Knees get osteoarthritis, the root of the disease in the cartilage!

  Osteoarthritis is a chronic joint disease in which the main changes are degeneration of the cartilage surfaces of the joints and secondary osteophytes. The main manifestations are joint pain and inflexibility. X-rays show narrowing of the joint space, dense subchondral bone, broken trabeculae, sclerosis and cystic changes. There is lip-like hyperplasia at the edge of the joint. In the later stage, the bone ends are deformed and the joint surface is uneven. The cartilage in the joint is spalled and the bone fragments into the joint, forming intra-articular free bodies.  Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative arthritis, is not actually an inflammatory disease, but mainly a degenerative change of the joints, which is premature aging of the joints, especially of the articular cartilage. Osteoarthritis represents the aging of the joints and is therefore called age-related arthritis. The exact pathogenesis of osteoarthritis remains unclear. Overuse of the knee joint, weight gain, and bone mass are possible causes of its development, but early knee injury is an important culprit in the premature onset of osteoarthritis. For example, meniscal damage to the knee joint, damage to the cruciate ligament, and failure to give proper treatment.  The disease develops slowly, mostly in middle-aged and older women, often with a history of exertion. It is characterized by paroxysmal pain at first and then persistent pain, which is worse at night and during exertion, and the pain is obvious when going up and down stairs. The knee joint movement is limited, or even limping. Very few patients may develop interlocking phenomenon or knee joint effusion. There may be popping and grinding sounds when the joint moves, and some patients have swollen joints.  Needle-like pain in the knee joint is a common complaint of patients with this disease. The early symptoms are pain when walking or going up and down stairs, especially when going down stairs, alternating unilaterally or bilaterally. Synovial hypertrophy may also occur. In severe cases, the knee may become involuted. This is often referred to as “rotundity”.  Treatment is non-surgical (conservative) and includes physiotherapy, medication, injections (such as sodium glass or ozone) and Chinese herbal medicine. In severe cases, surgery may be performed. This procedure is a new and safe technique for the diagnosis and treatment of knee diseases, with minimally invasive incisions, less trauma, less pain, fewer complications, faster recovery (3-5 days to discharge), and significant efficacy.  In severe cases, knee replacement is required. Artificial knee replacement is the removal of the severely worn and damaged joint surface and its partial or total replacement by an artificially manufactured joint, such as porcelain teeth, and the implantation of an artificial surface joint to restore a normal smooth joint surface and restore joint extension and flexion and squatting functions.