Many elderly people gradually develop stiffness in the knee joints, making it difficult to go up and down the stairs, and some are even unable to walk. Pain affects the patient’s life, just retired, could have enjoyed some life, go out for a walk has become a luxury. People are not old legs first old, this is actually in medicine is a knee joint “degenerative disease”, also known as osteoarthritis of the knee joint. Commonly known as long bone spurs. Osteoarthritis of the knee joint usually occurs slowly, many patients can not tell the exact time. There are many clinical manifestations, which are summarized as follows: Pain: Due to very severe wear and tear of the joint, the cartilage, the protective coating on the surface of the bones in the joint, has worn through, so the bones are directly exposed and pain is produced. This occurs more noticeably when walking for slightly longer periods of time. Some patients develop a weak leg, which is more likely to occur when walking up and down stairs and on uneven paths. First of all, it should be clear that long “bone spurs” is the natural aging process of the human body can not be resisted, is the body’s normal repair response. From the current medical level, most of the medications are mainly for pain relief, but not for elimination of bone spurs. Medication is limited to patients who have mild symptoms and do not require surgery. However, it is important to realize that medication can only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. In other words, it can only make the knee joint pain-free, and it is not possible to turn a degenerated joint back into a good one. Generally for patients with early osteoarthritis, their pain is mild and they do not need to undergo surgery. The main thing is to take medication to prevent pain, physical therapy, weight loss for those who are overweight, plus rest is very necessary. But this rest is not immobilization every day, but proper exercise every day according to the doctor’s advice, followed by scientific rest. For patients whose joint lesions are not very serious, but the pain can no longer be alleviated by the methods mentioned above, then some surgical procedures are needed. Generally, arthroscopic treatment can be carried out first. By placing special mirrors inside the joints and carrying out some localized and targeted treatments on the lesions, pain can be relieved and the function of the joints can be improved. For patients whose joint destruction is so severe that it cannot be resolved by any of the above methods, joint replacement surgery is required. What is joint replacement surgery? Artificial joint replacement is one of the important advances in orthopedics in the late last century. It has been used to treat joint disorders of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, finger, hip, knee and ankle, but artificial hip and knee replacement is the most common. Over the past decades, the material design and installation technology of artificial joint prosthesis have become more perfect, and modern anesthesia technology, aseptic technology and surgical operation technology and modern surgical instruments have provided a comprehensive guarantee for the success of the surgery, which greatly improves the therapeutic effect of artificial joint surgery. Nowadays, artificial joint replacement surgery has become internationally recognized as the most effective and reliable way to deal with serious joint diseases. Globally, more than one million patients undergo this type of surgery every year, with a success rate of more than 90%. According to today’s high-tech concepts and materials, artificial joints, if properly fitted and used, should theoretically have a service life of more than 20 years. However, artificial joints are like the shoes we wear, we have to pay attention to the protective use, the more attention to protection, the longer it can be used for us. More than 90% of the patients who had their artificial joints replaced more than ten years ago are still using them. Some patients with knee diseases are reluctant to undergo replacement surgery due to concerns about surgery and give up the treatment that is best for you. In fact, artificial knee replacement is a mature procedure, with millions of cases performed worldwide to date, with low risk and high success rates. If you are unwilling to undergo knee replacement surgery, you may miss out on the best opportunity to return to your normal life. Not only will it be more difficult to perform the surgery in the future, but the patient’s quality of life will be significantly reduced. Please consult an experienced doctor and make the right choice by choosing the right time under the doctor’s guidance.