Knee Arthritis

Do your knees experience stiffness, swelling, pain, or lack of mobility after periods of rest or extended use? You may be suffering from knee arthritis.

Knee Arthritis: What is it?

There are more than 100 different types of arthritis, which is a general term used to describe the deterioration of a joint. Typically joints are covered with a smooth hyaline cartilage which allows for pain free motion of the joint. The surfaces can wear out for a number of reasons and leave exposed bone in the joint which can cause pain. This is typically referred to as “degenerative arthritis”. The knee, like other joints such as the ankle and hip, can wear out with time and lead to pain and discomfort.

Knee arthritis is one of the more common types of arthritis. Knee arthritis can make it difficult to perform common daily activities such as walking, climbing stairs, or other activities that require bending your knees.

Symptoms: What does Knee Arthritis feel like?

The most common symptoms of knee arthritis are general pain, inflammation, swelling, and knee stiffness. Most types of knee arthritis develop slowly over time, gradually causing more pain and inflammation as the condition gets worse. The symptoms of knee arthritis can flare up after both extended periods of rest (sleeping, sitting, etc.) or extended periods of activity.

Other common symptoms include a “clicking” or “popping” sound in the joint, a “sticking” or “locking” feeling when trying to bend or move the knee, or a feeling of weakness in the knee during activity.

Causes

There are three main types of knee arthritis, each with different causes: osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and post-traumatic arthritis.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of knee arthritis and is most commonly found in older adults. Osteoarthritis is caused by the general use and breakdown of the knee cartilage over time. As this protective cartilage breaks down, the bones in and around the knee begin rubbing together, causing friction and pain. Osteoarthritis happens slowly over years of use and the pain may continue to get worse as the cartilage breakdown continues.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes the body’s immune system to attack and weaken its own tissue, including knee cartilage. This immune system attack can result in the softening or breakdown of knee cartilage, causing the knee and leg bones to rub together without a protective layer.

People who suffer from rheumatoid knee arthritis often experience symptoms in both knees rather than just one knee.

Post-traumatic Arthritis

Post-traumatic arthritis is a type of arthritis that occurs after an injury to the leg bones, meniscus, or ligaments of the knee. These injuries can result in lost or damaged knee cartilage or altered use of the knee that results in extended wear and tear. Post-traumatic arthritis can develop years after a knee injury.

Evaluation: How is Knee Arthritis diagnosed?

During your initial knee evaluation, your doctor will look for visual signs of knee arthritis, including:

Tenderness or redness around the knee joint
Pain when bending or using your knee
Range of motion limitations
Joint swelling or inflammation
Joint instability
Irregular walking motion due to knee pain
Signs of deeper injuries to knee cartilage or ligaments

In addition to a visual and physical evaluation, your doctor may use X-ray, MRI imaging, and blood testing to accurately determine the location, type, and severity of your knee arthritis.

Treatment

As with all forms of arthritis, there is no cure. However, there are many types of treatments available to control the progression of arthritis and reduce the symptoms to help people return to the daily activities they love. There are a wide variety of non-surgical treatments available for knee arthritis that can reduce or alleviate the pain and inflammation caused by the arthritis.

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Physical Therapy
Symptoms of knee arthritis can often be controlled and reduced through a dedicated therapy program designed to improve mobility and reduce movements that may be causing the arthritic inflammation.

Analysis and Changes to Daily Activity
As with other forms of arthritis, patients often find that specific types of activities cause the most pain and inflammation in their knee. By analyzing these activities, doctors and patients can create a plan for ongoing activity modifications that can reduce the impact and symptoms on the knee.

Sometimes, adapting activities or switching to new activities that put less impact on the knees is a simple way to control and reduce the impact knee arthritis has on daily life.

Medication and Lifestyle Assistance Devices
Common medications and lifestyle devices can help patients reduce swelling, pain, and inflammation in their knees as well as make daily activities easier and less painful. There are many types of medications that can be used to reduce the swelling and inflammation caused by arthritis, including over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications, NSAIDs, corticosteroids, DMARDs (for rheumatoid knee arthritis), and a variety of dietary supplements that may assist in protecting the knee joint. Your doctor will discuss with you the medication options that may be best for you.

In addition to medications, lifestyle devices such as canes, knee braces, or shoe inserts can help patients enjoy activities while reducing the stress and impact on the knee. By reducing stress and impact, patients can help control the onset of knee arthritis symptoms.

Finally, some patients seek out acupuncture or electromagnetic treatments to help reduce their knee arthritis symptoms.

Surgical Options

For patients who don’t find relief using a non-surgical treatment, there are a variety of surgical options to help treat knee arthritis.

Knee Arthroscopy
During an arthroscopic procedure, your surgeon will use micro-incisions and micro-surgical instruments to enter your knee, remove loose bone or cartilage pieces, and repair damaged cartilage, ligaments, or bone sections. Knee arthroscopies are not commonly used to treat knee arthritis but can be helpful for specific types of arthritic patients.

Cartilage Grafting
For younger patients with only a small section of damaged cartilage, a grafting procedure can be used to replace missing or damaged knee cartilage with healthy cartilage from a different part of the knee or a tissue bank.

Synovectomy
A synovectomy procedure can be an option to alleviate symptoms for patients suffering from rheumatoid knee arthritis. In this procedure, the damaged lining of the knee joint is surgically removed to reduce symptoms.

Osteotomy
An osteotomy procedure involves surgically reshaping one or both of the bones connected at the knee to better distribute the patient’s weight and improve their walking, bending, and overall use of the knee. This can help dramatically reduce the symptoms of knee arthritis.

Arthroplasty (Total or Partial Knee Replacement)
In an arthroplasty procedure, all or part of the damaged cartilage and bone is removed from the knee and replaced with new, artificial joint components to restore mobility and functionality to the knee.

Recovery: What Can Be Expected?

Due to the wide variety of treatments and surgeries used to treat knee arthritis, recovery time can range from days to months. Physical therapy is very often a vital part of managing knee arthritis and recovering from treatments designed to reduce arthritic symptoms. Talk to your doctor about recovery timelines as you discuss your treatment options.

Frequently asked questions about Knee Arthritis

Physicians

The following physicians specialize in the treatment of Knee Arthritis:

Keith M. Baumgarten, MD

Evan N. Hermanson, MD

Eric S. Watson, MD

Michael J. Adler, MD

Peter A. Looby, MD

Dustin P. Collins, MD

Gregory M. Neely, MD

Corey P. Rothrock, MD

Matthew J. McKenzie, MD

Erik D. Peterson, MD

Luke H. Rasmussen, MD

Timothy L. Walker, MD

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Testimonials

Dr. Zoellner did an outstanding job on my recent knee surgery. His “bedside Manner” was quite professional and very personal, making it clear I was more than just a patient!! His staff was great also! I would highly recommend Dr. Zoellner and the Orthopedic Institute and Specialty Hospital!!!

What a great doctor. Dr. Looby has seen me through knee and shoulder surgeries, with great skill and care. He always makes sure I am doing ok and answers all my questions and listens to my concerns. It has been an awesome journey to being pain-free and able to function normally. I will be able to dance at my daughter’s wedding. I am so grateful. What a blessing!

Dr. Keith Baumgarten is not only knowledgeable but has a great bedside manner and sense of humor. I would highly recommend him to anyone with knee problems like mine. The steroid injection has been a great relief over the past 3 years.

Dr. Rothrock did my right knee replacement last year and just completed my left knee surgery last week. I have been an RN for over 30 years and worked with many doctors and I know quality when I encounter it! Considerate – is on time, and uses skin closure that makes a beautiful healed incision instead of staples which leave lots of ugly dots. He’s very intuitive. At an office visit he knew I needed some encouragement and told me I was doing “better than most.” When I got home I realized how helpful that was. How am I supposed to know where I’m at on the spectrum? I was working hard but hardly getting anywhere. It takes a lot of time. Thanks for those words Dr. Rothrock! VERY encouraging!

This was my second knee procedure with Dr. Hermanson. As a patient, both procedures have resulted in excellent outcomes. Dr. Hermanson and staff answered any questions I had in a direct manner and I was very satisfied with the whole examination, pre-surgery, and surgery experience. Very thorough process.