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What is Osteoarthritis of the Knee?
By Andrew Burke, MSPT
Knee pain is one of those things that just about everyone will experience in their lives. Out of all the joints in the body, the knee is at the greatest risk for developing osteoarthritis. Knee osteoarthritis occurs when the smooth slippery cartilage covering the end of the bones that make up the knee joint wears away. Different factors affect the speed at which this condition progresses. Some of these factors include: age, injury, genetics and overall wear and tear. While there is no way to avoid knee arthritis completely, you can slow the process down and prevent it from affecting your normal home, work and recreational activities.
The most important thing is to not ignore your knee pain. Different areas of the joint surfaces can be affected by the arthritis so it might be more comfortable for someone to hold their knee in a slightly bent position when standing or walking in order to stay away from putting pressure over the affected area. This may be less painful in the short run but can lead to more problems down the road. This type of compensatory motion will cause muscle in the back of the knee to shorten making it difficult to fully extend the knee. It will also weaken the muscle in the front of the knee making the joint less stable and putting more pressure on the knee cap. This change in gait mechanics can also lead to compensations by the hips and lower back possibly causing pain in those areas -- not to mention speeding up the wear and tear process on the other knee because it is taking more of the load.
Talk to your doctor promptly if you experience knee pain affecting your functional capacity. He or she may suggest anti-inflammatory medications and/or physical therapy to correct muscle imbalances and to improve joint stability in order to prevent progression of the disease.
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