Osteoarthrosis of the Knee

Introduction

Osteoarthrosis is a painful condition of the knee caused by general wear and tear of the joint after injuries causing cartilage damage or ligament instability.

Causes

Commonly it arises after sporting injuries or trauma result in changes in the cartilage and dysfunction of the knee ligaments. Other diseases like Rheumatoid arthritis or even some early childhood illnesses can result in changes in the cartilage that cause osteoarthrosis to develop as well.

Symptoms

Although it has many different forms, it usually results in knee deformity (bowed legs or knock knees) instability and painful stiffness.

Diagnosis

Osteoarthrosis is usually diagnosed with a plain x-ray of the knee and less frequently an MRI scan. There are no blood tests of osteoarthrosis.

Treatment

Osteoarthrosis is normally treated in the early and mild form with physiotherapy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, Chondroiten (shark cartilage). These treatments are only effective in mild cases.  When the problem does not respond to these non-operative therapies, it can successfully be treated by total knee replacement.

Related Information

Total knee replacement