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How to treat knee pain in a paralytic patient?

Hansa Kanuga
Consultant Physiotherapist,
Apollo clinic,
Vadodara.

Q: My father is 53 and has paralysis in his left hand and leg for the past 25 years. But now he gets severe knee pain near the joint. He got himself treated by a couple of Orthopedic surgeons who gave some pain killers but did not suggest any permanent cure. Could you please suggest some useful medications may be with a massage oil so that my father gets some relief.

A:The knee joint wears out with age and it is the muscles around the joint that support the joint in the long run. If your father has had paralysis for the last few years in the left leg, then he has no joint supporting the left leg and as a habit, he must have been putting more weight on the right leg, so there is no good support on the right leg. Unfortunately, pain killers are a temporary relief measure and should be avoided if possible. Massaging oils also will not give the desired effect. He should get special padded knee caps made by some prosthetic professional which can provide support and use a walking stick to take the extra weight which the joint is not in a position to take.