This week we’re going to look more closely at the most common joint disorder in the US, knee osteoarthritis (OA). In a 2010 article by Zhang et al in Clinics of Geriatric Medicine found symptomatic knee osteoarthritis occurs in 10% of men and 13% of women aged 60 and older and will likely increase because of the aging population and obesity epidemic. From own clinical experience, I have had numerous patients with knee OA and one of the most common post-operative diagnosis I’ve treated is total knee replacements.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the gradually wearing and degeneration of the cartilage in a joint. It’s considered a “wear-and-tear” process and is common in people over the age of 50, but can occur in younger individuals. As the cartilage wears, there is a loss of joint space and rubbing resulting in bone-on-bone contact and possibly bone spurs. OA is slow developing and the resulting pain and inflammation will gradually worsen.

Common Knee OA symptoms include:

• Stiff and swollen joint – resulting in decreased knee ROM

• Pain and swelling worse in the morning or after prolonged sitting

• Flare ups of pain with lots of activity

• Feeling of weakness or buckling of the knee

• The knee will creak, click, snap, or pop with activity

Initially, conservative treatment including physical therapy is the treatment of choice to address loss of ROM, strength, walking, and balance. Some individuals, however, will have worsening of symptoms and progression of the osteoarthritis and may ultimately require a joint replacement known as a total knee arthroplasty. The first total knee replacement surgery was performed in 1968 and the procedure and hardware have improved immensely since then. In 2017, 754,000 knee replacements were performed in the US, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

If you are interested in learning more or about treatment options, don’t hesitate to call/text 701-318-4731 or email connectptnd@gmail.com to learn how we can help. Don’t forget to follow on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on the happenings at Connect Physical Therapy.

- Alison Fuhrman, PT, DPT, CMPT, OCS