This particular case history is written from a bodywork perspective, and was first published at http://aitheinbodyworkacademy.blogspot.com/. However it is of interest to the readers at Healthy Healing as well, because it describes a holistic, multi-pronged approach, in an attempt to avoid knee replacement surgery. Tomorrow, we will examine the subject of ozone in the treatment of knee and other joint problems more closely when we present a study that was done at the University of Bologna in Italy almost 15 years ago, involving over three hundred patients. By the way, the Bologna study demonstrates further that bodywork and other physiotherapeutic interventions can be a great help, when applied together with intra-articular and sub-cutaneous ozone injections, plus peri-articular ozone infiltration (by the way of ozone bagging and the administration of ozone oil).
The following treatment plan was offered, with the foal of avoiding knee replacement surgery, if at all possible:
The protocol to be presented here today, in greater detail, including case history and treatment plan, was successful. This success did not come easy, though, as it took almost one year to complete the full treatment, with an interval of two months after six months, and forty orthopedic muscle sculpting sessions in the course of the first six months alone. And it took more than just the bodywork. The treating therapist in this case also happened to be a general physician, and she therefore integrated other therapeutic modalities into the treatment plan.
The patient, whom from now on we shall refer to as Deepika, was a sixty year old housewife and mother of five who when she first consulted the therapist voiced the following complaints:
- Pain and swelling in the right knee for the last 5 years
- Not able to squat
- Not able to walk for more than 100m without support
- Not able to climb stairs
- Persistent stiffness & pain in the knee after waking in the morning and in the evening after completion of the day’s chores
- Heavy pain for the last six months despite regular intake of heavy-duty painkillers and wearing a splint
- Suffers from chronic fatigue & depression
- Has been suffering from heartburn & hyperacidity for the past 12 months
- Was advised to undergo knee replacement surgery a month ago
Deepika had been a homemaker all her life, with very little contact to the world outside the framework of family. She had never smoked, and never consumed alcohol. Her diet was mostly non-vegetarian, with an intake of 3-4 glasses of water per day, and plenty of sugary chai. With 88Kgs at 5 feet of height, Deepika was also seriously overweight.
Cursory observation revealed that she walked with the help of a stick, putting most of her weight on the left knee, as the right knee remained constantly guarded. The right knee was swollen. The leg was kept in a flexed position even while standing. Deepika’s mostly maintained a stooped posture. With this and other body language signs, she gave the impression of being emotionally insecure, quite frightened actually of everything.
Through palpitation it was further discovered that the swelling was of the same temperature as the surrounding skin, except for the part right over the knee joint. The muscles of the knee joint felt hard like stone. This hardness extended into the thigh and the gastrocnemius; upward also further into the gluteus, the pelvis and lower back; as well as downward into the Achilles tendon, ankle joint and the foot.
Specific orthopedic tests confirmed that flexion and extension of the right knee were limited in range, and quite painful for Deepika to attempt. The left knee was found normal in its range of movement. X-ray of right knee showed changes typical to osteoarthritis, i.e.: decreased joint space, sclerosis of the articulating ends of femur as well as tibia, etc.
- Orthopedic muscle sculpting sessions 1 ½ hour each twice a week, for a minimum of 6 months
- One intra-articlar ozone injection per week for ten weeks into the right knee (2cc at a concentration of 20 microgram per milliliter)
- Infra Red Heat therapy on the right knee after every treatment session
- Daily supplementation with active calcium and magnesium salts, as well as capsules containing chondroitin sulphate and glucosamine
- Initially use of two walking sticks instead of one, in order to also relieve the left knee of the extra burden.
- Weight management through a diet plan with the intention to help Deepika achieve a more ideal weight for her height of 50 Kgs to 60 Kgs.
And these were the results:
- After 4 sessions or two weeks of treatment, the pain in Deepika’s right knee decreased. The muscles started to get loosened up, facilitating a smoother movement of the knee joint. Deepika found it easier to walk.
- For the first time in years, Deepika could put some weight on the right knee after 12 sessions, or six weeks of treatment. She also could walk for longer stretches than before. The swelling around the knee joint was considerably reduced by then, too.
- After 20 sessions Deepika was able to flex the knee to 90 degrees and could keep that posture for 10 to 15 minutes. At this point in the development, she started to use a bicycle for about half an hour per day, at low speed. The swelling in the knee had disappeared altogether. Deepika also felt energetically and emotionally stable and stronger that before.
- After 40 sessions or six months of treatment Deepika was able to walk without the support of a stick. She had also lost 18 Kgs and now weighed 70 Kgs. She suspended the treatment for a while, however continued following the established diet plan.
When she consulted the orthopedic surgeon, he told Deepika that according to present clinical signs and symptoms she did not need knee replacement surgery any longer.
This is a textbook case of good bodywork in conjunction with other treatment modalities.