Arthritis in the knee is also known as ‘wear and tear’ arthritis. It is caused by the cartilage around the knee joint gradually wearing away, exposing the bone beneath. The joint cushions, or Meniscus, may also become damaged or wear away. Arthritis in the knee is most often found in the over 50’s. Other risk factors include genetic tendencies and carrying excess weight, putting a greater strain on the knee joints. Other causes can include damage or trauma to the knee causing damage to the bones or ligaments, ie accidents or certain sports related injuries.

Symptoms
Early symptoms of arthritis in the knee include stiffness in the knee joint, limited range of motion, swelling and tenderness and noticeable deformities of the joint, particularly if one side of the joint is damaged more than the other. These early symptoms may come and go, and vary in severity. If you suspect that you have arthritis in your knee, you should visit your GP who should undertake a thorough physical examination and take X-rays of the joint, which should not only confirm diagnosis but track the progression of the arthritis, essential in determining how best to treat it.

Treatments
As with every type of arthritis, treatment prescribed will vary on the severity of the condition. Your doctor may prescribe a range of medication to treat the condition and associated pain and swelling. You may also receive cortisone injections or physiotherapy. Some people find taking supplements beneficial, such as Glucosamine Sulphate, as this stimulates the body’s natural product of Glucosamine to maintain and repair joint cartilage. If you are overweight, reducing excess weight may help to relieve the strain on overburdened joints.

In more extreme cases, surgery may be a solution; there are several different procedures which could be tried.  A Knee Osteotomy may be suitable for those who suffer arthritis on one side of the knee joint as the bone is cut and then reorientated so that the load bearing stresses are reduced on the damaged part of the joint. This procedure is not suitable for those with rheumatoid arthritis or widespread knee arthritis.  Knee Arthroscopy is a type of keyhole surgery, used to look inside and treat the knee joint.as required but may not be suitable for more extensive work. Other corrective surgery options would be partial or total knee replacement surgery, where artificial knee parts made of metal and/ or plastic are used to replace joints worn away by arthritis. Knee replacement operations generally last for at least 10- 15 years.

Tags: Arthritis Symptoms, Causes Of Arthritis, Knee Arthritis, Treat arthritis, Types Of Arthritis

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 10th, 2009 at 4:14 pm and is filed under Arthritis Symptoms, Types Of Arthritis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.