Inflammation of one or more of your joints is called as arthritis. Pain, swelling, and stiffness are the main signs and symptoms of arthritis. This disease can affect can joint in the body, but it is specifically common in the knee.
A lot of daily activities like walking and climbing stairs can become difficult for the people with knee arthritis. For a lot of people, it is significant cause of lost work time and a serious disability.
There are more than 100 different varieties of arthritis, the two most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Even while arthritis primarily affects adults, but there are some forms which can affect children.
There is no known cure for arthritis, but there are a lot of therapy choices that can help people manage their pain and at the same time maintain their level of activity.
What is the knee joint?
Your knee joint is made up of three bones. They consist of the:
- Thighbone (femur).
- Shinbone (tibia).
- Kneecap (patella).
The ends of each bone are covered in a smooth substance called cartilage. It acts as a cushion between the bones which prevents them from rubbing against one another. . The cartilage is lubricated by the synovial membrane, a type of tissue which helps in surrounding the joint.
What are the types of arthritis of the knee?
There are around 100 different forms of arthritis. The most common types that might harm your knees include:
- Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent type of arthritis. The cartilage that serves as a cushion between the three bones of your knee joint gets worn away by osteoarthritis. If you will not have that protection, then your bones will rub against each other. Pain, stiffness, and restricted movement can be caused due to this. This might lead to growth of bone spurs. With the passing time, Osteoarthritis deteriorates.
- Post-traumatic arthritis is a type of osteoarthritis. Following damage to the knee (such as an injury from a vehicle accident or contact sport), the cartilage begins to thin. The same symptoms of osteoarthritis are caused by rubbing of your bones: pain, stiffness, and restricted motion. Years after the trauma, your knee arthritis symptoms may not appear.
- Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition. If your immune system is functioning properly, then it can create inflammation (internal or external) when defending you against an infection, injury, toxin, or other foreign invader. It is through an inflammatory response your body defends itself. Even though there is no external invader, the patients who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis have an unhealthy immune system that causes inflammation in their joints. Your cartilage can worn down due to swelling, stiffness, and pain that the inflammation creates in the synovial membrane.
Who does arthritis of the knee affect?
Arthritis, including arthritis of the knee can affect people of all ages. You have a higher risk of getting knee arthritis if you have 50 years of age or older. Knee arthritis affects more women than males.
How common is arthritis of the knee?
300,000 youngsters and more than 50 million adults suffer from arthritis. It’s unclear how many of those individuals have knee arthritis.
What are the symptoms of Knee Arthritis?
Have a look at the symptoms of knee arthritis.
Knee pain which can get worse due to particular workouts and motions, like standing or walking for lengthy periods of time.
- It becomes challenging to bend and straighten the knee because of knee joint stiffness
- Issues related to catching and locking of the knee when the damaged and abrasive cartilage makes movement tough.
- Crepitus: When moving an injured joint, you may hear cracking, crunching, clicking, or snapping noises.
- The quadriceps or hamstring muscles may atrophy or waste away as a result of less exercise, which can cause knee weakness. A person may move less due to knee arthritis, which weakens the joint and then the symptoms get worse.
What are the causes of arthritis of the knee?
Some genes which may cause arthritis, including arthritis of the knee have been identified by experts. It has been predicted that there are more genes not yet discovered. It is possible to have a gene linked to arthritis without knowing it and a virus or injury can cause knee arthritis.
Even though the cause is not recognised, there are some risk factors which can cause knee arthritis. Particular risk factors for osteoarthritis include:
- Age. Older adults experience osteoarthritis more frequently than younger adults or children.
- Bone anomalies. Your chance of developing osteoarthritis increases if your bones or joints are crooked naturally.
- Gout. Osteoarthritis may develop as a result of gout, another form of inflammatory arthritis.
- Injuries. Arthritis of the knee can be caused due to injuries.
- Stress. Knee osteoarthritis can develop if a lot of strain would be put up on your knees while jogging, participating in sports, or performing an active job.
- Weight. More pressure is put on your knees due to extra weight.
How is arthritis of the knee diagnosed?
To check for arthritis, your doctor will likely need X-rays of your knees. The X-rays need to show:
- The nature of your arthritis.
- Any alterations to your bones.
- Bone growths.
- How little room there is in between the bones. The space is smaller the less cartilage there is. The discomfort gets worse as the area gets smaller.
A computerised tomography (CT) scan or an MRI exam may be requested by medical professionals.
Knee Arthritis Treatment
The kind and stage of your arthritis, your age, the intensity of your pain, and other factors will all affect your treatment options. The loss of cartilage cannot be stopped, there are strategies to lessen pain and stop more harm from occurring. Arthritis in the knee can be treated without surgery by:
• Physical therapy to increase flexibility and strength.
• Losing weight (if necessary) to lessen the strain on the joint.
• Bracing to increase the joint’s stability.
• Drugs and injections, like hyaluronic acid injections, that reduce pain and inflammation and aid in the healing process.
• Supportive walking aids, like a cane or walker. Remember there is no shame in cane.
The rate of knee arthritis progression and the efficacy effectiveness of nonsurgical treatments differ. Your doctor will work with you to create a personalised treatment plan which might combine a number of nonsurgical options.
Outlook
Adapting your activities may prevent flare-ups of joint pain and inflammation. Avoiding high impact exercise, such as running and jumping, may fall under this category. The key to managing symptoms is to continue to be physically active and engage in low-impact workouts.
The type of arthritis will determine the signs and symptoms of knee arthritis. Different kinds of arthritis can cause pain, swelling and sometimes even loss of mobility.
There are no cure for arthritis, but treatment can prove to be helpful in relieving symptoms. It will help in slowing down the progress of the disease and at the same time will decrease the risk of complications.
Weight management techniques as well as exercises can help in delaying or perhaps prevent the need for surgery in the future. The best choices for the type of knee arthritis you have will be guided by your doctor.
In the video below you can see how we treat knee arthritis out of our two clinics in Toronto (Scarborough) and Vaughn (Woodbridge).
How can our physiotherapist help with knee arthritis?
The main goal of physiotherapy is to improve your function and at the same time make daily activities simpler, like getting out of the chair and covering longer distances by walking. The best first-line treatment for knee osteoarthritis is conservative management which includes physiotherapy and exercise.
There are a variety of treatments that are used in physiotherapy to treat your pain. This could involve therapies and joint mobilizations, and soft tissue massage. Our physiotherapist will instruct you on how to lessen the strain on the knee and at the same time will give advice on what can be done at home to help the pain like using heat packs or wearing a knee support. If needed, they may also prescribe orthotics for you to help you shift your weight and relieve pressure on your knees. Adding to that, they will also prescribe you a thorough workout regimen which would include stretches and strengthening exercises to assist you restore function and resume your favourite activities.
In the videos below you can also see simple exercises for knee that can very beneficial to reduce pain associated with knee arthritis. You can also see our unique technique that includes laser, shockwave and Tecar therapy. We get great results with this unique technique.