knee arthritis

Knee Arthritis

Why Me ?

What Causes Knee Arthritis?

• Bad Genes• Over Weight• Ageing• Injury• Nutrition Deficiency• Other Causes

Bad Genes

• Bad Genes• Over Weight• Ageing / Women• Injury• Vitamin D / Glucosamine Deficiency• Other Causes

• You are more likely to develop osteoarthritis of the knee if one of your Parents or Grand parents had Knee arthritis

Over Weight


• Being overweight increases the load that you put on your joints. Shedding excess weight certainly will ease the pressure and relieve your Joint Pain.

• Conversely sudden weight gain can do the opposite.

Ageing


• Just like greying of hair, joints can develop osteoarthritis, with age. Reduced activity coupled with muscle and bone wasting (thinning ) could be the cause for this condition.

• Regular exercise helps to keep the joint moving, reduce pain and strengthen muscles around affected joints. Physiotherapist guidance may be required.

Injury


• Sports related injuries can cause premature Osteoarthritis in later life. Road accidents and fall induced Knee fractures can also lead to early Arthritis, especially if they have not been treated properly

Nutrition Deficiency• Bad Genes• Over Weight• Ageing• Injury• Nutrition Deficiency• Other Causes

• Certain individuals with Arthritis seem to greatly benefit from Glucosamine treatment, suggesting there may be a deficiency of this chemical in the body

• Deficiency of Vitamin C and D also can cause Osteoarthritis. Correcting these simple deficiencies can greatly influence the management of Arthritis

Other Causes


• Mal alignment of Knees caused by Bowlegs or Knock knees which are developmental disorders should be rectified.

Diagnosis of Knee Pain

• Physical Examination• X-Ray• Lab Tests• MRI Scan

• Knee pain could be due to several causes including arthritis. Not all knee pain is due to Arthritis. Thorough examination by a doctor after a detailed history, followed by an X-ray should yield a diagnosis. Occasionally blood tests and MRI Scan are required to make an exact diagnosis.

Treatment

• Weight Reduction• Exercises / Physiotherapy• Pain Medications• Joint Lubricants• Injections• Surgery

Weight Reduction

• Weight Reduction• Exercises / Physiotherapy• Pain Medications• Joint Lubricants• Injections• Surgery• Simple measures to lose weight include:• Eating whole meals like Oats, Brown rice/wheat, Brown

bread, • Fresh vegetables and fruits, Low fat Milk• Protein Shakes and Occasional dry fruits and nuts• Drink water before your meal

Exercises / Physiotherapy


• Exercise increases strength and flexibility, reduces joint pain, and helps combat fatigue.

• Quadriceps exercises even for a few minutes a day, gives instant pain relief and improves walking style

Pain Medications• Weight Reduction• Exercises / Physiotherapy• Pain Medications• Joint Lubricants• Injections• Surgery

• My Strategy for Pain Control:• Mild Pain: Crocin 500 or Dolo 650 X 3 times daily• Moderate Pain: Ultracet, twice daily• Severe Pain: Voveran, twice daily

• Caution: High BP, & poorly controlled Diabetes are risk factors for Kidney failure – NSAID’s are best avoided in such patients, can also lead to peptic ulcer and stomach bleeding

Joint Lubricants


• Glucosamine therapy has made a great impact in OA treatment. It is well tolerated and appear to be safe and may be taken for 3 months in a year (1500mg dose daily)

• Vitamin D deficiency is rampant in the Indian population and should be rectified to decrease stress on the knee joints and delay onset of OA

Injections• Weight Reduction• Exercises / Physiotherapy• Pain Medications• Joint Lubricants• Injections• Surgery

• Viscosupplementation injections are expensive. Has benefitted some patients who are unwilling to undergo Knee replacement Surgery

• Steroid Injections help control Knee pain in the short term only. Should be avoided if planning to undergo Knee Replacement Surgery

Surgery


• Arthroscopic Debridement, Loose body removal, meniscectomies have been shown to improve pain control in certain group of patients

• Total Knee Replacement Surgery is a highly successful Procedure in advanced OsteoArthritis patients, giving pain relief for 20 years

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