Knee Osteoarthritis
Find out more about knee osteoarthritis and how Torrance Pain Institute can help you manage your pain, improve your quality of life, and get back to doing the things you enjoy.
What is knee osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is the most common chronic degenerative disease of the joints which affects mostly middle-aged and older adults. This disease is caused by the breakdown of cartilage that covers the ends of the bones in a joint. As a result, bones rub against each other which causes pain and inflammation. It can damage joints in your knees as well as your hands, hips, and spine.
The damage caused by knee osteoarthritis cannot be reversed. But the progression of the disease can be slowed down by staying active, maintaining a healthy weight, and receiving medical treatments.
What causes knee osteoarthritis?
Knee osteoarthritis can be classified as primary or secondary. Primary osteoarthritis is caused is linked to old age when the cartilage breaks down due to “wear and tear”. Secondary osteoarthritis is caused by physical factors such as congenital defects and obesity, diseases such as diabetes, and injury.
What are the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis?
The symptoms of knee osteoarthritis often slowly develop and worsen over time. Sign and symptoms of osteoarthritis may include:
- Joint pain – You might feel pain on the knee joints during or after movement.
- Joint stiffness – You might feel stiffness in your knee joints when you wake up or after being idle.
- Joint tenderness – You might feel tenderness in your knee joint when you apply light pressure to or close to it.
- Loss of flexibility in the joint – Your knee joint might not be able to move through its full motion.
- Grinding or grating sensation in the joints – You might hear your knee joints pop or crack and feel a grating or grinding sensation.
- Swelling in the joint – The inflammation around the knee joint causes swelling.
What is the treatment for knee osteoarthritis pain?
When oral medications are not enough to relieve knee joint pain and you are not yet seeking surgical treatment, a knee intra-articular injection may provide pain relief from knee osteoarthritis. This treatment involves the injection of corticosteroid medication to the knee joint for quick relief from pain and inflammation. Contact us today to learn more about this type of treatment.