Do you have pain on the inside (medial) or outside (lateral) of your knee? Do you have pain walking downstairs or downhill?  Is your knee worse with activity and limiting you from keeping active? Do you have a Baker’s cyst (swelling behind the knee)?

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You could be developing osteoarthritis in your knees. Approximately 13% of women and 10% of men aged 60 years and older have symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. This can be confirmed by your doctor with a simple x-ray and managed with a knee brace to slow down the degradation and stop the pain.

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Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease, thus once it starts it progressively becomes worse with age and activity, until a knee replacement is recommended. Osteoarthritis causes the soft tissue over the bone on one side to slowly deteriorate until it is bone on bone. This can then lead to small osteophytes forming on the surface of the bone. These small bone spurs greatly increase the pain and inflammation in the area. It could have started from an injury, collapsed arches in your feet, or the natural angle of your knee joint.

 

With a knee brace like the Unloader One or the Unloader One X, knee replacement surgery can be avoided. A brace is a great option since knee replacements only last about 10 to 15 years and rehabilitation can take a long time.

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Designed with patient compliance in mind, custom knee braces like Ossur’s Unloader One and One X, weigh only 1 pound, can be worn daily under clothes or over tights, and are very easy to take on and off. These braces are the only ones that pull the leg instead of push. When a brace pushes the knee over to open up the affected compartment it can cause more pain with pressure on the knee. The Unloader One and One X’s patent 3-point leverage system pulls above and below the knee, when needed, resulting in a reduction of pain due to knee OA, as well as, degenerative meniscal tears. The Unloader One also has Smart Dosing dials, which allow you to easily increase or decrease the amount of support needed for different activities.

 

If you would like more information you can book a free 15-minute phone consultation with Sarah Shiho. If you are ready to be measured for a brace contact us to schedule an appointment.

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To view more about the Unloader One, watch the videos below!