Dr. Dr. Ebraheim’s educational animated video describes the condition of arthitis of the knee
Arthritis of the Knee
Osteoarthritis of the knee is the most common cause of arthritis of the knee. The patient will complain of pain, swelling, stiffness, and decreased range of motion of the knee. In arthritis, the cartilage of the knee gets worn off. The meniscus which absorbs the shock, becomes degenerated and tears. With time, there will be more and more degeneration, and the joint space will narrow. When the cushion of the cartilage is completely lost, the bone will rub against bone, causing severe symptoms to the patient with severe pain, inability to walk, a lot of swelling with the knee, and “giving way” (knee will be unstable). The x-ray will show arthritis. When you ask the patient to stand or walk, the alignment of the lower extremity is lost, and the patient may have varus or valgus malalignment. Arthritis can be mild, moderate, or severe. For mild osteoarthritis of the knee, the patient will have some discomfort, and the x-rays can appear normal. The fabric of the articular cartilage breaks down. This can be controlled by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication, weight loss and therapy. For moderate osteoarthritis, there will be narrowing of the joint space on x-ray due to degeneration of the cartilage. There will be cysts in the subchondral space located underneath the cartilage, and there may be some osteophytes or bony spurs. The joint will no longer be smooth (joint surface is roughened with cracks and fissures). The patient’s pain will be worse with more swelling. Treatment can include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, weight loss and exercise, steroid injections, or platelets and stem cells. For severe osteoarthritis, the condition of the knee is bad. The joint space is severely narrowed with total destruction of the cartilage. The knee is swollen and painful with more osteophytes, and the bone is rubbing against the bone, and no cartilage is left. There is no cushion and nothing to absorb the shock of the weight, so the condition becomes very painful. Because the patient is walking on their own bone, there will be decreased activity, and the patient will have an inferior quality of life. Surgery is the best option for the patient and surgery is usually done by a total knee replacement. educational animated video describes the condition of knee pain and arthritis.