Osteoarthritis, often called OA or wear-and-tear arthritis, can damage any joint in your body, but the disorder most commonly affects your knees. This condition occurs when the protective cartilage that cushions your bones at the joint wears down or breaks away and the bones rub together. The joint fluid loses its shock-absorbing qualities and the result is pain, swelling, stiffness, and eventually loss of movement. By contrast, a healthy knee’s cartilage and lubricating joint fluid protect and cushion the bones, making moving and bending easy.

Symptoms of Osteoarthritis of the Knee

• Morning stiffness

• Difficulty climbing stairs

• Difficulty doing daily activities

• Refraining from exercise

Osteoarthritis of the knee is extremely painful. The pain is often worse after exercise and when you put weight or pressure on your leg. If you have osteoarthritis of the knee, it will be sore, swollen, stiff, and harder to move over time. You may notice a rubbing, grating, or crackling sound.

In mild cases, you may experience “morning stiffness” when you first wake up in the morning. The stiffness usually lasts for 30 minutes or less. It can improve by mild activity that “warms up” the joint.

In moderate cases, the pain may get worse when you’re active and feel better when you are resting. After a while, the pain may be present when you are resting. It may even wake you up at night. It is common for growths or spurs to form on the end of the bones which causes more pain. In severe cases, your movement is very limited. You will lose full range of motion and doing everyday activities is a challenge. The pain is constant and severe.

Avoid Surgery with Viscosupplementation Injections

Knee injections can reduce your osteoarthritis knee pain and usually improves function. Viscosupplementation injects a preparation of hyaluronic acid into the knee joint. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance found in joint fluid. It acts as a lubricant to enable bones to move smoothly over each other and as a shock absorber for joint loads.

People with osteoarthritis have a lower-than-normal concentration of hyaluronic acid in their joints. Viscosupplementation is a therapeutic option for individuals with knee osteoarthritis. This procedure has proven to be highly successful in reducing the pain associated with osteoarthritis and is generally covered by most major medical insurance providers and Medicare. See the video below for a more information.