Knee Arthritis

What is Knee Arthritis?

Knee Arthritis or Knee Osteoarthritis is a condition of wear-and-tear arthritis where the cartilage, the natural cushioning between the joints, starts degenerating and wears off. This causes rubbing of the joints together resulting in knee joint pain and other knee problems like swelling, stiffness, restriction in movement, and also the formation of bone spurs.

Causes

There are different causes for Knee arthritis like:

• Age: cartilage loses its ability to heal as a person ages.
• Weight: An increase in weight puts more pressure on the knee joint.
• Heredity: Inherited abnormalities make a person prone to knee arthritis.
• Gender: Women above the age of 55 are more likely to develop arthritis of the knee than men
• Repetitive Stress Injuries: repetitive knee injuries occur depending on the person’s occupation with activities like kneeling, squatting, lifting weights, etc., that stress the knee joint.
• Sports Related: Players playing football, tennis, or long-distance running have a high risk of developing arthritis of the knee.
• Illness: Like rheumatoid arthritis can cause osteoarthritis of the knees to develop. People with certain metabolic disorders, like iron overload or excess growth hormone, also have a high risk of osteoarthritis.

Symptoms

• Tremendous pain while moving the affected joint
• Stiffness of the joint after being at rest for sometime.
• Loss of normal flexibility of the joint
• Swelling and tenderness at the joint and surrounding areas
• Inflammation and crackling sensation due to friction of bones
• The growth of bony lumps around the joint causes more pain

Diagnosis

The following tests are performed to confirm the diagnosis:

• X-rays to get a clear image of the bones to rule out fractures and also to show the arthritic changes like:
  • Joint Space: narrowing of the space is a sign
  • Joint Alignment: problems in alignment
  • Bone Spurs or outgrowths at the joint
• Computed Tomography (CT) scan is done to measure the alignment and study the complex bone deformities.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) helps to diagnose injuries to cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and also swollen areas.

Treatment

• Some medicines, like acetaminophen, provide some relief to people suffering from mild osteoarthritis. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are usually prescribed to reduce the pain and inflammation of affected joints. Doctors decide on the strength of these medications according to the severity of osteoarthritis in their patients. Many doctors also prescribe the use of NSAID gel over the affected joints, as oral NSAIDs may cause some side effects.
• Regular physiotherapy helps in curing osteoarthritis to a great extent. Doctors also suggest walking or swimming as effective exercises to reduce the stiffness of joints. Occupational therapy under the guidance of a professional therapist is also useful in improving the condition of an osteoarthritis patient.
• Doctors may administer injections of corticosteroid or hyaluronic acid to the affected joints, to provide relief in cases of severe osteoarthritis.
• Replacement of some joints, like knee replacement, is the surgical procedure for curing extreme cases of osteoarthritis.