Could the pain in your knees be arthritis?

• Have you had knee surgery for a sport-related injury?
• Are you a laborer who has worked on your knees for years?
• Have you injured your knee in an accident?
• Does arthritis run in your family?

If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, the pain and stiffness in your knees could be caused by arthritis.

“Knee arthritis has many more treatment options than other forms such as hip arthritis,” says Daniel Zanotti, MD. “It also helps that we can usually detect arthritis in the knee sooner than we can in the hips.

“We see lots of younger patients who have had previous knee injuries, such as ACL surgery or meniscal tears that can predispose you to arthritis,” Dr. Zanotti adds. “We also see many laborers, weekend warriors and older athletes who have developed knee arthritis.”

Dr. Daniel Zanotti answers
questions about knee arthritis

Who is most likely to develop arthritis in the knees?

“Knee osteoarthritis is most common in:

• Adults over age 50
• Overweight men and women
• Individuals with a family history of arthritis
• People who have suffered knee trauma—meniscus tears, ligament damage, and fractures in the bone surrounding the knee joint

“In the case of rheumatoid arthritis, three out of four patients are women. And a large portion of arthritis risk is just random. Some people have arthritis profusely throughout their bodies and we don't know why.”

How is knee arthritis treated?

“The first line of treatment for knee arthritis consists of conservative, non-surgical methods such as:

• NSAIDs—either prescription or over-the-counter
• Physical therapy to strengthen the knee
• Cortisone injections to treat inflammation
• Synvisc injections to lubricate the knee joint
• Bracing
• Shoe orthotics to help realign the knee and take some of the stress off of the worn part”
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections use components of your own blood to promote your body's natural ability to heal itself.

What surgical procedures can treat knee arthritis?

“When conservative treatment methods do not relieve the pain and stiffness of knee arthritis, the Center for Orthopedics offers several surgical options, including groundbreaking procedures found in only a few places in the United States:

• Knee arthroscopy offers faster recovery than traditional surgery with minimal discomfort, little scarring and no overnight hospital stay.
• MAKOplasty® partial knee resurfacing is appropriate for early-stage knee arthritis, and can even help stop the progression of arthritis by putting a stable surface on a joint that had been deteriorating.
• Traditional total knee replacement is still the best choice in some cases. A knee replacement involves resurfacing the femur or thighbone and the tibia or shinbone with a metal cap or plate, with a plastic spacer in between them.

The board-certified orthopedic surgeons at the Center for Orthopedics perform hundreds of procedures every year and can advise you on the best procedure for you.

Could you have knee arthritis?

Request a consultation

This information is simply an introduction to knee arthritis. To diagnose and treat your knee condition, we invite you to schedule a consultation with one of our board-certified orthopedic surgeons.

Call 440.329.2800 for an appointment