Health Sense: How to treat arthritis in knee

Walking on two limbs rather than four puts immense stress on the lower limbs of humans.

The average male takes over 7,000 steps a day and the average female takes over 5,000. With each step, the joints of the leg take up to seven times our body weight. Through the course of each day, our lower extremities, cumulatively, bear several tons of weight.

Joint pain affects about 15 percent of the population. The most common cause of joint pain is osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease). One in 10 people will have osteoarthritis. Of all the joints, the knee is one of the most commonly affected. Given the load the knee endures, the frequency of wear and tear and osteoarthritis comes as no surprise.

The osteoarthritic knee will have cartilage that is worn thin or even completely worn away. There will be associated bony spurs at the edges of the joint as well as cysts in the bone immediately underlying the worn cartilage.

Symptoms of knee arthritis include pain, swelling, stiffness, deformity and consequent loss of function.

For the treatment of early arthritis, anti-inflammatory medications may be prescribed, together with a program of exercises aimed at improving range of motion, strengthening and weight-loss.

The use of glucosamine and chondroitin may benefit some patients in controlling pain but does not affect the progression of arthritis. Failing this, joint injections with steroids or viscosupplements may be indicated for selected patients.

In patients with advanced arthritis or in patients who have failed other treatments, a knee replacement is necessary.

A knee replacement is a surgical procedure performed to replace the weight-bearing portions of the knee joint. During the procedure, deformities are corrected and range of motion improved. In combination, these measures eliminate pain and improve knee function.

Advances in technology have allowed knee replacements to be performed with minimally invasive techniques (smaller incisions).

This allows a faster recovery and a smaller scar.

Computer-aided surgery has benefited patients by allowing knee replacements to be performed more accurately. This prolongs the life span of a knee implant.

Finally, instruments used to guide surgeons in making the necessary bone cuts to fit the knee replacement on the patient’s knee can now be customized to each and every patient.

Dr. Lim Kay Kiat is an orthopedic surgeon. He can be reached at enquiry@orthosportssg.com