Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis in one or more joints. It is a degenerative,” wear-and-tear” type of arthritis that occurs most often in people 50 years of age and older, but may occur in younger people, too. In osteoarthritis, the cartilage in the knee joint gradually wears away as are the result of inflammatory changes in the joint. As the cartilage wears away, it becomes frayed and rough, and the protective space between the bones decreases. This can result in bone rubbing on bone and produce painful bone spurs. To compensate, the bones often grow thicker, but this results in more friction and more pain. Osteoarthritis develops slowly and the pain it causes worsens over time.

Symptoms:

• Tenderness around the knee
• Limited range of motion
• Instability of the joint
• Crepitus (creak, click, snap or make a grinding noise) with movement
• Pain when weight is placed on the knee
• Problems with your gait (the way you walk)

Diagnosis:

Symptoms and medical history through a physical examination, and Imaging Tests like X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, a computed tomography (CT) scan, to determine the condition of the bone and soft tissues of your knee.

Treatment: There are many treatment options available to help manage pain and disability it can cause, helping people staying active.

• Minimize activities that aggravate the condition, such as climbing stairs.
• Switching from high impact activities (like jogging or tennis) to lower impact activities (like swimming or cycling) will put less stress on your knee.
• Losing weight can reduce stress on the knee joint, resulting in less pain and increased function.