Having arthritis in the knee can be a challenge for everyday life, whether that's managing pain or just getting around. While there's no permanent treatment for arthritis, it is possible to either control the symptoms or slow its progress, depending on the type you have.
There is no cure for knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and typically patients live approximately 30-years with the disease. Most common medical treatments result in short-term palliation of symptoms with little consideration of long-term risk.
Physical and occupational therapists have unique approaches to help alleviate the effects of arthritis for many people. Combined with other therapies like medication and surgery (when needed), the benefits of occupational and physical therapy make it possible for many people with arthritis to live pain-free.
Arthritis of the knee joint is a serious, painful disease that gets worse with age. Osteoarthritis is the most common type, and you can get it in one or both knees.
For OA in general, the most helpful advice is to maintain an ideal weight, avoid overusing joints that are damaged and follow a plan of exercise that strengthens the muscles supporting the joint. Your doctor or physical therapist should be able to help you with any of these.
Osteoarthritis is generally a slowly progressive disorder. However, at least 1 in 7 people with incident knee osteoarthritis develop an abrupt progression to advanced-stage radiographic disease, many within 12 months.
Its signs and symptoms typically show up more often in individuals over age 50, but OA can affect much younger people, too, especially those who have had a prior joint injury, such as a torn ACL or meniscus.
Injury. Severe injury or repeated injury to the knee can lead to osteoarthritis years later. Overuse. Jobs and sports that require physically repetitive motions that place stress on the knee can increase risk for developing osteoarthritis.
You're Overdoing the Wrong Exercises, Putting More Stress on Your Knee Joints. Although everyone with osteoarthritis is different, Halpern says that exercises that tend to aggravate knee osteoarthritis are deep squats, lunges, and any movement that pounds on the joint.
4 Even moderate weight gain can stress joints that are already burdened by arthritis. Diet can also play a role in pain and inflammation in people with arthritis. Foods that may trigger an arthritis flare-up include processed foods, deep-fried foods, trans fats, refined flours, red meat, and sugar.
Use these basic self-care strategies to manage your symptoms: Apply ice or heat to help ease stiffness, pain and swelling. Lose weight (if necessary) to help reduce stress on the knees. Keep moving with activities like swimming, biking or walking.
Osteoarthritis does not evolve uniformly, it is unpredictable. It can remain silent for a long time and not manifest itself even though the joint looks very damaged on the X-ray. But it can also worsen rapidly over several weeks or months at a stage when the X-rays are almost normal.
Osteoarthritis of the knee happens when the cartilage in your knee joint breaks down, enabling the bones to rub together. The friction makes your knees hurt, become stiff and sometimes swell. While osteoarthritis in the knee can't be cured, there are many treatments to slow its progress and ease your symptoms.
Walking is recommended for people with arthritis as it's low impact, helps to keep the joints flexible, helps bone health and reduces the risk of osteoporosis. If you do experience pain or you're very stiff afterwards try doing a bit less, factor in more rest and check in with your GP, if you need to.
For mild symptoms, topical medications applied to the knees such as diclofenac gel relieve pain and have few adverse effects. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen and naproxen are the most effective oral medications for osteoarthritis.
Stage 1: Minor
At this stage, a person is unlikely to experience discomfort or pain. The joint will appear healthy on an X-ray. Gait changes are also unlikely . Learn more about the early stages of OA of the knee here.
Here is a look at the stages of osteoarthritis of the knee ranging from normal, minor, mild, moderate and severe stages, with appropriate treatment plans.
Another study suggests that people with osteoarthritis knee pain benefit most when they walk 6,000 or more steps per day.
Untreated arthritis will add to the degradation of the structures in and around the joint leading to more and more pain and a loss of function. The progression of arthritis may lead to requiring a total joint replacement.
Pain, swelling, and stiffness are the primary symptoms of arthritis. Any joint in the body may be affected by the disease, but it is particularly common in the knee. Knee arthritis can make it hard to do many everyday activities, such as walking or climbing stairs.