Managing Leg Pain & Arthritis

Types of Arthritis

Although there are several types of arthritis, Osteoarthritis (OA) and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) are the most common. OA involves the gradual deterioration of the cartilage in joints, causing stiffness, pain, and limited range of motion. RA is an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack healthy cells for unknown reasons. These attacks cause inflammation, especially in the joints. It often affects hips, knees, ankles, and feet, leading to leg pain.

Orthoses to Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis

RA causes structural and alignment issues that can affect your foot, knee, and lower back. Orthotics can help in a variety of ways:

• Evenly distribute body weight
• Reduce pressure on feet and joints affected by arthritis
• Reduce stress on lower legs
• Improve posture and gait
• Slow progression of RA over time

Treating Arthritic Knee Pain With Braces

An unloader brace is a type of knee brace that pushes the knee back into regular alignment when arthritis causes it to shift. An unloader brace is a custom-designed orthosis made from carbon fiber or plastic, foam, and metal that places pressure on three points of the thigh bone to bend the knee to the desired position. This can relieve pain and help prevent the knee from giving out due to instability. A neoprene brace with a cutout for the kneecap can help keep the kneecap in place when weakness or cartilage damage causes pain.

An ankle foot orthosis (AFO) brace is another custom option that stabilizes the foot and ankle. An AFO leg brace controls the range of motion in the ankle joint, assists with weight bearing, keeps the leg from dragging, increases mobility, and provides overall foot and ankle stability. An AFO brace can also prevent further complications by preventing deformities from developing due to a misaligned gait.

Other Ways to Reduce Pain Associated With Osteoarthritis

Unfortunately, OA is a condition that cannot be stopped or reversed, but there are many non-surgical ways you can use to treat your leg pain.

• Use heat and ice to help reduce pain, stiffness, and swelling
• Maintain a healthy weight to keep stress on your knee joint low
• Move your body daily with low-impact exercises like walking, biking, or swimming 
• Try topical creams containing ingredients like camphor, capsaicin, or menthol to calm pain and reduce swelling

Contact Us For An Evaluation

Durrett’s Orthotics & Prosthetics has been family-owned since 1958 and we value our relationships with patients and their families. We offer orthotic and prosthetic services for children and adults from our state-of-the-art facilities. We offer compassionate care from locations in Edgewood, Kentucky, and Lawrenceburg, Indiana.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment. 

Durrett’s Orthotics & Prosthetics is happy to serve Lawrenceburg, IN, Erlanger, Florence, Covington, Fort Thomas, Union, Walton, Edgewood, Oakbrook, Taylorsport, Fort Mitchell, Hebron, Beaverlick, Burlington, Belleview, Independence, Newport, Verona, Elsmere, KY, and Cincinnati, OH.