FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 21, 2017 • WELLNESS • THE QUEENS COURIER 43
wellness
Living with osteoarthritis of the knee: Tips for
managing function and leading an active life
Ken Meritt, 71, knew he had a serious
problem with his right knee when the
pain made it diffi cult for him to engage
in even moderate activity. Th ere was a
constant, nagging ache when he walked,
climbed stairs, got up from a sitting position
or even rose from bed at night. A jogger,
Meritt worried that he’d have to give
that up, too.
Aft er a visit to the doctor, he received
the diagnosis: Osteoarthritis of the knee
(OAK).
Osteoarthritis of the knee (OAK)
Approximately 21 million people in the
U.S. are currently diagnosed with osteoarthritis
of the knee, a progressive disease
characterized by gradual degradation and
loss of cartilage. While the exact cause
of OAK is debatable, the impact is well
known - pain and a loss of function. Th e
prevalence of OAK has increased rapidly
in recent years and is anticipated to continue
growing due to factors that include
age, obesity, genetics, injury and overuse
of the knee in activities such as running,
as Meritt found out.
Taking control
Getting a diagnosis like OAK can be
debilitating. While you’re exploring
options to treat the physical part of the
disease, don’t forget the mental aspects
as well. Stress can have an eff ect on OAK,
so anything from yoga to meditation to
spa days can help with that. Depression
can also creep into your life on the back
of an OAK diagnosis. Talk to your doctor
honestly and learn all you can about
your options.
Range of treatments
Aft er consulting with his physician,
Meritt learned that for patients with
severe OAK, treatment options included
a total knee replacement or opioids.
Neither sounded like a good option to
him.
Alan Stanley, 70, a retired deputy
director of the Colorado Bureau of
Investigation, knows all about knee
replacement. He had one knee replaced
because of bone-on-bone osteoarthritis,
and was not looking forward to having
the same procedure done on the other
knee.
But he didn’t have to endure another
knee replacement, and Meritt is back
to jogging again. How? Both men were
able to participate in a clinical trial for
a low molecular-weight fi ltrate biologic
of an FDA-approved human serum
albumin (HSA) developed by Ampio
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE MKT:
AMPE). Th e non-surgical treatment
involves a single intra-articular injection,
with a goal of reducing infl ammation,
relieving pain and improving function of
the knee. For Meritt, the injection worked
like a charm.
“Now I can walk, jog, climb stairs, get
up from a chair and sleep without knee
pain,” Meritt said. “Ampion most certainly
worked for my knee. It’s pain free.”
Stanley experienced similar results. Not
only did the pain and disability associated
with his OAK disappear aft er his injection
some 18 months ago, but he didn’t
need that knee replacement aft er all. In
fact, it feels better than the replaced knee,
he reported.
Background on HSA
What is this promising drug? Led by
Dr. David Bar-Or, the treatment is based
on a low molecular fi ltrate of commercial
human serum albumin (HSA). Dr. Bar-Or
now serves as Chief Scientifi c Offi cer and
Director of Ampio Pharmaceuticals and
the compound, named Ampion(TM), just
reported results in a pivotal Phase 3 trial.
Maintaining an active lifestyle
Here are some tips for staying healthy,
easing pain and getting the most out of
life while dealing with OAK. (Hint: Th ese
tips make sense for people who don’t have
arthritis, too!)
1. Match activity to ability. Don’t run
harder than your knees can handle, and
in general, make sure you are mindful of
your abilities.
2. Optimize your exercise. Exercise
might be the last thing you want to do
when you’re hurting, but it will improve
the quality of your life. It can also
strengthen the muscles that support and
protect your knees.
3. It’s OK to take a day off . Listen to
your body. Rest and relaxation can be
just what you need to feel pampered and
recharged.
4. Diet matters! Foods rich in vitamin
C, like fruits and vegetables, can help,
along with omega-3 fatty acids like those
found in fi sh oil. Focus on healthy eating,
choosing low-fat dairy, whole grains, fi sh
and lean meats.
5. Lose weight. Carrying extra weight
around puts extra stress on your joints.
6. Keep up-to-date on medical initiatives.
Th ere is always something new on
the medical landscape, so consult with
your doctor for developments that may be
important to you.
Courtesy BPT
Dr. David Bar-Or, M.D.
GoHealth receives UCAOA accreditation
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com / @QNS
GoHealth Urgent Care has received
accreditation from the Urgent Care
Association of America (UCAOA) for it’s
New York-based centers.
GoHealth Urgent Care has 40 centers
throughout the fi ve boroughs, Long Island
and Westchester. In order to be accredited
by the UCAOA, GoHealth Urgent
Care went through a rigorous process of
inspections, on-site visits and feedback.
“We prepped to ensure that all of our
processes were documented according
to UCAOA standards,” said Sarah Arora,
President, New York Market at GoHealth
Urgent Care. “Th ey checked to see if all of
our centers are meeting their standards.
Th e organization sent representatives for
onsite visits and gave feedback, and we
would make changes accordingly.”
With UCAOA accreditation, GoHealth
Urgent Care is guaranteed to meet the
national standards for safety, quality and
scope of care.
GoHealth Urgent Care is a cutting-edge
care center that can meet the needs of
any patient through eff ortless and seamless
care. However, what sets GoHealth
Urgent Care apart from another centers
is their partnership program with
Northwell Health.
“Th rough Northwell Health, our physicians
are put through an intense vetting
process, which is a big diff erence in
this market,” said Arora. “Th e urgent care
space has grown so quickly, and we have a
scrutiny on quality throughout GoHealth,
so the UCAOA was very impressed with
our clinicians.”
GoHealth Urgent Care centers can treat
patients for a number of non-life threatening
injuries, including bleeds, cuts and
stitches, and illnesses such as strep, allergies
and more. One of the features that
really impressed the UCAOA is their
portable x-ray machine, which allows
patients to receive x-rays on-site without
having to put more strain on the potentially
broken bone.
Should your needs surpass what your
local GoHealth Urgent Care center can
provide you, they won’t leave you with no
care. Th eir partnership with Northwell
Health allows GoHealth’s clinicians
to give the patient access to Northwell
Health’s network of doctors.
“We see ourselves as the front door to a
larger system of services,” said Adam Boll,
Vice President of Northwell Ventures
Operations at Northwell Health. “If we
can’t provide the service that the patient
needs, we refer them to a specialist on
outpatient basis into the network of over
2,500 Northwell physicians.”
For GoHealth Urgent Care, the accreditation
is more meaningful because the
UCAOA is recognizing the amount of
Photo: Suzanne Monteverdi/QNS
eff ort that GoHealth already puts into
their practices.
“We regularly do rigorous chart audits
of our patient’s history and condition
to ensure clinicians are marking critical
qualities,” said Arora. “We put a lot
of eff ort into the quality of their care. To
have an outside organization validating
these skills was important to us.”
For more information about GoHealth
Urgent Care, visit gohealthuc.com.