Osteoarthritis of Knee

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. Surgery is an option for more severe forms of osteoarthritis.

Causes  of osteoarthritis of knee: Osteoarthritis of the knee happens when your knee joint cartilage wears out or is damaged. Articular cartilage is tough, rubbery tissue on the ends of your bones that lets you bend and move. Meniscal cartilage absorbs shock from pressure on your knee.

Your cartilage is like your car’s shock absorber, protecting your car from bumps and jolts. Drive on lots of rough roads, your shocks wear out fast. Drive on easy streets, your shocks last longer. You can wear out or damage your knee joint cartilage if:

• You’re overweight. If your body mass index (BMI) is 30 or more, you’re seven times more likely to develop osteoarthritis in your knee than someone with a lower BMI.
• You injure your knee or have an old knee injury.
• You frequently put stress on your knee at your job or playing sports.
• You inherited a tendency to develop osteoarthritis of the knee.
• You have crooked bones or joints, such as having knocked knees.

Symptoms of osteoarthritis of knee: Pain is the most common symptom of osteoarthritis in the knee. Your knee might hurt when you move it, or even when you are just sitting still. Other symptoms are:

• Your knee feels stiff, particularly when you first get up or when you’ve been sitting for a long time.
• Your knee looks swollen or feels puffy.
• You hear a cracking or grinding noise when you move your knee.
• Your knee feels wobbly, as if it could buckle or “give out."
• Your knee might lock up, or feel as if it is stuck.

Diagnosis of osteoarthritis of knee: The diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis will begin with a physical exam by your doctor. Your doctor will also take your medical history and note any symptoms. 

Make sure to note what makes the pain worse or better to help your doctor determine if osteoarthritis, or something else, may be causing your pain. Also find out if anyone else in your family has arthritis. Your doctor may order more tests, including:

• X-rays, which can show bone and cartilage damage as well as the presence of bone spurs
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans

MRI scans may be ordered when X-rays do not give a clear reason for joint pain or when the X-rays suggest that other types of joint tissue could be damaged. Doctors may use blood tests to rule out other conditions that could be causing the pain, such as rheumatoid arthritis, a different type of arthritis caused by a disorder in the immune system.

Treatment of osteoarthritis of knee: The primary goals of treating osteoarthritis of the knee are to relieve the pain and make you more mobile. The treatment plan will typically include a combination of the following:

• Weight loss. Losing even a small amount of weight, if needed, can significantly decrease knee pain from osteoarthritis.
• Pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs. This includes over-the-counter choices such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen sodium. Don't take over-the-counter medications for more than 10 days without checking with your doctor. Taking them for longer increases the chance of side effects.
• Injections of corticosteroids or hyaluronic acid into the knee. Steroids are powerful anti-inflammatory drugs. Hyaluronic acid is normally present in joints as a type of lubricating fluid.
• Alternative therapies. Some alternative therapies that may be effective include topical creams with capsaicin; acupuncture; or supplements, including glucosamine and chondroitin or SAMe.
• Using devices such as braces. There are two types of braces: "unloader" braces, which take the weight away from the side of the knee affected by arthritis; and "support" braces, which provide support for the entire knee.
• Physical and occupational therapy. If you are having trouble with daily activities, physical or occupational therapy can help. Physical therapists teach you ways to strengthen muscles and make your joints more flexible. Occupational therapists teach you ways to do regular, daily activities, such as housework, with less pain.

Exercises of knee stiffness: In some cases, people with a stiff knee should avoid exercising. Some knee injuries need time to heal and would benefit from rest instead of exercise.

Range-of-motion exercises: Stretches and exercises that increase the knee’s range of motion keep the joint moving to reduce stiffness. Examples of these exercises include heel slides and stretching with a yoga strap.

Strengthening exercises: Increasing muscle strength around the knee reduces the stress on the joint. Examples of these exercises include leg lifts and hamstring curls.

Exercise of osteoarthritis of knee: This exercise information has specific exercises to help maintain your joint range of movement and strengthen muscles around your knee. When attempting the exercises it is important to perform them with a good technique. 

There may be a slight increase in your pain and you may feel some muscle aching. If the exercises cause pain then you should allow time for this to settle before trying again. All exercises should be performed gently, slowly and ideally done three times a day.

• Warm up and cool down
• Knee flexion and extension
• Inner Range Quadriceps
• Quadriceps Strengthening - sit to stand
• Calf strengthening - heel raises
• Stretching exercises
• Hamstring stretch
• Quadriceps stretch
• Calf stretch

Effective management of Osteoarthritis of Knee at Spine Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation Centre (SPTRC) in Shyamoli requires teamwork among medical professionals and patients, which in turn improves the patients' quality of life.

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