What Causes Loss of Knee Function and Knee Pain?
Posted on September 16, 2009
Filed Under Sports Medicine | Leave a Comment
Chronic knee pain and disability are often caused by arthritis. There are three very common types of arthritis that cause knee problems. They are: rheumatoid arthritis, traumatic arthritis, and osteoarthritis.
Traumatic Arthritis: Injury causes traumatic arthritis. A fractured knee or torn ligaments cause excessive wear and tear on the knee causing the articular cartilage to break down. This painful condition can only become worse with the passage of time.
Rheumatoid Arthritis: When the synovial membrane produces an excess of fluid, the joint space overfills. The fluid becomes thick and inflamed and causes damage to the cartilage. The result is pain, stiffness, and a loss of cartilage.
Osteoarthritis is commonly experienced by people who are over the age of fifty. A family history of osteoarthritis adds to the chance that a person will have it. Osteoarthritis occurs when the cushion of cartilage between the bones of the knee wears down and softens causing the ends of the bone to grind. This is a very painful condition that causes the knee to stiffen.
Knee Replacement May Be the Answer
To make an informed decision about total knee replacement, you will want to consult with your family, your doctor and the orthopedic surgeon he will surely refer you to. Your orthopedic surgeon can outline all of your options, including total knee replacement surgery, other surgeries that may be available to you and non-surgical options as well. Once you have done your homework, you will be able to make an educated choice.
Click here for more on diagnosing knee pain .
Here are some good reasons to have total knee replacement surgery:
Exhaustion of Options: You have tried everything else without success. Once you have gone through physical therapy, cortisone injections, and other types of surgery to no avail, it is definitely time to consider total knee replacement.
Difficulty getting through each day without pain. If it hurts to stand up, sit down, walk, climb stairs, get in your car, get out of your car, and so on, it is time to try total knee replacement. This is also true if you are doing all these things, but you are using a cane or a walker to manage them.
You need total knee replacement surgery if:
Your knee hurts so much you cant bend it or straighten it.
Your knee hurts even when you are resting it.
You are knock-kneed or bow-legged and it is causing pain and problems.
Loss of effectiveness of pain medications. It is important to realize that pain medications like aspirin and ibuprofen may be very effective early on, but as your disease progresses, they tend to lose effectiveness.
Continued inflammation and swelling of the knee(s) even after rest and treatment with medication.
It is important to realize that the effectiveness of medications may vary widely from patient to patient. The more severe your arthritis, the less effective medications will be. Over time, you may build up a tolerance to medications that prevents them from being effective, or you may develop complications that prevent you from being able to use them at all.
Dr. Tarlow is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon with over 20 years specializing in knee surgery. He opened his own clinic, Advanced Knee Care, with a focus on specialty patient care. Click here to learn more about Dr. Tarlow, arthroscopic surgeries and full knee replacement.
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