Fitness at Fifty+: How Unloader One Helps an OA Patient stay Fit at Every Age

​Osteoarthritis (OA), particularly knee OA, is a progressive condition that worsens over time. Whether caused by aging, heredity, over-use or injury, it involves the erosion of significant amounts of cartilage -- the padding between joints. The ultimate result can be a bone-on-bone rubbing that may be extremely painful. It is one of the most common causes of disability in adults, with 14 million Americans having symptomatic knee OA.

Retired nurse Pam Weaver had dealt with constant knee pain for years. After Pam was diagnosed as having severe knee OA, she knew that as a medical professional, she needed to find solutions to help her condition. 

"I worked in the ER at a Level One Trauma hospital for over 30 years. When you work in an ER, you are on your feet all of the time, and certainly my work contributed to the pain in my knees, but I also have a family history of OA – my mother had both of her knees replaced by the time she was in her mid-70s," she says.

Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA).  TKA is an invasive surgery that unfortunately may require a person to endure a long and often painful recovery and rehabilitation. Moreover, the positive effects from the surgery may last fewer than 20 years, so patients could face the possibility of reoperations – additional knee replacement surgeries – during their lifetime. 

"My family doctor knew right away that I had OA," Pam recalls. "He could feel it -- the crepitus, or crunchiness -- of my knee. X-rays confirmed his initial opinion, but he encouraged me to wait as long as possible to have surgery, because the benefits of surgery typically only last for 10-15 years."

While some people may turn to medications to help address their pain, Pam sought other options. "I know medications, including narcotics, can have their place for people dealing with pain, but aside from an anti-inflammatory, I've really worked to stay away from medication as a treatment for my OA," she says.  

One thing Pam credits as having helped her stay active despite her OA knee pain is her commitment to a regular and rather vigorous exercise routine. She has been a member of a local gym for three decades and has always loved working out. Her routine typically involves alternating upper body and lower body days, doing double sets of 12 reps on a half-dozen weight machines each session. 

"I've been constantly working out, and that has kept me strong. At this point in my life, the whole goal is to avoid injury," she says. Retirement has been a boon to her workout schedule: while some people might consider it a time for rest and leisure, Pam happily reports she now gets to work out as often as five or six days every week. 

A Change of Heart About Bracing

Despite her love for the gym, Pam's chronic knee pain was starting to impact on her workouts, and she found herself needing to reduce the weight she was using, or doing fewer reps. It was suggested that the Unloader One® knee brace could help with her OA knee pain, but she initially resisted the idea of using a brace. 

However, this past February, she had a new, surprising and slightly scary experience: after sitting and visiting with friends for a while, her knee inexplicably gave out. She experienced weakness so debilitating that she was unable to put any weight on her leg for a few hours. Such weakness can be a hallmark symptom of advancing knee OA. 

"I talked to the physician at a sports injury clinic I go to, and he told me I was at 'the end of the road.' I couldn't delay knee replacement surgery any longer," Pam says. 

Again, an Unloader® brace was recommended to Pam because she was facing a lengthy wait time before she would be able to have surgery. This time she agreed and was fitted for her Unloader One brace just before starting an extended golf vacation in Arizona.

Best Brace for Osteoarthritis

"Contrary to what I originally thought about using a knee brace, the Unloader One® is the best brace for my osteoarthritis. It allows me to be as mobile as I want to be and it's provided such a marked improvement in the quality of my life," Pam says. "With the brace, I have little pain or weakness in my knee. I've also noticed that my gait has improved because it has taken the load off of my right hip, which frequently had been painful."

Pam has noticed additional benefits from wearing the Unloader One brace, as well. "There has been a slight decrease in inflammation of the knee, which has reduced my discomfort even when I'm not wearing the brace. I can bend my knee without pain or weakness unlike other knee supports I've tried."

Pam's physician at the sports injury clinic impressed upon her the importance of staying as active as possible, so she has maintained her gym workout routine, as well as golfing. "I'm back to full workouts, and have increased my lower body weights by 15 pounds. I've also increased my time on the stair machine," she says. "Although I can't say I'm entirely pain-free, I'm now at about a 1 or 2 out of 10 on the pain scale. And when I'm on the step machine, there's no discomfort at all. Today, I can do 18 minutes on the machine, and walk 6,000 steps when I golf, which is three or four times a week." 

The Össur Unloader One knee brace is one of several types of off-loader knee braces that can be used to provide stability, support, and pain relief. The brace was designed to transfer pressure within the knee, "offloading" one side of the joint to the other, shifting stress from the affected side of the joint to the healthier side of the joint. Clinical studies have shown that people wearing off loader braces have experienced reduced pain, delayed surgery and experienced an improved quality of life. 

"I want to keep my body as strong as possible, and the brace really helps with that," Pam says. "Although I was resistant to using it at first, it has since become a lifeline for me. My knee brace is lightweight, and easy to put on and off. It does all that I need it to do."

The Unloader One brace also helps Pam when she's doing everyday activities outside of the gym. "When I'm traveling, or sitting somewhere or riding in a car, the brace keeps my knee stable and helps to alleviate the discomfort that comes with sitting for hours. There's no piercing, shooting pain that sometimes comes with micromovements. The knee pain is not just when I'm active, but when I'm inactive as well," Pam says.

Since getting her brace, Pam has also vacationed in Europe, where she walked extensively on uneven, cobblestone roads. "We spent 10 days on the Danube, traveling from Budapest to Prague and exploring all the cities in between," she recalls. "Fortunately, because I was wearing my Unloader One brace, I was able to keep up with the group – climbing hills and doing all the walking everyone else was doing."

When asked about her advice to others suffering from knee OA, Pam says it's important to keep going and not give into the pain. 

Osteoarthritis bracing can also reduce symptomatic pain by reducing pressure on the affected compartment of the joint.

"My goal is to live my life sensibly, but with a routine that makes me feel good and functional. The Unloader One helps me be active and the more active I am, the stronger I am, and the better my quality of life," Pam says. "If a person has a lot of discomfort and needs support, they should consider talking to their physician about bracing. For me, the Unloader One has been the best brace for my osteoarthritis."