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Knee Arthritis |
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The most common knee arthritis is osteoarthritis, a
degenerative disease where cartilage in joint gradually wears away. Another
is rheumatoid arthritis, which can also affect the knees, where the joint
becomes inflamed and the cartilage may be destroyed. Arthritis does not only
affect the joints, even supporting structures such as muscles, tendons, and
ligaments may also be affected.
Signs of Knee Arthritis and Diagnosis
A person who has knee arthritis may experience pain, swelling and a decrease
knee motion. The most common symptom is morning stiffness that usually
reduces after moving around. Sometimes knee joints locks or clicks when the
knee is bent or straightened, but these signs may also be present in other
knee disorders. The disorder may be confirmed through diagnosis performed by
a doctor through x-rays, which would show loss of joint space. Blood tests
are very helpful in diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis, but other tests may be
needed. Fluid analysis from the knee joint helps in the diagnosis of some
kinds of arthritis as well. Arthroscopy can be used by the doctor to
visualize damage to cartilage, tendons, and ligaments and to confirm
diagnosis. However, arthroscopy is only usually done if a repair procedure
is to be performed.
Knee Arthritis Treatment
In its early stages, knee arthritis is treated with non-surgical measures:
Lifestyle modification includes losing weight, switching from running or
jumping exercises to swimming or cycling, and also includes minimizing
activities that pushes stress on the knee like climbing the stairs.
Exercises help in increasing range of motion and flexibility as well as
strengthening the muscles of the leg.
Using supportive devices such as cane, wearing a brace on knee sleeve, or
wearing energy-absorbing shoes or inserts can be helpful.
Other measures like applying heat or ice, water exercises, liniments or
elastic bandages, can improve the condition.
Use of prescribed drugs like anti-inflammatory medications (aspirin,
acetaminophen or ibuprofen) helps reduce swelling, glucosamine and
chondroitin sulfate may relieve the pain of osteoarthritis, corticosteroids
that are powerful anti-inflammatory agents that are injected to the joints,
and other types of drugs. However, since every patient is different and not
all people respond to the same medications, consulting a doctor is always
the first step before taking any medication.
Surgical treatment
If the knee arthritis does not respond to these non-surgical treatments,
then a surgey may be needed.
Arthroscopic Surgery
This type of knee arthritis surgery uses fiber optic technology to enable
the surgeon to see inside the joint and clean it of debris or repair torn
cartilage.
Osteotomy
This type of knee arthritis surgery cuts the shinbone (tibia) or the
thighbone (femur) to improve the alignment of the knee joint.
Total or Partial Knee Arthroplasty
This type of knee arthritis surgery replaces the severely damaged knee joint
cartilage with metal or plastic.
Cartilage Grafting
Is a possible procedure for some knees with limited or contained cartilage
loss from trauma or knee arthritis.
New ways of treating knee arthritis have been continually researched by
orthopedic surgeons as well as new drugs on cartilage transplants and other
ways to help slow the progress of arthritis. |
| This article
is provided courtesy of Roxanne Courtmanch. Please visit
www.thehelpingcircle.com for more articles on arthritis
as well as many other topics that may be of interest to you.
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Knee Arthritis
The most common knee arthritis is osteoarthritis, a
degenerative disease where cartilage in joint gradually wears away.
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