Stepped Therapy for Osteoarthritis: From Prevention to Rehabilitation

Every year on 12 October, the world marks World Arthritis Day. Osteoarthritis — commonly called degenerative joint disease — is a common, chronic degenerative joint condition caused by a range of factors. Its main signs are joint pain, stiffness, swelling, limited bending and stretching, and muscle wasting.

It does not form overnight. It builds up over years from long-term poor habits, ageing, excess weight, injury and deformity. Understanding the causes is the first step on the road to recovery.

In today’s fast-paced world, osteoarthritis has quietly become an invisible threat to quality of life. But do not worry: with a scientific, stepped-treatment strategy, we can manage — and even slow — the process. From everyday prevention to rehabilitation, protecting joint health in many ways helps patients regain an active life.

Step one: Lifestyle adjustment

1. Reasonable exercise

• Low-impact exercise such as swimming and cycling builds muscle strength without putting too much pressure on the joints.
• Weight control eases the load on the joints and is a key part of both preventing and treating osteoarthritis.

2. Correct posture

Whether at work or in daily life, keeping a correct sitting and standing posture and avoiding staying in one position for too long helps reduce joint wear.

3. Mobility aids

When needed, use a cane, walker or joint brace to reduce the weight borne by the affected joint.

Step two: Physical therapy and medication

1. Physical therapy

• Heat and cold: choose the right method according to the pain to ease muscle tension and discomfort.
• Therapeutic devices: extracorporeal shockwave, radiofrequency ablation and electrical stimulation improve blood flow and speed up the resolution of inflammation.

2. Medication

• Over-the-counter drugs such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
• Prescription drugs are used under a doctor’s guidance — for example, intra-articular hyaluronic acid injections lubricate the joint and reduce friction.

Step three: Surgery

When conservative treatment fails and joint function is severely limited, surgery becomes necessary.

1. Arthroscopy

A minimally invasive technique that both diagnoses and treats. Through a very small incision it can clear proliferating synovial tissue inside the joint, reshape the meniscus and repair worn cartilage.

2. Knee-preserving surgery

For knees with obvious bowing (varus) or knock-knee (valgus) deformity, a high tibial osteotomy restores the mechanical axis, relieving symptoms and slowing the arthritis. For severe single-compartment disease, partial knee resurfacing — such as unicompartmental or patellofemoral arthroplasty — preserves most of the healthy joint surface and allows a quicker recovery.

3. Total knee arthroplasty

For severely worn joints, an artificial joint replacement can largely restore function and improve quality of life.

Throughout: Rehabilitation and self-management

Whatever the stage of treatment, rehabilitation training and self-management are essential.

Personalized rehab plan

Consult a physical therapist. After a functional assessment, build a multi-dimensional plan around your condition and recovery goals — strength training and balance work to stabilise the joint, plus range-of-motion and stretching exercises to relieve stiffness, increase flexibility and prevent soft-tissue contracture.

Choose the right exercise intensity

Keep exercise at a moderate to low level to avoid overloading the joints. Older patients with osteoarthritis often also have cardiovascular disease, so start from a low-to-moderate volume. You can gauge intensity by heart rate: we suggest aiming for about 50% to 60% of your age-predicted maximum, where maximum heart rate is roughly 220 minus your age.

Daily exercise time

Aim for 20 to 30 minutes of exercise a day. If you cannot sustain a continuous session, split it into 4 to 5 shorter bouts (each under 5 minutes) and gradually build up to 20 minutes daily.

Weekly exercise frequency

Aerobic exercise 3 to 4 times a week. If you cannot tolerate that, start with 2 days a week and increase as your capacity improves.

Choosing exercise types

Avoid high-impact activities — especially those involving jumping, lunges, deep squats, rope skipping and weightlifting — as they place greater stress on the joints. Patients with knee osteoarthritis should also avoid movements that require kneeling, to prevent pressure-related joint pain.

Rest during flare-ups

During an acute flare-up of osteoarthritis, rest is the priority and the joint should be kept free of load.

Keep a positive mindset

A positive, optimistic attitude and good social support help you better meet the challenges the condition brings.

About the doctors

Dr. Lu Jike
Director of Orthopedics, Beijing United Family Hospital; Chief Physician

Dr. Jiang Jun
Orthopedic Doctor, Beijing United Family Hospital; Associate Chief Physician

Dr. Li Yanlong
Physical Therapist; PhD in Physical Therapy

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Where to see our orthopedics team

For specific dates, use the UnitedFamily online booking mini-program, or call the 24-hour service hotline: 4008-919191.

This article is for science popularization only and is not a basis for diagnosis; for your individual situation, please follow your doctor’s advice.

Source: Beijing United Family Hospital WeChat article, 12 Oct 2026.