Knee Osteoarthritis: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment Options
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common cause of chronic knee pain that can make everyday activities like walking, climbing stairs, or getting out of a chair more difficult.
While knee osteoarthritis cannot currently be reversed, treatment can help reduce pain, improve mobility, and support your quality of life. The right approach depends on your symptoms, the extent of joint damage, and how much osteoarthritis knee pain affects your daily activities.
What Is Knee Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis of the knee is a degenerative disease that impacts the whole knee joint, including the cartilage, bone, ligaments, and joint lining. While healthy cartilage cushions the ends of your bones, allowing the joint to move smoothly, osteoarthritis can cause the cartilage to thin and grow rougher. As a result, the bones around the knee rub together, leading to pain, inflammation, and reduced joint function.
What Causes Osteoarthritis of the Knee?
There is not always one specific cause of osteoarthritis in the knee. The condition develops as the cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones in the knee joint gradually breaks down. As this protective cartilage deteriorates, the bones can begin to rub against each other, contributing to pain, stiffness, swelling, and reduced mobility.
Knee osteoarthritis can affect one or both knees, and symptoms may become more persistent as the condition progresses. While cartilage changes are part of the disease process, several factors can increase a person’s likelihood of developing knee osteoarthritis or contribute to greater stress on the knee joint, including:
- Age
- Obesity
- Genetics
- Joint injuries
- Overuse or repetitive stress
- Gender differences
Common Knee Osteoarthritis Symptoms
Knee osteoarthritis symptoms often develop gradually and may become more noticeable as the condition progresses. Symptoms can affect how the knee feels and functions, making everyday activities such as walking, climbing stairs, or standing for extended periods more difficult. The type and severity of symptoms can vary depending on the extent of changes within the knee joint.
Common symptoms of knee osteoarthritis include:
- Knee pain: Pain may occur during or after movement and can become more persistent over time.
- Stiffness: The knee may feel stiff after periods of rest or inactivity, particularly in the morning.
- Swelling: Inflammation can cause swelling or a feeling of fullness around the knee joint.
- Reduced range of motion: It may become more difficult to fully bend or straighten the knee.
- Grinding, clicking, or cracking sensations: Changes within the joint may cause noticeable sounds or sensations during movement.
- Tenderness: The knee may feel sensitive or painful when pressure is applied around the joint.
- Difficulty with everyday activities: Pain and stiffness may make climbing stairs, walking, standing for extended periods, or getting up from a seated position more difficult.
How Is Osteoarthritis of the Knee Diagnosed?
The diagnostic process for osteoarthritis of the knee starts with a review of your medical history, along with:
- Physical Examinations: Doctors assess joint swelling, tenderness, and range of motion.
- Imaging Tests: X-rays evaluate joint space narrowing, bone spurs, or other abnormalities that may signal OA. MRI may be used for detailed soft tissue evaluation.
- Lab Tests: Knee joint (synovial) fluid analysis rules out infections or other forms of arthritis.
In certain cases, additional evaluation through blood tests helps with ruling out other potential causes of knee pain not related to osteoarthritis of the knee.
Osteoarthritis of the Knee Treatment Options
Managing knee osteoarthritis focuses on reducing pain, maintaining mobility, and helping you stay active. The approach may depend on the severity of joint damage, your symptoms, overall health, and how much knee pain affects your daily activities. Options can range from conservative measures to minimally invasive procedures and, in some cases, surgery.
Depending on your symptoms and stage of osteoarthritis, knee pain treatment options may include:
- Low-impact exercise: Placing less pressure on your joints by cycling or swimming can help manage knee pain.
- Physical therapy: Working with a physical therapist or performing stretches at home can relieve pain in the knee muscles.
- Weight management: Managing weight through exercise and eating a nutritious diet places less stress on knee joints.
- Medications: Your doctors may prescribe medication for pain or inflammation when necessary.
Although these methods can help with less severe cases, they are not as useful for osteoarthritis cases beyond the early stages.
Minimally Invasive Knee Treatments
At-home treatments can provide temporary relief, but they do not address the underlying cause of your knee pain. If you do not have severe symptoms that require surgery, certain patients can benefit from minimally invasive options, such as targeted injections or other image-guided interventional pain management procedures.
Another minimally invasive treatment for knee pain is genicular artery embolization (GAE). A specialist will help you determine whether a minimally invasive treatment is appropriate based on your symptoms, medical history, and diagnostic findings.
When Knee Replacement Surgery May Be Recommended
Knee replacement surgery may be considered for severe pain or loss of function as a result of osteoarthritis in the knees and other treatments have not provided adequate relief.
However, surgery is not necessary for everyone. Many people can manage their symptoms with minimally invasive treatments like GAE.
Learn more about knee pain treatments
Can You Prevent Osteoarthritis From Progressing?
It may not be possible to completely prevent osteoarthritis from progressing. Still, taking certain steps, such as exercising, maintaining or reaching an appropriate weight, and reducing repetitive stress, can support joint health and symptom management.
One of the best ways to manage symptoms is by addressing the underlying knee pain before it becomes severe. Consulting a knee specialist and discussing treatment options such as GAE can help you find relief from knee pain caused by knee osteoarthritis.
Find a Knee Osteoarthritis Specialist Near You
You do not have to simply accept chronic knee pain as part of getting older. If you have been searching for osteoarthritis treatment, USA Pain Center can help you explore your options.
Our numerous locations make it easy to meet with an osteoarthritis doctor near you to help determine the cause of your symptoms and receive a customized treatment plan.
Contact USA Pain Center today to schedule a consultation and learn more about treatment for knee osteoarthritis.
FAQs About Osteoarthritis of the Knee
Osteoarthritis of the knee is a condition that affects the cartilage, bone, and other tissues within the knee. It can cause pain, stiffness, swelling, and reduced mobility.
