Patient: Knee pain when walking, swelling and inability to bend the leg. Recently, I went to the hospital and was diagnosed with osteophytes, narrowing of the medial inter-articular space, and what appears to be free material in the joint. My mother has been suffering from osteophytes in the knee for many years, and recently the pain has suddenly worsened and is unbearable when walking. Zhang Yadong, Department of Orthopedics, PLA 304 Hospital: Your mother may be suffering from osteoarthritis. Mild osteoarthritis can be treated with oral glucosamine sulfate, while there is no specific oral medication for moderate to severe osteoarthritis, you can try intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate and other treatment methods, but also some pain relief measures (such as oral celecoxib, physical therapy, etc.). In severe cases, surgery may need to be considered. In addition, resting the affected limb and exercising the thigh muscles appropriately can play a role in relieving the condition Patient: This time I have the opportunity to upload the X-ray film, so please take a look at it again. Zhang Yadong, Department of Orthopedics, PLA 304 Hospital: From the X-ray film alone, the joint space of the knee joint is narrowed (obvious on the medial side), the subchondral bone is mildly sclerotic, more bone redundancy is formed, and free bodies are visible in the joint. Based on this condition and your mother’s age, I would recommend that you first try intra-articular injection therapy, but it is unlikely that you will get significant results, if indeed there are no significant results. You should consider surgery. The options include arthroscopic surgery and joint replacement surgery. Although there are advantages and disadvantages to both procedures, only joint replacement surgery can provide more complete and prolonged relief.