Knee Arthritis Treatment

Arthritis is a general term meaning “inflammation of the joint”. To help provide smooth, pain-free motion to the joint, the bones in a joint are covered with a tough, lubricating tissue called cartilage. Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, is a degenerative joint disease that causes the layer of the cartilage to gradually wear away until bone begins to rub against bone. Knee arthritis can affect one or both knees.

Symptoms of knee arthritis include pain, swelling, and stiffness. In some patients, redness, clicking, and grinding occur. In addition, some patients with knee arthritis have a feeling that the knee is collapsing or giving out on them when they are walking. The initial stages of knee arthritis treatment include over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol or over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications as long as patients are able to tolerate those. 

In addition, patients with knee arthritis can try physical therapy, exercises, appropriate weight loss under the care of a physician, cortisone injections. Furthermore, there are injections for patients suffering with knee arthritis, called hyaluronic acid which can be useful for arthritis in the knee. For patients who fail conservative management, that is management without surgery, a total knee replacement may be indicated.