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
Incidence and risk factorsWho gets knee arthritis and why? It is not possible to predict who will get osteoarthritis
of the knee. However, there are some risk factors that may increase the
likelihood that knees will become arthritic. These risk factors include:
- Genetics.
Arthritis often runs in families.
- Severe trauma. Fractures (broken bones) and total removal of
the supporting cartilages of the knee (meniscus) both increase the
likelihood of knee arthritis.
- Obesity. This is associated with arthritis of the knees.
How is knee arthritis acquired (contagion, genetics, injury, lifestyle, etc)? Osteoarthritis is not caused by an infection, though
severe bacterial infections certainly can cause “post-infectious arthritis,”
which is in many ways even worse than osteoarthritis of the knee.
There are some risk factors that may increase the
likelihood that knees will become arthritic. These risk factors include:
- Genetics.
Arthritis often runs in families.
- Severe
trauma. Fractures (broken bones) and total removal of the supporting cartilages
of the knee (meniscus) both increase the likelihood of knee arthritis.
-
Obesity.
This is associated with arthritis of the knees.
What is the role of genetics in acquiring or developing knee arthritis? Some arthritis indeed appears to run in families.Is knee arthritis contagious? Osteoarthritis of the knee is not contagious.Is probability for acquiring knee arthritis affected by diet, metabolism, lifestyle, etc? There are two important “environmental” risk factors
associated with arthritis of the knee. These are:
- Severe
trauma. Fractures (broken bones) and total removal of the supporting cartilages
of the knee (meniscus) both increase the likelihood of knee arthritis.
-
Obesity.
This is associated with arthritis of the knees.
Is knee arthritis likely to result from injury or trauma? Severe trauma, including fractures (broken bones) that
involve the knee joint can, in time, result in arthritis of the knee. Whether
this really is “osteoarthritis” or should be considered a separate kind of
arthritis (post-traumatic arthritis) remains an open question, though in the
severe stages of this condition, the treatments are the same.
In the ‘60s and ‘70s, it was common for surgeons to remove
the supporting cartilages of the knee (meniscus) if the meniscus was torn as
part of a trauma. It is now known that this, too, results in the development of
knee arthritis. As a result of learning this fact, surgeons now either try to
repair or minimize the portion of the meniscus that is removed should it become
torn. Can knee arthritis be prevented? By maintaining an ideal body weight and avoiding
severe trauma to the knee, it is possible to minimize the risk of arthritis.
However, many patients with osteoarthritis are slender and have never severely
injured their knees, so there is no “guaranteed” way to avoid getting this
condition.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.
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