Knee Arthritis Singapore

Why Do I Have Knee Arthritis?

Many people suffer from knee aches, pain and stiffness due to osteoarthritis.
While knee arthritis is more common in older patients who’s knees have undergone many decades of mechanical stress, younger people with a history of knee trauma, injuries and even knee surgery are also predisposed to early onset arthritis in the knees.

Do I Need To Do An X-ray or MRI?

Knee arthritis can usually be diagnosed by an experienced doctor who can provide a clinical diagnosis based on a patients clinical history and physical examination.
In cases where the diagnosis is uncertain, and especially when a patient is not responding positively to treatment, an X-ray would be very useful to rule out other underlying problems.
In selected cases, a knee MRI might also be appropriate to provide a precise diagnosis.

How Can Knee Arthritis Be Treated?

For many patients, their doctors will likely prescribe rest and medications for a short period of time. Long term medications are less likely to be curative and risk potential side effects. Physiotherapy when properly applied is another common option. Using techniques such as manual therapy, medical massage, ultrasound, stretches and exercises, it can have a good result in many cases.

Joint injection with viscosupplementation are sometimes used as a “lubricant” to the joint.
However recent medical opinion indicate that the benefit of viscosupplementation on pain and function in patients is minimal.

“Do not offer intra-articular hyaluronan injections for the management of osteoarthritis.” [2014], National Institute for Health and Care Excellence ,UKGlucosamine based joint supplements have also become very popular over the past few years.
However, years of clinical experience have also now shown them to be of very limited benefit.

“Do not offer glucosamine or chondroitin products for the management of osteoarthritis.” [2014] National Institute for Health and Care Excellence ,UKSome doctors might also recommend steroidal injections. However these are rarely recommended in our clinic due the potential side effects.

Why Are My Arthritis Treatments Not Working?

When the previous treatments are not successful, we often find a few common factors:

• • The previous diagnosis was not precise. Imaging scans and clinical experience can often be very helpful in these cases.
  • Treatment was prescribed which took into account only one aspect of the condition. e.g., treating only the inflammatory component of degenerative knee arthritis using painkillers without addressing the underlying wear and tear.
  • Limited available options available. Patients were only offered painkillers and glucosamine instead of newer medical solutions.
  • Patients were offered impractical treatment plans which they could not accept. Common examples include being offered expensive and frequent treatments for extended periods. Fast-acting and cost-effective options are now usually available.

Is Knee Surgery Necessary

In cases where the condition is very severe, knee arthroscopy and knee replacement surgery can be considered.
In most other cases, even where pain and stiffness are severe or have been present for a long time, there are many non-surgical options that a patient should first consider.
As surgery can have significant risks and cost, it is important to balance this carefully against the potential benefits expected.

Can I Use Medisave And Medical Insurance To Pay For Knee Arthritis Treatments?

As our treatments are very affordable and cost-effective, many patients choose to self pay.
For those with insurance coverage, we are happy to help support medical claims.
Medisave is another very popular option to help pay for knee arthritis treatments.

What New Treatment Options Can The Pain Relief Clinic Offer For My Knee Arthritis?

At The Pain Relief Clinic, we adopt a biomedical targeted approach that addresses how the multiple component causes of knee pain affect you.
This allows us to provide treatment strategy that targets the root causes of your condition using medical technology in a comprehensive and cost-effective way.
Depending on your specific condition, some of the useful options that can give very good results include: