Best Knee Rejuvenation Clinic in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
There are many causes of knee pain, and knee osteoarthritis is one of it. Although knee osteoarthritis is one of the most common causes of knee pain in our population, but it is not the only reason. Thus, a thorough assessment by a qualified doctor is important to get the right diagnosis. When the right cause of knee pain is determined, the suitable treatment can be prescribed.
Knee Osteoarthritis is a wear and tear condition of the knee joint cartilage. As the cartilage gradually thins out, the protective layer over the bone is lost and this causes bone surfaces to rub against each other.
Stages of Osteoarthritis
Stage 1 – Minor
Early wear-and-tear of the joint. Usually patients have no pain as there is still cartilage coverage over the bone.
Stage 2 – Mild
There are some bone spurs. Patients start to have occasional pain.
Stage 3 – Moderate
Cartilage already eroded in some areas. Patient has persistent mechanical knee pain.
Stage 4 – Severe
Gross loss of cartilage resulting in bony deformity. Patient has deformed knees and is in severe pain
Symptoms of Knee Osteoarthritis
There is a spectrum of symptoms a patient may experience depending on the stages of osteoarthritis. The symptoms include:
- Pain during movement or walking but reduces at rest
- Swelling of the knee
- Warmth of the knee
- Stiffness of the knee, especially trying to walk after sitting for a long time
- Knee cracking or feels like grinding when moved
- Knee feels like its about to “give out” or feels wobbly
- Knee might get stuck or feels locked while walking
- Knee appears more bowed or knocks together
Risk factors of developing Osteoarthritis:
Knee cartilage is like a shock absorber for the knee. The more it is abused or overused, the faster the degeneration occurs. The factors leading to osteoarthritis include:
- Advancing age
- Being overweight
- Previous injury to the knee
- Frequently stressing the knee during sporting activity or jobs that require kneeling
- Maligned or naturally crooked knees
Treatment of Osteoarthritis
Treatment is planned based on the stages of osteoarthritis and the severity of the symptoms. Traditionally surgery used to be one of the main treatment options, but nowadays there is a wide range of non surgical treatment that can be done during the early stages of osteoarthritis to slow down the degenerative process. These treatments include:
1. Conservative Treatment
- Physiotherapy
- Weight loss
- Change of sporting activity or job
2. Medical treatment
- Analgesics ( painkillers), both oral medication and ointments
- Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate supplementation
3. Non- surgical treatment
- Hyaluronic acid injection into the knee ( intraarticular injection)
- Platlet Rich Plasma (PRP) injection into the knee
- Stem Cell injection into the knee
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
It is a wear-and-tear condition of the knee cartilage causing knee pain.
Advancing age and being overweight.
The doctor will enquire about the symptoms and do a series of physical examinations. Then an Xray of knee can be done to confirm the diagnosis. Further imaging such as MRI of the knee may be ordered if needed.
At late stages of osteoarthritis, the knee cartilage that has already been damaged cannot be reversed, but early treatment and self care will relieve symptoms and slow down the degenerative process
Hyaluronic acid injections, Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections and Stem cell injections are showing more promising results nowadays.
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