Knee Arthritis

What is knee arthritis?

Knee arthritis is a serious degenerative condition that causes unbearable pain in the knee. With progressive knee pain, it can prove to be more challenging to carry out everyday activities such as climbing stairs or walking.

The knee is one of the largest mobile components in the body. However, due to the excessive use of the knee, you are more at risk of inflammation and pain in the area, especially when participating in high-impact sports. The tips of the three bones that make up the knee joint are encased in articular cartilage, a slippery cover that protects the bones when bending or straightening your knee. The synovial membrane, which secretes a liquid that provides lubrication, surrounds the knee joint. The purpose of the membrane is to reduce friction when moving the knee.

What are the signs?

Arthritis in the knee causes pain and swelling in the joint.

Other symptoms include the following:

• Intense knee pain after exercising
• Creaking in the knee (crepitus) or a snapping sound emanating from the knee joint.
• Loose pieces of cartilage that affect the smooth motion of the joint
• Persistent knee pain that coincides with the weather

What are some of the causes of knee arthritis?

The following factors increase the risk of knee arthritis:

• With age, the risk of osteoarthritis increases.
• Anomaly of the bone occurs when you are born with unnaturally curved bones.
• Gout, a form of inflammatory arthritis, raises the susceptibility of osteoarthritis.
• Obesity increases the load on the lower extremity, particularly the knees.

Surgery should be considered for debilitating arthritic pain in the knee, such as the following:

• Cartilage restoration through grafting involves removing and transferring viable cartilage tissue from one part of the knee to repair a gap in the damaged articular cartilage.
• Synovectomy involves removing the damaged joint lining in order to reduce swelling and pain.
• Osteotomy involves modifying the thighbone or shinbone to remove pressure on the knee.
• Knee replacement can be partial or complete, depending on the severity of knee arthritis.