Exercise

monty2520

Hello, I am very new here. I have been referred to my local MSK physio, and she has given me exercises to do and return in 6 weeks. The exercises are for my quads. Is there any way to tell whether the quads need strengthening? I have very painful osteoarthritis in my knees, and I think my quads are already strong.

Naomi33

Morning @monty2520 and welcome to the online community.

Sorry to hear your concerns about osteoarthritis and new exercises.

I was actually given neck exercises when my elbows were painful I did question it but not resolution really so did them anyway. Then ended up having steroid injections in elbows. So not sure why and how physio people work but did as I was told. Then discharged as the pain went but was really due to steroid injection.

I would continue then question at next visit or request a second opinion personally.

Good luck and I am sure others will connect with you soon.

@Naomi33

helpline_team

Hi @monty2520,

Thanks for posting your question on the Helpline Online Community.

It is positive that you have been referred for physiotherapy, and for it to have the most benefit, you should practice the exercises regularly at home.

Sometimes osteoarthritis of the knee can cause the muscles in the thighs to weaken, so your leg may be visibly thinner. This weakness can make the joint feel unstable and could cause the knee to give way when you put weight on it, so the quadriceps and other muscles surrounding the knee joint are often targeted by physiotherapists for treatment with exercises. If you are unsure if this is the right approach for yourself, you could ask your physiotherapist for some more information about their observational and physical assessment of the muscles surrounding your knee joint.

I hope you will find the following pages on our website helpful.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/osteoarthritis-of-the-knee/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/media/25691/knee-pain-exercise-sheet.pdf

Best wishes,
Helen, Helpline Advisor

DaveT

Hello All

I too have pain and mobility problems with my left elbow and forearm, had injections and physio that have not worked and currently waiting report on Nerve/Muscle conduction tests the first indications pointing to a bicep problem. Watch this space.

helpline_team

Hi @DaveT

If you'd like to hear back from other people living with arthritis, you might want to post on the Living with arthritis forum.

But if you'd like some information and support from us here at the Helpline, you are in the right place.

Do let us know if you already have any arthritis diagnosis - so if you've had (for example) Osteoarthritis (OA) or another condition it's helpful to tell us, as different conditions may have very different treatments. I can appreciate that you are having some further investigations, but it's still useful to know if overall you have an arthritis diagnosis. For example if you have OA in several other parts of your body, then you might well find our information on OA for hand, wrist, elbow might be broadly relevant.

So if we were going to offer you some general information, without knowing a diagnosis it might not be as detailed and helpful to you.

If you are unsure about this, it might be worth ringing us on the Helpline on 0800 5200 520 so we can help a bit more.

Exercising with arthritis | Top tips, specific exercises

Conditions | Types of arthritis, causes, treatments

I do hope that's helpful

Guy - Helpline Team