Knee Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis Knee Pain

Osteoarthritis of the knee is a common type of osteoarthritis (OA) found in an estimated 33.6% of adults over the age of 65 in the US.¹ The condition is degenerative, meaning that symptoms get worse over time, and does not have a cure. However, there are a variety of osteoarthritis knee treatment options to reduce pain and preserve mobility.

There are two kinds of knee osteoarthritis: primary and secondary. Primary knee OA has no underlying cause. Secondary knee OA may be caused by previous injury to the knee joint, limb deformation, certain endocrine disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, or as a complication from knee surgery.

Knee Osteoarthritis Risk Factors

While osteoarthritis of the knee is common in seniors, it can occur at any age. Unavoidable risks for knee osteoarthritis include bone and joint deformities, certain metabolic disorders, and a family history of arthritis. Women are also more likely than men to develop OA.

Some risk factors for knee osteoarthritis can be modified. A high BMI can contribute to OA risk. On the other hand, high-impact athletic activities can also place stress on the knees, increasing the risk of OA.

Knee Osteoarthritis Symptoms

The biggest indicator of knee osteoarthritis is joint pain. In most cases, this chronic pain gradually increases over time, and worsens with certain activities.2 Patients with osteoarthritis of the knee may also notice:

Joint stiffness that is worst in the morning
Swelling around the knee joint
Knee instability, feeling like your knee could fail at any time
Cracking noises in the knee upon certain movements
Intermittent joint locking, feeling like your knee is stuck in place

How Osteoarthritis of the Knee is Diagnosed

Knee OA is diagnosed through a combination of physical examination and imaging results. During a physical exam, your doctor will look for signs of inflammation and swelling around your knee. They may also ask you to perform certain movements to test your range of motion.

If knee osteoarthritis is suspected, the next step is to get an X-ray. In most cases, X-rays are sufficient to identify OA in the knee. However, if the results are inconclusive, an MRI or CT scan can be performed to confirm the presence of osteoarthritis.

There are four stages of knee osteoarthritis, depending on its severity:

Stage 1 (minor) knee OA may be seen in X-ray images but you may not have any pain or other symptoms.
Stage 2 (mild) knee osteoarthritis patients may have some pain and stiffness, but X-rays show sufficient cartilage to prevent the bones from grinding on each other.
Stage 3 (moderate) knee OA is characterized by a significant reduction in cartilage, as well as symptoms like pain, stiffness, and decreased mobility.
Stage 4 (severe) osteoarthritis in the knee occurs when there is almost no cartilage left to protect the bones from grinding against each other. Knee pain and stiffness is significant and persistent; some patients may not be able to move their knees properly at this point.

Side Effects of Osteoarthritis

While osteoarthritis can’t be cured, early steps for prevention and management can reduce pain and lessen the impact of knee OA complications, including:

Bone spurs, excess bone that grows when the body is trying to heal joint damage and can be painful.
Joint instability, leading to an increased risk of falls and fractures.
Difficulty sleeping due to persistent pain.
Mood disorders such as depression from chronic pain, sleeplessness, and mobility restrictions.

Treatments for Osteoarthritis Knee Pain

Since osteoarthritis of the knee is degenerative, treatments for knee OA depend on the disease’s stage at diagnosis and how it progresses. As first-line conservative options lose their effectiveness, more invasive treatments are recommended.

Lifestyle Changes

In early stages, the impact of osteoarthritis can be lessened through non-surgical means, sometimes without medication. Performing low-impact exercises can help strengthen the muscles around your knees, while helping you lose weight if recommended. In some cases, a physical therapist can help identify the best exercises based on your personal needs.

Assistive devices can also help reduce knee pain. Many patients wear braces or use canes to offload pressure on weight-bearing joints. Therapeutic treatments like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) using machines and pads on the skin can also provide symptom relief.

Medications & Injections

Medications for knee OA focus on reducing inflammation that contribute to pain and cartilage breakdown. Over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen and acetaminophen, as well as prescription NSAIDs called COX-2 inhibitors are effective at treating osteoarthritis pain. Glucosamine and chondroitin supplements offer anti-inflammatory effects, support for cartilage, and may help keep knee joints lubricated.

In some cases, your doctor may prescribe periodic injections, which deliver medications directly to the knee joints. Corticosteroid injections are effective in providing short-term pain relief, but should not be used as a long-term treatment. Hyaluronic acid can also be injected into the knee to assist with lubrication, reducing pain while improving joint mobility.

Genicular Artery Embolization

Genicular artery embolization (GAE) is a minimally invasive treatment for knee OA performed by interventional radiologists. The procedure uses a catheter to place tiny beads in inflamed blood vessels around the knee. By redirecting blood flow to healthy vessels, GAE can reduce overall inflammation and knee pain in over 80% of patients.³

GAE is recommended for patients over the age of 40 with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis that is no longer responding to conservative management. It may be used to help patients who do not qualify for surgery, or as a way to delay the need for surgical intervention.

Surgery for Knee Osteoarthritis

Surgery is reserved for patients who have severe osteoarthritis in one or both knees, which no longer responds to other treatments. The most common procedures used in osteoarthritic patients are unicompartmental knee arthroplasties (UKA) and total knee arthroplasties (TKA)
Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty is also known as a partial knee replacement. In this surgery, doctors replace damaged cartilage in one of three compartments in the knee with medical-grade metal or plastic replicas. UKA surgery is less extensive than TKA, but provides similar pain relief results for qualifying patients.⁴

Total knee arthroplasties (TKA), or total knee replacement surgeries, replace the cartilage in all three components of the knee with plastic or metal. It is mainly used for patients with severe knee OA that has affected cartilage in multiple areas of the knee joint.

Talk to Us About Your Knee Pain

The interventional radiologists at our New Jersey clinic are specialists in providing minimally invasive treatments for osteoarthritis knee pain. Schedule a consultation to see how we can help.

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Genicular Artery Embolization

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