What are the symptoms of arthritis of the knee?

Knee arthritis occurs when the joint space between the distal end of the femur and the tibia plateu come together and rub against each other. When the meniscus of the knee (the fibrocartligous materal used to absorb shock) becomes degenerated and desintegrates, the "bone on bone" mechanism occurs. This causes pain upon weightbearing and is exacerbated with activity such as walking, stairclimbing, and even prolonged standing (>1 hour). Treatments range from Corticosteroid injections, physical therapy, aqua-strength conditioning and in extreme cases knee replacement surgery. Before considering a treatment option consult a physician for a examination and X-ray diagnosis.

The ends of our bones are covered by a glossy, smoother-than-glass lining called cartilage. The wear and tear or erosion of this lining is the definition of "arthritis" (imagine the pot-holes in a road at the end of winter). Cartilage is normally responsible for cushioning the bones from the load of normal weight bearing and providing a nearly frictionless surface for them to glide.

When this surface begins to wear away, people feel aching, stiffness, swelling and sometimes crunching. hese symptoms are worse in the morning.

I treat patients, whether they are recreational exercisers or masters athletes, who come to my clinic with these symptoms using a 3 prong approach: Quad, core and hip strengthening to protect the knees from the load of impact, NSAIDS to cut the inflammatory process, and injections of substitute joint fluid, hyaluronic acid, to lubricate and feed the remaining cartilage. I do not use cortisone regularly.

This is a highly effective therapy route and I have returned many people to the activities they love using this wholistic approach.

Read more about the care of cartilage damage, arthritis, on my Sharecare blog.