There are four stages of knee arthritic change, stages 0, 1, 2, and stage 3. Knee OA (or degeneration of the knee) is a common chronic condition in people over 60 years of age. It is usually the result of the wearing out of the cartilage that naturally protects the knee and also due to the degeneration of bone that surrounds the knee. The wearing out of the cartilage typically occurs over the period of time, but it can occur suddenly and abruptly, too.

When one can detect knee OA in their body?

The symptoms are very mild. The affected area may feel some soreness. The joint mobility is still preserved, but there is not significant damage to any of the structures surrounding the knee joints. The osteoarthritis pain generally is described as sharp, constant, and often located near the involved area. In some cases, even the bones and cartilage around the knee joints can become deformed or develop cracks, which are known as glomus tumors.

Next stage is when the symptoms begin to become more severe. In the advanced stage, joint stiffness, swelling, pain, and loss of movement are experienced. The pain is generally described as being stabbing, throbbing, or else similar to a stab with a stick. In some case, there is a loss of feeling for some of the parts of the body. This advanced stage usually requires immediate surgery to repair the damaged parts of the knee joint.

Why one should not avoid the symptoms?

The symptoms become intolerable. If left untreated, the disease progresses and the risk of permanent disability also advances. The joint pain, swelling, and deformity progress to the extent that walking and performing normal exercises becomes very difficult. When knee OA becomes at the advanced stage, surgery becomes the only option.

Strictly speaking, degeneration of the knee joints refers to the progressive destruction of cartilage, which in turns leads to the breakdown of the bone, and eventually to osteonecrosis. Osteonecrosis refers to the deterioration of bone due to lack of function of the joint. Knee OA is a medical situation where bones begin to erode away from the knee joints. This results in a gradual wearing away of the cartilage that surrounds the knee joints. This results in the degradation of the bones, making them weaker.

Understanding the progress of knee OA

Knee OA is actually a progressive disease, which means that the stages do not progress in a straight line. It is like a progression. As the disease progresses from one stage to another, the pain and dysfunction worsen. At the beginning of the disease, the symptoms are mild or moderate. The symptoms of osteoarthritis typically worsen as the disease progresses through each of the following stages.

Stage I is when the earliest symptoms appear. These include swelling, stiffness, and pain. In some cases, limited range of motion may be noted. The symptoms will probably subside as time goes on but will not completely disappear. At this stage, non-invasive treatments are usually prescribed such as heat therapy, cortisone injections, and physical therapy. If all else fails, a longer course of treatment is recommended.

Stage II is similar to the previous stage, only less extreme pain and disability are noted. Some limited range of motion is still observed, however, and weight loss has been noted. As in stage I, cortisone injections are sometimes given to the knee to slow the progress of the disease. However, the pain in the joint is not alleviated, but is only aggravated as time goes on. At this stage, surgery is suggested to repair or replace the damaged cartilage. Also, physical therapy for arthritis is advised to improve joint mobility and strengthen muscles in order to promote healing. One needs to get treatment for knee OA then you can check out websites like lermagazine.com.