periods of activity is very important. Sleep enables our body to naturally repair and rejuvenate itself from any damage caused to it. So, do not forget the importance of adequate sleep in your daily life. Turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory. It contains curcumin which helps to reduce inflammation and pain in the body. It works just like ibuprofen but without the side effects. Deep breathing is very helpful as it removes the toxic gases from our body and supplies fresh oxygen to all the internal parts of our body and blood. This reduces the pain in the joints, improves mood and helps us to be stress free. RICE means rest, ice, compression and elevation can help you a lot with arthritis pain and swelling in any joint. Finding your balance in physical, mental and dietary changes will help you a lot in the long run. As it will enable you to maintain a good all-round health for a long time.

Since its discovery in 1974, Green Lipped Mussel Extract (GLME) has now been subjected to more than forty years of quality scientific research and proven in laboratory and clinical trials, to be effective in treating both rheumatoid and osteo forms of arthritis. The discovery of the activity of the chondroprotective activity of glucosamines and chondroitin sulphates led to the answer to our puzzle. GLME has a natural content of glycosaminoglycans and this is the name for a group of polysaccharides which includes chondroitin sulphate amongst a few others such as dermatan sulphate, hyaluronic acid etc. These glycosaminoglycans which use glucosamine molecules as the raw material for their building blocks are used by the body for the biosynthesis of compounds called proteoglycans. The proteoglycans have a very strong affinity for water molecules in the joints, to which they bind, and form very large, slippy, space filling molecules.  The function of these large combination molecules is to act as shock absorbers and also lubricants in the joints. We have therefore, in GLME, anti-inflammatory activity which is necessary to relieve the inflammatory component of osteoarthritis coupled with chondroprotective activity which relieves the physical problem of degenerative joint condition osteoarthritis. There is one further point which is worthy of mention here and this relates to the increased rate of cartilage degeneration in the joints in arthritic disease and also in advanced age. In young people and those not affected by arthritis, the rate of cartilage degeneration in the joints is equaled by that of regeneration. In the older person and in arthritic disease states this balance is upset leading to a reduction in the padding and lubrication of the joints. Certain cytokine induced enzyme activity is known to accelerate the breakdown of cartilage process and the inhibition of this enzymic activity is thus very desirable. GLME has been shown in laboratory studies to inhibit cytokine activity which would lead to the production of cells responsible for this process.

GLME manufactured by Healtheries of New Zealand is now available in India through their Authorised representatives – Perma Healthcare. The cost for this therapy of 1000mg/day comes to Rs 50/- per day for first three months, which can be later reduced to 500 mg/day, i.e. Rs 25/- per day.