Osteoarthritis Knee Pain Stages & Progression

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DR. SUNIL RAJAN
Head of Department Apollo Institute of
Orthopaedics, Apollo Hospitals, Indore M.S
Orthopedics, Specialization Joint Replacement
Surgery
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Osteoarthritis Knee Pain Stages Progression
Osteoarthritis knee pain usually comes on
gradually over a number of years. 
It is caused by thinning and "wear and tear" of
the knee cartilage and bones.  Knee arthritis
affects more than 1 in 10 people.
The symptoms of knee arthritis vary from person
to person and the disease progresses at different
rates in different people. 
Knee osteoarthritis can be classified into four
different stages, initial, mild, moderate and
severe. Often mild arthritis will stay at that
level, however, sometimes it progresses. 
Here we will look at how the different stages of
knee osteoarthritis are classified, how they
differ from each other and the common symptoms at
each stage.  To find out more about arthritis,
including symptoms, diagnosis and treatment
options, visit the knee arthritis guide.
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Stages of Osteoarthritis Knee Pain
There are two ways of categorising osteoarthritis
knee pain
Symptoms the level of arthritis knee pain a
person experiences X-ray Findings the level of
cartilage bone degeneration found on x-ray
Surprisingly, there is often very little
correlation between the two. Some people
demonstrate advanced arthritis on x-ray but have
minimal symptoms, whereas other people suffering
from a great deal of osteoarthritis knee pain may
only show mild changes on x-ray.
It is much more important to concentrate on your
symptoms, rather than what your x-ray shows.
Knee arthritis progresses through four different
stages
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1. Initial Stage
In the very early stages, knee arthritis is often
classed as being "doubtful", and people often
don't notice any symptoms at all at this stage.
Symptoms may consist of the occasional "twinge"
in the knee but it most likely won't be affecting
function. X-rays show little disruption and
there will be less than 10 loss of knee
cartilage.
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2. Mild Knee Arthritis
The technical term for this stage is Early
Degenerative Changes. In the early stages of
osteoarthritis of the knee, again, there may be
no significant symptoms at all.

• Symptoms usually start with a generalised ache
  around the knee and stiffness, especially after
  prolonged periods in one position e.g. after
  sitting, when getting up in the morning or after
  lots of exercise. People often get pain when
  going down stairs or getting up from a chair. 

• X-rays will usually show minimal changes to the
  bone and cartilage. There may be some mild
  narrowing of the joint space (the gap between the
  bones), and a few small one spurs may have
  formed. The cartilage will show signs of wearing
  away. 

There are a number of treatment options that can
help reduce symptoms and stop progression of the
knee arthritis at this stage.
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3. Moderate Knee Arthritis
The technical term for this stage is Moderately
Advanced Arthritis.

• Symptoms at this stage are more noticeable with
  moderate osteoarthritis knee pain. The knee may
  start to swell and/or stiffen. It may not be able
  to bend and straighten fully and sometimes the
  joint starts to make funny noises e.g. creaking
  or cracking noises.

• X-rays will often show moderate narrowing of the
  joint space and loss of the smooth surface of the
  bones with some osteophyte formation - bony knee
  spurs. Cartilage damage may extend down to the
  bone.

Again, there are a whole range of treatment
options including specially designed knee braces,
injections and exercises that can help at this
stage - visit the arthritis treatment section to
find out more.
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4. Severe Knee Arthritis
The technical term for this stage is Advanced
Arthritis.

• Symptoms can be quite intense by this stage.
  Osteoarthritis knee pain can end up so severe
  that normal daily activities such as walking and
  going down stairs become extremely painful and
  difficult. The knee can also become deformed. 

• X-rays may show complete loss of joint space with
  a number of large osteophytes. Typically more
  than 60 of the cartilage is lost. This all leads
  to bone rubbing on bone which causes pain and
  limits movement.

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When this happens, the best course of action for
osteoarthritis knee pain is usually a knee
replacement.
For hints and tips on overcoming osteoarthritis
knee pain or for more information on how to tell
if you have arthritis of the knee, visit these
sections
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Dr. Sunil Rajan is one of the Best knee
replacement surgeon in Indore. If are you
searching the best Doctor for knee pain in
Indore with low cost, Visit at Dr rajan's knee
clinic, Indore. They provide knee, hip and
Shoulder replacement surgery at very low cost in
Indore. Book an Appointment today call us at
9826200015 for more information.

Head of Department Apollo Institute of
Orthopaedics,Apollo Hospitals, IndoreM.S
Orthopedics, Specialization Joint Replacement
Surgery Mobile [phone] Email
drsunilrajan_at_gmail.com
DR. SUNIL RAJAN
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More Post - What to Know About Joint Pain?
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