Information on knee pain, arthritis, conditions, causes, diagnosis, symptoms, pain relief, prevention, surgery and other treatment options. The knee, a hinge joint, has one of the widest ranges of motion of any joint. A knee damaged by arthritis may be a candidate for joint replacement.
A step-by-step look at knee pain caused by arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can cause joint swelling, stiffness, pain, and inflammation. This pain is often experienced in the cartilage of the knees. Learn more about RA and how to treat it.
Arthritis in the knee most often refers to osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis in the knee, results from wear and tear on its parts. However, inflammation that occurs in certain rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, can also damage the knee. What is "arthritis in the knee"?
Stabilizing and reinforcing the knee joint is important for people with arthritis of the knee. Knee supports can help with joint protection and pain reduction.
Risedronate brand name Actonel, a drug typically utilized to combat the effects of osteoporosis, may slow joint destruction and delay the need for joint replacement surgery in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Doxycycline may prevent progression of osteoarthritis. More studies are needed.
An overview and treatment options for knee pain. Simple causes of knee pain often clear up on their own with self care. Being overweight can put you at greater risk for knee problems.
The knee is a complex joint, which is made up of the distal end of the femur (the femoral condyles), and the proximal end of the tibia (the tibial plateau). The femoral condyles usually glide smoothly on the tibial plateau, allowing for smooth, painless motion of the lower leg. (Illustrated)
Explains total joint replacement thoroughly and understandably. Written by experts with professional and personal experience.
Osteoarthritis is also known as "wear-and-tear" arthritis. It is typically seen as a primary disease in older people but can occur as a secondary condition in younger people. Injury, occupation, excess weight, and genetics are among the factors which cause the cartilage of a joint to wear away. Take our Osteoarthritis Screening Quiz.
Knee joint replacement is surgery to replace a painful damaged or diseased knee joint with an artificial joint (prosthesis).
ACL reconstruction is surgery to replace the ligament in the center of the knee (the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL) with a new ligament.
Osteophytes are also commonly known as bone spurs. Osteophytes develop in deteriorating joints damaged by arthritis.
Study reveals two new approaches (with the aid of your spouse) can help improve the self-management of osteoarthritis pain.
How much do you know about relieving pain? Pain serves as the signal that something is wrong in the body. There are many pain relieving techniques which can be tried. Do you know about the various pain treatment options? Take the Pain Relief Quiz.
There's more to know about pain than the fact that it hurts. Do you know the difference between acute and chronic pain? Do men and women respond to pain differently? How many older people take a painkiller on a regular basis? What is R.I.C.E.? Are there any non-drug pain relievers? How much do you know about pain?
Knee arthroscopy is a surgery in which a small camera is attached to a video monitor and is used to examine or repair tissues inside the knee joint with special instruments.
A prosthesis is a device designed to replace a missing part of the body, or to make a part of the body work better. The metal prosthetic device in knee joint replacement surgery replaces cartilage and bone which is damaged from disease or aging.
Cartilage covers the end of bones in joints to provide shock absorption during movement. The synovium is the membrane that surrounds the joint and is filled with synovial fluid, which provides nutrients and oxygen to the cartilage.
Information on chondromalacia patellae including an overview, symptoms, treatment, and prevention. Illustrated resource.
Being overweight, even just moderately, burdens the joints and increases pain and inflammation.
The ligaments which attach the upper leg bone (femur) to the large lower leg bone (tibia) create a hinge joint called the knee. The anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments are 2 short, strong ligaments which criss-cross each other in the middle of the joint.
A study of the use of home-based neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) for the purpose of improving quadricep strength in older adults with knee osteoarthritis has produced promising results. The report in the July 2003 Journal of Rheumatology points to NMES as a alternative when medications, exercise, and surgery are not options.
Baker's cyst is an accumulation of joint fluid (synovial fluid) that forms behind the knee. Explanation of the cause in children and in adults. (Illustrated)
Knock knees are an outward angulation of the lower legs, such that when the knees are touching the ankles are separated.
Runner's knee occurs at the front of the knee and is caused by softening of the cartilage or misalignment of the patellofemoral joint (where the kneecap connects with the thigh bone).
An anterior cruciate ligament injury is extreme stretching or tearing of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee. A tear may be partial or complete.
LCL injury is a stretch, partial tear, or complete tear of the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) of the knee. (The term "lateral" means the ligament is on the outside of the knee.)
MCL injury is a stretch, partial tear, or complete tear of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) of the knee. (The term "medial" means the ligament is on the inside of the knee.)
A posterior cruciate ligament injury is described as a partial or complete tear, or stretching of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) anywhere along the length of the ligament.
Bursae are fluid-filled cavities located at tissue sites where tendons or muscles pass over bony prominences near joints, such as the knee. The function of a bursa is to facilitate movement and reduce friction between moving parts.
Xanthomas are raised, waxy-appearing, frequently yellowish-colored skin lesions, seen here on the knee. These may be associated with an underlying lipid (cholesterol/triglyceride) abnormality.
A dislocated knee cap is when the triangular bone covering the knee (patella) moves or slides out of place. The displacement usually occurs toward the outside of the leg.
Sciatica is a condition involving impaired movement and/or sensation in the leg, it occurs when there is damage to the sciatic nerve, located in the back of the leg. Sciatica is a form of peripheral neuropathy. This nerve controls the muscles of the back of the knee and lower leg and provides sensation to the back of the thigh, part of the lower leg and the sole of the foot.
Meniscus tears describes a tear in the shock-absorbing cartilage (meniscus) of the knee.
A meniscal tear is an injury of the shock-absorbing cartilage in the knee. The meniscus is a C-shaped fibrous cartilage that is found in certain joints forming a buffer between the bones. The meniscus also serves as a shock-absorption system, assists in lubricating the joint, and limits the joint flexion and extension.
A brief explanation and fast facts about viscosupplementation.
A brief explanation and fast facts about Hyalgan injections.
A brief explanation and fast facts about Orthovisc injections.
A brief explanation and fast facts about Supartz injections.
A brief explanation and fast facts about Synvisc injections.
An explanation of Synvisc and viscosupplementation.
A fracture of the patella is an injury to the kneecap. The kneecap bone is one of three bones that make up the knee joint. The patella is lined with cartilage on its undersurface, and is important in providing strength of extension of the knee joint.
Synvisc appears effective against pain in some patients with osteoarthritis of the knees and may delay the need for replacement surgery.
A tibial plateau fracture occurs at the top of the shin bone, and involves the cartilage surface of the knee joint. Because these fractures occur around the knee joint, they must be treated differently than the tibial shaft fractures.
When arthritis intrudes, the knee is unable to effectively cushion the body from impact and stress, from JointReplacement.com.
Extensive menu of conditions affecting the knee, from Wheeless Textbooks of Orthopedics.
Informative manual about knee pathology and total knee replacement, from Dr. H. Huddleston.
Fact sheets about diseases, injuries, treatments, and surgical techniques related to the knee, from AAOS.
