What is knee osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is a kind of arthritis where your joint is overused or as other people may call it, “wear and tear” of the joint. You may have knee osteoarthritis if you have experienced stiffness, pain, swelling in the joint and also a decrease in mobility of the joint. You can figure out if you have it just by going to your doctor and then they would perform their medical exam. That may entail a X-Ray or an MRI.

According to Arthritis.org, Knee Osteoarthritis can happen to anybody at any age; however, it is most common in adults. Unfortunately, women are more likely to get this than men. Old injuries that you have had many many years ago can contribute to Knee Osteoarthritis and also repeated stress on the joint can lead to it as well.

With this, you may experience pain. You may have pain with movement as well as pain with sitting still. You may feel stiffness when you wake up and/or sitting or not moving for a long period of time. Over a period of time, you may experience the lack of mobility in the joint and you may not be able to straighten or bend your knee all the way. You may hear some snaps, crackles, and pops, and you may also have a grinding sensation in the knee joint. You may also feel like your knee is unstable and you feel like it might “give out” or buckle. You may also experience your knee locking up and it will feel stuck. Lastly, you may also experience some swelling around the knee or maybe just on one side.

Some people may find heat or ice helps with the pain. For most people exercise can help mange the pain and improve range of motion and strength. If those options do not help, there are ways that your doctor can help provide for you. Your doctor can prescribe an anti-inflammatory or tell you to take Advil, Tylenol, or any other pain reliever that helps you. Your doctor may also suggest an injection in the knee, physical therapy/occupational therapy, alternative therapies, or using a brace before a surgical option. Physical therapy can help slow down the progression of the osteoarthritis and may help to prevent the need for any surgical treatment.

There are plenty of options to help treat this and maintain it! Give your local doctor and physical therapist a try!