KNEE ARTHRITIS - General principles of managing Osteoarthritis of the knee :
question - - Posted by NikkiE (NikkiE), 12 November 2004
Hi All,
I just have a question.
I posted on here a few weeks ago, having just been diagnosed with osteoarthritis in the medial area of the joint.
The Knee doctor told me that I should get a piece of inner sole and cut it down so there is a thin wedge on the outside of the foot and put it in my shoe. The theory being that it would force my weight onto the outside (healthy) section of the joint.
I have just had a chat with my physiotherapist, who has told me to throw it away. She said my biomechanics are such that I pronate and roll my weight to the inside on the foot when I walk and that is probably what has caused problems. She says that using the piece of inner sole would just worsen this problem.
Does anybody have any suggestions?
Posted by hmaxwell (Heather M.), 12 November 2004
Gait analysis/training will help pinpoint problems, and if the procedure is good enough they can even take computer information and have the program do a printout of exactly the kind of orthotics you need. These orthotics (shoe inserts) may be custom made, or they could be off the shelf--you won't know until you have very competent analysis done.
Also, a very good podiatrist and/or foot & ankle surgeon can likely point you in the right direction. If you are pronating, gait assessment and retraining with orthotics can likely make all the difference for you. So would wearing proper, orthopedically correct shoes.
Heather
Posted by JLfxit (JLfxit), 16 November 2004
Hi Nikkie,
I'm new on the site having just found it, and, to my way of thinking this is a great time for you to appraise your own biomechanics. Here in the UK there is a little known process called the Feldenkrais Method. This process reviews your whole body biomechanics, and retrains you to re-learn patterns of systemic structural self use. Plus reintroducing you to patterns of movement you have not performed for a while. I am a Physiotherapist, and a Feldenkrais Practitioner. I use it on myself and my clients. sometimes the way you hold your head, the way you tense through your ribcage, the way you twist your leg can cause stress into joints. There are practs up and down the country. The UK Guild has a website just type in feldenkrais UK on a search engines and you'll find it.
Jill
Posted by NikkiE (NikkiE), 16 November 2004
Dear Heather,
Thanks for your answer. I have an appointment tomorrow to go to a podiatrist and get it all checked out.
Hopefully he will be a big help.
Dear JLfxit,
I have heard of the Feldenkrais method, but never knew what it was. I live in Australia, but I am sure there are a few practicioners around. My physiotherapist currently has me doing not only leg strenthtening exercises, but doing a class which is a mix of Yoga and Pilates to build up core strength.
I have had poppy hips for a few years. They mostly pop (pretty much painlessly) at night when I roll over in bed, and sometimes with a change in position when standing. But I have noticed the left one (my good side) in the last few days is popping about 10 times a day, and is achey. It aches more when I sit, but is fine when moving around and standing. I am hoping and praying it doesn't herald the start of OA in my hips. I'm still trying to digest my knee diagnosis!
I can't seem to find anything on the internet about it.
Anyone got any ideas?
Posted by JLfxit (JLfxit), 16 November 2004
Nikkie, the first place I came across the Feldenkrais Method was around 14 years ago when a client came back from.... Australia and he had received a combination of Physiotherapy and Feldenkrais work. There are several sites such as the North American guild site for Feldenkrais and I knw that if you type in Paul Rubin you will find Feldenkrais trainings running in Oz. I had a partial rupture ACL 13 years ago and I've applied the processes. Plus Feldenkrais himself had knee problems from Judo and that was one reason he got into the whole area.
Jill
Updated Sat Nov 21 2009
