Knee joint osteoarthritis

What is osteoarthritis of knee?

Knee joint is a hinge type of joint which get lubricated with synovial fluid secreted from cartilage covering the bone that make this joint. Over the time the joint space decreases which cause two bones to rub against each other damaging cartilage.

Causes/ Predisposing factors:

1. Old Age: >45 year . Due to wear and tear of joint.
2. Weight: It increases pressure on joint
3. Repetitive injury / stress on knee joint: Squatting, kneeling, lifting heavy weight, sittng crossed legs for longer time
4. Heredity/genetic

Symptoms:

Pain in knee while walking
Knee swelling
Feeling stiffness in knee joint, Difficulty standing up from sitting

Diagnosis:

- X ray knee joint: Decrease in joint space with or without cartilage damage
- MRI

Prevention and Treatment:

Avoiding risk factors:

1. Reduce body weight 
2. Avoid heavy weight lifting
3. Avoid sitting with crossed legs
4. Do regular exercise: Walking is a good exercise. It increase joint fluid section which help to lubricate joint.

Symptomatic Treatment:

1. NSAIDS/ pain medicine: Ibuprofen , Naproxane can help but long time use (>7 days) of these medicine should be avoided

2. Physical Therapy: It can help to improve joint function and reduce pain

3. Steroid or hualuronic acid ( joint lubricant) injection in to the joint: It can help to relieve pain  in the early stage of the disease

4. ACS:  Also known as serum treatment: It has mixed results(3). As per one study it's better than fluid/ lubricant injection but, after 2 years its not sure. One study says it helps on mild disease only. Another study says its not effective. I would say it might help to prolong the disease but ultimately after couple years you will be on same page.

Definitive Treatment:

Knee joint replacement is recommended in stage 3 or 4 of the disease.



Reference:

1. https://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/ostearthritis-of-the-knee-degenerative-arthritis-of-the-knee#1

2. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/kc/stages-osteoarthritis-knee-310579

3.Antonio Frizziero, Erika Giannotti, Francesco Oliva, Stefano Masiero, Nicola Maffulli, Autologous conditioned serum for the treatment of osteoarthritis and other possible applications in musculoskeletal disorders, British Medical Bulletin, Volume 105, Issue 1, March 2013, Pages 169–184, https://doi.org/10.1093/bmb/lds016