Knee arthritis is a degenerative knee condition where the joint surface cartilage (articular or hyaline cartilage) wears away gradually exposing the raw bone, knee specialist in Hyderabad.
The cartilage that usually serves as a pad on wearing leads to pain and stiffness of the joint.
The most common knee arthritis is knee osteoarthritis, and some other kinds include rheumatoid arthritis and post-traumatic arthritis.
Who may get knee osteoarthritis?
There are certain risk factors that predispose you to develop osteoarthritis of the knee (knee specialist in Hyderabad). They include:
- Ageing, joint surfaces wear down with age
- Genetics, arthritis runs through families
- Fractures and other prior knee joint injuries
- Obesity
- Sports or jobs that continuously load the knee joint
How do you know if you are having knee arthritis?
You may experience:
- Knee pain that worsens in the morning, or after periods of inactivity
- Knee pain aggravated with activities of walking, kneeling, squatting, climbing up and down the stairs
- Stiffness and swelling of the knee
- Warmth around the knee
- Decreased strength in the lower limb muscles
Treatment
Mild arthritis can be managed by pills, injections, rest, ice compression, and knee braces.
Severe arthritis requires joint replacement surgeries like partial (unicompartmental) knee replacement and total knee replacement.