Knee Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a condition where the knee undergoes wearing out , thinning or erosion of the cartilage. This is caused by repeated stress to the cartilage. Patients with this condition will suffer from knee pain and stiffness which will impair their quality of life. The patients who suffer from knee osteoarthritis are usually older (after the age of 55-60 years).

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What is the treatment of knee osteoarthritis?

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In early or mild cases, treatment is by pain and anti-inflammatory medication, physiotherapy and modification of physical activities. Patients can also take supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin. In  moderate osteoarthritis, the knee can be injected with hyaluronic acid (HA) which acts as a knee lubricant to reduce the stiffness and pain. HA injections usually  provide symptom relief for 6 months to 1 year.

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In more severe cases of knee osteoarthritis, the most effective treatment is knee replacement surgery (TKR). TKR is a long term solution which will get rid of the knee pain and restore the knee function to normal. TKR has good results with more than 97% success rate.