Look after your knees

There has been an article recently in the physiotherapy press about looking after your knees. It was reporting the results of a research project that looked at the difference between exercise and surgery on your knees.

The researchers in Norway looked at 140 people whose average age was 50. Half of these people had arthroscopic surgery for degenerative meniscal tears (tears of the cartilage that leads to arthritis) and the other half had exercise sessions for three months including a home exercise programme.

After two years they found that knee-related quality of life for both groups was the same. The research team, led by Nina Jullum Kise, an orthopaedic surgeon at Martina Hansens Hospital now prescribe exercise therapy to be given to patients with meniscal tears.

As we age the meniscus in our knees deteriorates and whether knee pain comes from meniscal tears or just general arthritic changes, the outcome is the same.

With the mantra, ‘be nice to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’ve gone’ in mind,  knees can always benefit from exercise. Building the muscles up around your knees will help protect them.

So, be kind to your knees, help then to avoid surgery by giving them the right sort of exercise…it is well worth the effort.