Tyler D. Goldberg, MD
Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon
Knee Arthritis Specialists
Learn about knee arthritis, including symptoms, the diagnostic process, and your options for treatment.
knee arthritis trends
Cases Are Increasing.
If you’re suffering from knee arthritis, you are not alone. Cases of knee arthritis have doubled over the last century, and the baby boomer generation will see our national numbers sky rocket from 2020 and beyond.
We offer both non-surgical and surgical solutions for your disabling knee arthritis. Conservative treatments regularly provided include medications, bracing, physical therapy, and multiple types of injections. Surgical options include arthroscopic surgeries, osteotomies, cartilage transplants, and both partial and total knee replacements. Learn more about how you can live without knee pain by calling the office or scheduling an appointment online.
Symptoms of Knee Arthritis
Some of the most common symptoms of knee arthritis include:
- Knee pain
- Intermittent swelling
- Stiffness in the morning or after inactivity
- Inability to straighten or bend your knee comfortably
- Popping, catching, or locking of the knee
- Weakness or giving way of the knee
- Weather-related pain (such as when it is damp or rainy outside)
If you suffer from any of these symptoms, contact AOI today for an appointment.
How Knee Arthritis is Diagnosed
Your provider will perform a history and physical examination and then order additional imaging such as X-rays, CT scans, or MRI’s to confirm your diagnosis. Standing, or weight-bearing, X-rays are performed in the office and often show joint space narrowing signifying loss of cartilage in the knee.
Occasionally, blood tests are required to assess for auto-immune disorders or other systemic causes.
Knee Arthritis Treatment Options
Conservative Care
This may include medications, physical therapy, weight loss, activity modification, steroid injections, HA injections, stem cell injections, and other non-invasive means of managing your knee arthritis symptoms. In 2013, The American Academy Of Orthopedic Surgeons published an Appropriate Use Criteria document regarding conservative treatments of the knee.
Medications
Tylenol (acetaminophen) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories are the most common medications used to treat arthritis. Treatment for severe disease is also often supplemented with Tylenol and NSAIDS.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) include ibuprofen, naprosyn, diclofenac, meloxicam, celecoxib, and many others.
Weight Loss
Weight reduction can significantly impact symptoms of an arthritic knee. Furthermore, it may be necessary for some patients to be cleared for surgery. Austin Orthopedic Institute’s providers can help you manage your discomfort and help you find the right solution for weight loss.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is a useful modality for arthritis. Therapy can help to improve range of motion, strengthen weak muscles, improve balance, and retrain patients’ pursuit of ADLs (Activities of Daily Living). Therapists work to improve range of motion, strengthen deficits, neuromuscular coordination (e.g balance), and to retrain patients in how to do simple daily activities in a modified way. Even if knee replacement is still necessary, any gains with physical therapy will be helpful in recovery after surgery.
Injections
Injections are a great option for knee arthritis. The first type of injection usually given is a steroid injection. Once delivered, steroids usually take 3-5 days to become effective and last between 1 and 6 months. Steroids can be given 3-4 times per year.
The second injection delivered is hyaluronic acid (HA), otherwise known as viscosupplementation. HA is the lubricant of cartilage and becomes insufficient in volume and effect in knee arthritis. Although the mechanism of action of HA is poorly understood, HA injections do provide excellent relief, particularly in patients with mild-moderate disease.
Joint Replacement Surgery
Once conservative options have failed, knee replacement surgery is the final option for end-stage knee arthritis treatment. Replacement procedures may be limited to just one part of the knee, a partial knee replacement, or the entire knee itself – a total knee replacement.
Austin Orthopedic Institute’s providers specialize in knee replacement procedures and look forward to helping you with all your options – both conservative and surgical.
