Osteoarthritis of the Knee (Knee Arthritis): "Degenerative Joint Disease" can cause pain, stiffness, and cartilage breakdown.
Edited By: Seth S. Leopold, M.D.
Last updated Monday, January 14, 2008
Diagnosis and evaluationHow is knee arthritis diagnosed? To diagnose osteoarthritis of the knee, a physician
will take a thorough history and perform a thorough physical examination first.
Following this, simple x-rays, taken with the patient standing, are an
effective way to diagnose this condition.What tests may be used to diagnose knee arthritis? The simplest test to diagnose osteoarthritis of the knee
is the x-ray. Taken with the patient standing up, plain x-rays can diagnose the
condition with great accuracy.
Very
mild arthritis can be seen on a bone scan or an MRI even before it is visible
on plain x-rays, but in reality, these tests are seldom helpful clinically for
this purpose.Will diagnosing knee arthritis cause pain, side effects, or invasive techniques? How are these dealt with? The diagnostic tests for osteoarthritis of the knee,
including x-rays and MRIs, are generally not painful and they are
well-tolerated by most patients.What health care professionals may help diagnose knee arthritis? Osteoarthritis of the knee is common and generally
straightforward to diagnose. Family physicians, internists, orthopaedic
surgeons, rheumatologists, and physiatrists often are the ones who make the
diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the knee.How can a doctor specializing in knee arthritis be found? Both rheumatologists and orthopaedic surgeons are
“specialists” in arthritis care.
If
surgery is being considered to manage osteoarthritis of the knee, visiting with
a fellowhip-trained, high-volume knee replacement surgeon would be a reasonable
step to consider.Surgery for Knee Arthritis at the University of Washington If you are interested in making an appointment to discuss this procedure, you can request an appointment using our online referrals website. To request a referral online, please click here. You can also call the Bone & Joint Surgery Center at 206-598 - BONE(2663) or Eastside Specialty Clinic at 425-646-7777 to make an appointment.
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