Knee Arthritis

What is Knee Arthritis?

Injuries of the knees or wear and tear from activities and/or aging can lead to the thinning of the cartilage of the knee joint and ultimately Knee Arthritis.

There are three types of Knee Arthritis:

- Osteoarthritis, a degenerative disease that occurs as you age. This is the most common form

- Rheumatoid Arthritis, an autoimmune disease in which your body’s immune system attacks the joint

- Post-Trauma Arthritis, caused by direct trauma to the knee that damages the cartilage and changes the joint mechanics

Causes

There are a variety of causes for Knee Arthritis which include:

- Being overweight

- Excessive wear and tear of knee joints from high-impact activities

- Increasing age

- Previous knee injuries

- Tight lower limb muscles

- Weak lower limb muscles

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of Knee Arthritis include:

- Bumps or ‘nodes’ around the knee

- Cracking or grinding (crepitus) when moving your knee

- Joint instability — The knee ‘giving way’

- Knee pain that develops gradually, and worsens with prolonged walking or standing

- Morning stiffness and/or swelling

Treatment

A wide variety of treatment options are available depending on the severity of the condition. These options include:

- Exercise to help maintain the strength of your muscles and ligaments to stabilise your joints

- Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs for rheumatoid arthritis

- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce pain, swelling, and stiffness in osteoarthritis

- Steroids which can occasionally be injected directly into the joint to relieve pain and swelling

- Surgery to correct joint deformity or to replace a badly damaged joint

Knee Arthritis

Contact Information