New research from the Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, has found that individuals undergoing total knee replacement surgery for rheumatoid arthritis have lower expectations following their surgery than osteoarthritic patients.
Rheumatologists involved in the study found that rheumatoid arthritis patients may not push their physical therapy as far as those with osteoarthritis resulting in worse postsurgical outcomes. The researchers believe these patients may not try as hard due to having lower expectations and subsequently do not attain the same level of rehabilitation following total knee replacement as osteoarthritic patients.
In some cases a partial knee replacement may be a viable option resulting in shorter rehabilitation times and better post-surgical outcomes. A new non-surgical treatment for osteoarthritis of the knees is AposTherapy; the use of specialised footwear to correct gait and posture which, following continued use, can reverse osteoarthritis.
