KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS

A young, healthy knee joint is infiltrated with joint fluid. However, with the increase of age, the joint fluid decreases, and the femur and tibia continue to have tissue proliferation, which makes the space of the knee joint smaller, and the cartilage of the articular surface is not fully protected, which increases its friction and degeneration. When the knee joint is worn to an irreversible degree and cannot move smoothly, X-ray also shows degenerative changes and degradation of the cartilage of the knee joint. This joint pain and chronic inflammation are collectively referred to as knee osteoarthritis, which often mix up with the terms of "rheumatic" condition by patients.

Joint degeneration is what we will experience in life, but the knee joint bears the largest load, and it is most likely to have obvious symptoms after the age of 40.

• Previous knee joint injuries
• Obesity overloads joints and may accelerate cartilage degeneration
• Repeated knee joint activities, such as carrying heavy objects, participating in long-distance running, track and field, gymnastics and dance, etc., often squatting, jumping up and down stairs, etc.
• Structural abnormalities, such as varus and valgus knees, causing uneven stress on the knee joints

• Knee joint swelling and redness with deep joint pain
• Reduced knee range and feel weakness, increased pain during flexion and extension
• After a break, or when getting up from sleep, the knee joint is particularly stiff, and even lasts for more than half an hour, called morning stiffness
• There is sounds or frictions in knee joints during movements
• In late stage, it can cause joint deformation and difficult in walking

In the acute stage, patients can reduce inflammation in the affected area by applying ice and taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID). Patients with chronic pain can reduce pain through hotpad and joint mobilization exercises. The use of insoles matching the shape of the feet can mildly correct the abnormal mechanical structure and reduce the load on the knee joint. In addition, because joints will bear less weight than normal after degeneration, patients should strengthen the quadriceps, vastus medialis, gluteus etc. in order to share and maintain the loading capacity of the knee joint and alleviate the impact of the knee cartilage.

If a patient starts to have signs of knee osteoarthritis, the protection of the knee joint should be emphasized and highly loading activity of knee joint should be minimized, such as running stairs, squatting, dancing, sitting on a low chair etc. Those with severe degenerative and painful conditions should stop and take rest between walking, and using handrails when going up and down stairs to reduce the load on knee joint.

**Please contact 9799 4307 or email comm@cores.com.hk for enquiries, reposting, spreading of this article, or further information.

Welcome to visit http://www.cores.com.hk for more information.