My Aching Knee

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My Aching Knee!

• Koco Eaton, M.D.

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Degenerative Arthritis

• Wearing away of the cartilage on the ends of the
  bone
• Knee pain, typically worse at night
• Stiffness and swelling in the knee
• Decrease in usual activities due to pain
• Loss of joint space on x-ray

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Degenerative Knee X-ray
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Conservative Treatment

• Lifestyle modifications
• Physical therapy
• Heat and ice
• Anti-inflammatories
• Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate
• Cortisone injections
• Hyaluronate therapy (i.e. Supartz or Synvisc)

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Hyaluronate therapy

• Highly purified sodium hyaluronate
• Comes from the comb of a rooster
• Used for treatment of knee pain caused by
  osteoarthritis when medications and/or physical
  therapy are inadequate
• Given in three injections, each one week apart

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Knee Replacement

• When conservative measures fail, a knee
  replacement may be necessary to alleviate the
  pain
• Replaces knee joint cartilage with metal and
  plastic
• Last 10 15 years
• Require a hospital stay with rehabilitation,
  typically 1-3 weeks

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Knee Replacement
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Meniscus Tears

• Symptoms include
• Stiffness and swelling
• Tenderness on the joint line
• Fluid on the knee
• May be caused by a particular maneuver such as a
  twist or squat
• Can also be a degenerative process over time

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Meniscus Tears
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Meniscus Tears

• Initial treatment Rest, Ice, Compression,
  Elevation
• Anti-inflammatory medications
• Arthroscopy may be necessary to trim out the torn
  piece
• However, arthroscopy can exacerbate underlying
  arthritis patients with arthritis may do best
  with conservative treatment

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My Aching Knee!

• Any questions?