How is osteoarthritis of the knee treated?

  In the treatment of osteoarthritis, the pathology and physiology of osteoarthritis, including its treatment, have been studied since the 18th century. Nowadays, a more complete system of treatment protocols has been developed.  Early stage: Conservative treatment is often used, such as internal and external application of Chinese medicine, Chinese massage, oral painkillers, oral anti-inflammatory drugs, vitamin drugs, nutritional cartilage drugs, in addition, intra-articular injection of some cartilage lubricants, these are early treatment methods, which are useful for mild degeneration of early joint cartilage.  In the middle stage of joint disease, such as the appearance of free bodies, the degree of wear and tear of the articular cartilage is relatively heavy, with some fluid accumulation and swelling. This is often treated by minimally invasive surgery, such as arthroscopic surgery, which involves making 2-3 small 5 mm holes in the joint and using an endoscope, which is as thick as a chopstick head, to observe the lesions in the joint and then treat them.  In end-stage joint disease, the joints are severely deformed, with “O”-shaped legs and “X”-shaped legs, making it difficult to walk. The joint gap has disappeared, that is to say, there are no more seams in the joint, the joint has disappeared, full of bone spurs, and the activity has basically disappeared, so walking a few hundred meters is not possible, and the pain is unbearable. In this case, we usually consider artificial knee joint replacement surgery. Knee replacement surgery involves removing the diseased surface of the joint, removing a few millimeters, then cutting out a fresh surface of the joint, wrapping a metal sleeve around the thigh bone and a metal sleeve around the calf bone, and placing a polymer polyethylene sheet in the middle, just like putting a “denture” on a broken tooth. After the surgery, the effect is obvious: first of all, the joint does not hurt when walking, walking freely; secondly, the lower limb force line is corrected, whether it is “O” shaped leg or “X” shaped leg, after the surgery, the leg becomes straight; thirdly, no matter bending or third, no matter bending or straightening, the joint can be restored to normal. After this surgery, basically the serious degeneration of the joint is completely treated.