Oeteoarthritis and HA

Oeteoarthritis and HA

Do you suffer from these symptoms

- Knee pain during movement
- Creaking or grinding sensation during movement
- Knee stiffness after rest
- Knee joint swelling
- Loss of range of movement / loss of mobility

Understanding HA

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally occurring molecules that are contained in many tissues, not just the joints. HA is one of the components that give our tissues flexibility.

HA is essential for healthy cartilage. It’s the chemical backbone that olds together the molecules, such as chondroitin sulfate, that make up the cartilage and give joint cartilage its special properties. HA is what makes joint cartilage the smoothest and most friction-free substance in nature. Nothing man-made can approach the performance of this remarkable tissues.

Oeteoarthritis and HA

HA is what makes synovial fluid thick and viscous - and it’s these properties that are vital to normal knee joint junction.

But when osteoarthritis strikes, the amount of HA in the knee joint drops. In severe osteoarthritis, the level of HA in the joint fluid may decrease by 75% or more. When HA levels in the knee drop, for instance, the result is a creaking and grinding sensation, knee pain and, often, a condition called “movie-goers knee”.

It may sound funny, but movie-goers knee is no joke. it’s a real medical condition that occurs after someone with knee osteoarthritis sits with the knee bent at a sharp angle for a prolonged period of time - such as sitting through a feature movie or driving a car for a couple of hours.

Upon arising, a sudden, sharp, stabbing knee pain occurs. The knee pain usually goes away after walking a few steps, as the remaining fluid in the knee coats the surfaces of the cartilage ad cuts down on the friction.

Choosing the Best HA supplement

As researchers learn more about the HA pathways in the knee joints, they continue to discover new ways in which HA helps to relieve pain and improve function in patients with osteoarthritis.

One of things they've learned is that oral HA supplements can be very effective - but only if they’re a high quality product that closely mimics the body’s own HA.

Today, the oral forms of HA sold as dietary supplements come from three general categories:
1. Low-purity animal extractions with collagen
2. Fermentation from bacteria; or
3. Concentrated extractions from avian sources

The original pharmaceutical forms of injected HA were all derived from the avian sources, so it makes sense that this is also the optimal form for dietary supplements.

Low-purity animal extractions mixed with collagen are undesirable because of two reasons. To get an adequate quantity of HA from these supplements, you’d have to take them in very large amounts. Also it’s questionable whether the biological activity of this source of HA is comparable with the others. HA derived from bacterial fermentation may also be less functional and it doesn't have some of the natural active components found in the concentrated extractions from avian sources.

Knee Osteoarthritis OA

Knee Osteoarthritis OA

Osteoarthritis or OA is a wear and tear disease that develops gradually over the years due to repetitive damages in the knee joint because of certain activities or events. Besides ageing, there are other reasons that may cause you to be at higher risk of developing OA, such as being overweight, family history of Osteoarthritis, and certain occupations.

OA usually develops slowly, and gradually worsens over time. The knee pain symptoms may range from mild to very very severe. In general, there are four stages of OA based on medical X-ray findings

Stage 1 - Narrowing of knee joint space is unlikely.
Stage 2 - Minimal change in knee joint space; identified small osteophytes (bone spurs formed around the joint)
Stage 3 - Moderate knee joint space narrowing; presence of multiple osteophytes
Stage 4 - Severe knee joint space narrowing with bone-on-bone contact; presence of multiple large osteophytes.

Healthy Knee VS Knee with OA

In a healthy knee there is a small amount of lubricating fluid, known as synovial fluid, in the knee joint. A substance known as hyaluronic acid is found predominately in synovial fluid. The primary function of hyaluronic acid is to provide lubrication and reduce fiction when the knee joint moves or bends. It also has shock absorbing ability to protect your knee joint when, for example, you jump.

When you have OA of the knee the cartilage that protects the ends of the bones gradually deteriorates. OA of the knee also causes the synovial fluid inside the knee joint to become damaged and lose its shock absorbing abilities. Therefore, t can no longer protect your knee joint effectively. Joint mat begin to scrub against each other, causing pain, stiffness and loss of movement in the knee joint. This is why you experience pain, swelling and loss of mobility.

Common symptoms of Osteoarthritis OA

1. Knee pain during movement and even at rest
2. A grating sensation in the joint during movement
3. Stiffness after periods of rest
4. Knee Joint swelling
5. Loss of range of movement
6. Loss of mobility
7. Weakened posture due to knee pain and stiffness

The symptoms of Osteoarthritis OA are treatable, especially in the early stages of disease. If OA is not treated appropriately, these knee pain symptoms can get worsen over time. Constant knee pain and limited movement probably make even simple tasks and pleasures increasingly difficult for you. If you have pain or stiffness in one or both knees, contact your doctor for knee pain diagnosis to find out if you have Osteoarthritis OA.

Treatments option for Osteoarthritis OA

1.  Lifestyle changes, including moderate exercise, weight control and reducing stress on your knee joint.

2. Oral pain relievers such as paracetamol or NSAID is for temporary knee pain relief.

3. Dietary supplements, such as glucosamines, and also used to help manage knee pain However, taking these supplements does not stop your  Osteoarthritis from getting worse.

4. Topical pain-relieving creams to apply to your skin

5. Physical and occupational therapy to strengthen muscles and improve mobility.

6. Steroid injections to temporary relieve knee pain and reduce swelling. However, repeated use of steroid injections may itself  accelerate cartilage degradation.

7. Viscosupplementation - A knee joint injection, such as Synvisc-One, the replaces damaged joint fluid with a substance similar  to healthy joint fluid, in order to reduce knee pain and often improve function as well.

8. Surgery, often recommended when knee pain is severe and other treatments have not provided relief.