Knee Osteoarthritis Causes & Treatments

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease of a joint where the cartilage breaks down to cause increased friction and bone contact in a joint.

This degenerative knee condition commonly affects 6% of the population over 30 and 12% of the population. Knee osteoarthritis causes joint pain, stiffness, swelling and sometimes locking and can have a dramatic effect on the activity levels of sufferers.

Knee Osteoarthritis Causes

The causes of knee osteoarthritis vary, and can all contribute to knee degeneration.

Anatomy of the Knee Joint

The pedorthists and Fitting Experts at Kintec treat knee osteoarthritis very regularly. To get a better understanding of how we treat this disease, let’s look at the anatomy of the joint.

The rounded ends of the femur (the thigh bone) articulate with the flattened surface on top of the tibia (the lower leg bone) to form the knee joint.  The patella, or knee cap, glides across the front surface of the femur and is also a common area of irritation in the knee.  There are two separate compartments in the knee joint, medial and lateral. Either compartment individually or both compartments simultaneously can be affected by OA.

Knee Osteoarthritis Treatments

At Kintec we will first determine if your biomechanics are contributing to your symptoms as well as other knee osteoarthritis causes.

Beyond these supportive devices, an expert will also discuss other options. This includes changes in activity, altering the surface you train or exercise on and seeing other medical professionals such as a physiotherapist or chiropractor.