Knee Joint Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition of the joints seen in the elderly people and is characterised by loss of the articular cartilage, reduced joint space, periarticular bone erosions and osteophytes and associated joint inflammation.
There are 4 Stages Osteoarthritis Of Knee
Signs and Symptoms
- Knee pain which is deep aching in character which aggravates on Knee movements specially when doing activities like Climbing stairs, getting up from sitting position, sitting on floor cross-legged.
- Limited range of motion of the Knee joint leading to stiffness.
- A grinding or cracking sound may be heard during movements of the joint.
- Localised tenderness most commonly on the medial joint line.
- Early morning stiffness in knee present.
- Swelling around knee joint may be present which is a sign of synovitis.
Risk Factors
- Age.
- Knee joint injury/Ligament or Meniscal injuries predispose patients to early onset of arthritis due to more friction at the joint level causing more wear and tear of the joint lines.
- Osteoporotic bones .
- Sitting cross legged on floor.
JEEVISHA protocol for management of Knee osteoarthritis:
Management of Knee Osteoarthritis depends on which stage the patient presents to us.
1. Management of Stage I and II Knee Osteoarthritis
- Medications: In the initial course of the management of this condition, patients may be prescribed some anti-inflammatories to reduce the joint inflammation. Some other medications may be prescribed depending on the condition of the patient, which is individualized from patient to patient basis.
- Physiotherapy: : Physiotherapy plays a very important role in fighting these painful conditions. With a team of dedicated physiotherapist, patient is further evaluated and accordingly a plan is prepared for first reducing pain with different modalities and then slowly rehabilitating Knee for normal functioning.
Targeted treatment:
- Ultrasound guided Platelet rich plasma injections.
- Ultrasound guided Prolotherapy.
2. Management of Stage III and IV Knee Osteoarthritis
When patient presents to us in later stages of Knee Osteoarthritis, Regenerative therapy has to be supplemented with other advanced and targeted procedures like
- Fluoroscope guided Cooled radiofrequency ablation of Articular branches of Knee joint
- Use of Off-loading braces