Self-Management & Education

There is good evidence to suggest that patients get pain reduction and increased psychological wellbeing simply from understanding their condition. The evidence confirms that an educated patient is more likely to actively participate in the formation of their treatment plan and their own treatment. They are also more motivated to stay the course of the plan and typically achieve better results.

If you are given pills to take as a treatment, that’s easy to execute. However, with knee osteoarthritis (OA) the best results often come through treatments that require changes to lifestyle and habits. Such treatments require mental effort, adaption and discipline. These are factors a healthcare professional cannot give you. The only person that can is you.

Understanding your unique condition and helping design a treatment plan means that you will have ‘bought into’ the plan. This will result in you feeling both knowledgeable and empowered to deal with your OA, and much more likely to implement the treatment fully. Confidence is gained when you know what to expect from your knee OA, which will help you feel equipped to deal with future challenges. The positive, can-do approach that results can benefit many aspects of your life.

Put simply, the more you understand knee OA and any other conditions you may have, and the various strategies for dealing with them, the more you will feel in control. Gaining knowledge is a gradual process, but reading the material on this and other reference websites is an excellent start.

Other trustworthy resources on knee OA include:

• Arthritis Australia: www.arthritisaustralia.com.au
• My Joint Pain: www.myjointpain.org.au
• Osteoarthritis Research Society International: www.oarsi.org