Knee OsteoarthritisTreatment for knee osteoarthritis aims primarily to alleviate the pain it causes, reduce any associated inflammation, maintain patient mobility, minimize disabilities and otherwise lastingly improve the patient's quality of life.
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Development of Knee Osteoarthritis Several factors may lead to osteoarthritis in the knee, including a prolonged exposure to excessive stress (wear and tear), leg misalignment and inflammatory processes. Knee osteoarthritis belongs among the most common of all disorders: in Germany alone more than 120,000 patients undergo total knee arthroplasty every year. Various customized forms of treatment may be necessary depending on the cause and stage of the disorder. |
 View film about the development of knee osteoarthritis. |
Treatment for knee osteoarthritis aims primarily to alleviate the pain it causes, reduce any associated inflammation, maintain patient mobility, minimize disabilities and otherwise lastingly improve the patient's quality of life.
Treatment for Knee Osteoarthritis
Approaches to treating osteoarthritis can be represented in the form of an inverted pyramid:
At the top of the inverted pyramid, we find measures that are applicable to nearly all patients: the provision of information about the disease, general practical counseling, dietary advice (i.e. in the interest of weight reduction) and the introduction of exercises geared to maintaining muscle strength and the mobility of the affected knee.
Treatment for more serious or advanced cases of osteoarthritis then includes measures, aids and devices to protect the affected joint, a regimen including simple painkillers and conventional antirheumatics as well as modern antirheumatics that are gentler on the stomach.
Depending on the degree of the damage, additional forms of treatment may be necessary for some patients, including physical therapy to counteract the symptoms, corticosteroid injections and more invasive procedures such as chondrocyte implantation and partial or total knee arthroplasty.
