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
Figure 1 - Arthritic Knee Figure 2 - Normal Cartilage Figure 3 - Defect in joint surface cartilage Figure 4 - X-ray showing arthritis of the knee Figure 5 - Joint deformity from knee arthritis Figure 6 - Model of a knee replacement prosthesis AboutWhat is knee arthritis? Many kinds of arthritis can affect the knee joint, but by
far the most common is osteoarthritis, which some people call "degenerative
joint disease."
This occurs when the joint surface cartilage (also called
hyaline cartilage, or articular cartilage) becomes worn away, leaving the raw
bone beneath exposed (See Fig 1). The cartilage normally serves
as a “pad” or a bearing in the joint, and under normal conditions, the
cartilage bearing is even slicker than a hockey puck on ice. When the bearing
wears away, the result is a roughed joint surface that causes the pain and
stiffness that people associate with osteoarthritis (See Fig 2 and Fig 3).
For most patients who have only mild arthritis, the pain
can be managed with simple things such as ice, rest, activity modifications,
pills, or joint injections.
However,
if the arthritis becomes severe (See Fig 4 and Fig 5), the pain may not respond to those kinds of
interventions.
Patients with severe arthritis sometimes can benefit from joint
replacement
surgery, either partial (unicompartmental) knee replacement or total knee replacement (See Fig 6),
which now can be done using a minimally-invasive quadriceps-sparing approach
that can significantly shorten the recovery
and decrease the pain following surgery.What symptoms indicate that knee arthritis needs immediate medical attention? Osteoarthritis of the knee is not an emergency. It
can, however, result in disturbing “flare ups,” with increased pain and
swelling. Many patients who experience a sudden flare-up will go to the doctor
for care, and for many patients this apparently “acute” set of symptoms will
result in the diagnosis of this chronic condition.What are some common misconceptions (common misunderstandings or myths) about knee arthritis? MYTH: Osteoarthritis of the knee is not usually the result
of “overuse.” there have been studies of long-distance runners that show that
they are not more likely to get arthritis than more sedentary individuals.
MYTH: Osteoarthritis of the knee is not a “normal result
of aging.” Many older people – in fact, most – don’t develop arthritis of the
knee, and many younger people do experience osteoarthritis.
MYTH: Osteoarthritis of the knee is not just “aches and
pains.” It is a condition whose biology, x-ray appearance (See Fig 4), and clinical symptoms are defined.
MYTH:
Not much can be done for osteoarthritis of the knee. In fact, there are
exercise programs that can alleviate the pain in mild arthritis, a variety of
medications and injections can be helpful for moderate arthritis, and severe
arthritis of the knee is very commonly successfully treated with knee
replacement surgery (See Fig 6). New minimally
invasive approaches appear to decrease the recovery time from this operation.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 206-598-3354 or Eastside Specialty Clinic at 425-646-7777 to make an appointment.
How useful was this page or article?
|
|