Osteoarthritis of the Knee - The Joint That Suffers the Most Injury

Our knees and hips are our largest joints, supporting• Pain with activities
the body's weight and providing the mobility that most• Intermittent or steady pain
people take for granted. The three basic types of• Limited range of motion
arthritis that may affect the knee joint are• Swelling or tenderness
Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Post-traumatic• Stiffness when getting up from sitting or lying
Arthritis, with Osteoarthritis being the most commondown
form of knee arthritis and knee pain. Although• Grinding or crunching sounds
osteoarthritis is rare in young adults, results show that• Pain with passive motion
one in three people over the age of 62 has someMedical Treatment for Osteoarthritis of the Knee
amount of osteoarthritis on one or both knees.There is no medical cure for osteoarthritis and although
Knees Suffer More Injury than Any Other Jointit is possible to regrow cartilage in a laboratory, getting
It is possible to develop osteoarthritis in any joint butimplanted cartilage to grow in an osteoarthritic knee
the knee is especially vulnerable as it is ahas not yet been successful, as the implanted cartilage
weight-bearing joint, which is susceptible to daily weareventually dies. In most cases over-the-counter pain
and tear and sudden injury. In addition to geneticrelievers are used but many of them have a variety of
predisposition, poor bone alignment and minor or majorside effects such as stomach pain, digestive problems,
injuries, high stress activities over time often lead toheadaches and dizziness. In addition, NSAIDs actually
osteoarthritis. In some cases, normal age-relatedsabotage the body's own efforts to heal itself by
changes, such as reduced muscle mass and bonepreventing the formation of new cartilage and
density, may make you more prone to knee injury asaccelerating the degeneration of the joints. Some
you age.surgical procedures are used for knee osteoarthritis,
Knee Pain and Excess Weightincluding arthroscopic surgery and knee replacement
Studies consistently show a link between excesssurgery.
weight and knee pain, with many knee problems beingAlternative Treatments for Osteoarthritis of the Knee
avoidable by maintaining a healthy weight. Carrying only• Exercising is a crucial part of treatment, helping to
10 pounds excess weight increases the pressure onimprove balance and sometimes relieving pain. Specific
the knees by 30-60 pounds, and it was found thatexercises can be designed to help spread the forces
about 56% of severely obese people suffered fromof everyday activity to other joints thus helping to
significant knee pain in comparison to 15% of peopleprotect the knee. Regular exercise also strengthens
who were not overweight. In addition, it was indicatedthe muscles and other structures around the knee,
that obese women stand nearly 4 times the chancewith range-of-motion exercises helping to maintain joint
of developing knee osteoarthritis in comparison tofunction and relieve stiffness.
non-obese women, and obese men standing nearly 5• Using a cane in the hand on the side opposite to
times the chance.the affected knee will help to decrease demand on
Symptoms of Knee Arthritisthe arthritic joint.
Although some people suffer from tenderness and• Wearing soft-soled shoes or special
swelling in the morning, many people find that knee painshock-absorbing shoes, and replacing them frequently,
increases during the day, sometimes arising in thewill help to reduce the impact on your knees.
afternoon and getting steadily worse. Some of the• Weight loss is one of the most important
common signs of osteoarthritis of the knee are:treatments, alleviating pressure placed on the joint.