What is Knee Arthritis?
Arthritis is inflammation of a joint, where two or more bones meet. Knee arthritis is the most common type of arthritis. It’s also called osteoarthritis.
Knee arthritis causes pain, swelling, and stiffness. It develops slowly and gets worse over time.
Everyday activities like walking or climbing stairs can be hard when you have knee arthritis. People who are at least 50 years old are most likely to get knee arthritis.
Causes of Knee Arthritis
Wear and tear on the knee’s cartilage causes knee osteoarthritis. Cartilage is tough, flexible tissue that covers the surfaces of the bones in the knee.
Other risk factors for arthritis include:
- Being obese.
- Knee injury.
- Knee infection.
What are The Symptoms of Knee Arthritis?
Common symptoms of knee arthritis are:
- Pain
- Stiffness
- Problems straightening and bending your knee (range of motion)
- Swelling
- “Creaking”
Pain from knee osteoarthritis may get worse after:
- Walking or standing.
- Sitting or sleeping.
How is Knee Arthritis Treated?
Treatment for knee arthritis focuses on relieving your symptoms and improving your function.
We start with physical therapy and sometimes other non-surgical treatments. Our specialized physical therapy program helps most people with knee arthritis feel and function better.
If our physical therapy program doesn’t help you enough, knee replacement surgery is an option. The physical therapy you do before surgery will help you have a better result and an easier recovery, so you can return to being you faster.
Learn more about treatment options for knee arthritis.