It is time to return to active life and do the things you love to do. The joints in your body are involved in almost every activity you do. Movements such as walking, bending, and turning require the use of the knee joint. When the knee becomes diseased or injured, the knee pain caused to you can significantly limit your ability to move and work.
The knee is the largest joint in the body and is central to almost every activity in daily life. The knee joint in formed by the ends of 3 bones:
- The lower part of the femur.
- Upper end of the shin bone.
- The patella.
Thick ligaments connect the three bones, which are meant to stabilize the knee joint and prevent the knee from dislocating. Between the femur and the tibia are the two menisci, which also absorb the input caused by daily life.
A smooth tissue called cartilage covers the ends of the 3 bones and prevents them from rubbing against each other, permitting a flexible movement of the 3 bones, almost without friction.
The cartilage also serves as a “shock absorber”, which cushions the 3 bones from the forces exerted between them. In the knee joint there is also a soft tissue called synovium, which surrounds the joint and produces a lubricant, that further reduces the friction and wear that would have caused the knee without it.
Osteoarthritis is sometimes called “degenerative joint disease”, since it is a condition of wear, which causes cartilage to collapse in the joint. When the cartilage of the knee is eroded, the three bones in the knee rub against each other, causing pain in the knee and stiffness while moving the knee.
Treatment options for knee pain:
The first step towards getting back to active life, that you are used to, is to diagnose the medical problem, which causes the knee pain, from which you suffer. After diagnosing the injury or the disease, Dr. Suzanna Horovitz will be able to recommend the appropriate treatment options for your condition, that may include conservative treatments:
- Medication.
- Injection into the knee of liquid supplements.
- Physiotherapy.
- Use of knee stabilizer.
If necessary- surgical treatment options:
- Knee arthroscopy, which is a minimal surgical procedure.
- Osteotomy.
- Partial knee replacement (“half knee”).
- Replacement of the knee joint.