My Aching Knee Koco Eaton M D Degenerative

My Aching Knee! Koco Eaton, M. D.

Degenerative Arthritis Wearing away of the cartilage on the ends of the bone n Knee pain, typically worse at night n Stiffness and swelling in the knee n Decrease in usual activities due to pain n Loss of joint space on x-ray n

Degenerative Knee X-ray

Conservative Treatment Lifestyle modifications n Physical therapy n Heat and ice n Anti-inflammatories n Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate n Cortisone injections n Hyaluronate therapy (i. e. Supartz or Synvisc) n

Hyaluronate therapy Highly purified sodium hyaluronate n Comes from the comb of a rooster n Used for treatment of knee pain caused by osteoarthritis when medications and/or physical therapy are inadequate n Given in three injections, each one week apart n

Knee Replacement When conservative measures fail, a knee replacement may be necessary to alleviate the pain n Replaces knee joint cartilage with metal and plastic n Last 10 – 15 years n Require a hospital stay with rehabilitation, typically 1 -3 weeks n

Knee Replacement

Meniscus Tears n Symptoms include: n Stiffness and swelling n Tenderness on the joint line n Fluid on the knee May be caused by a particular maneuver such as a twist or squat n Can also be a degenerative process over time n

Meniscus Tears

Meniscus Tears Initial treatment: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation n Anti-inflammatory medications n Arthroscopy may be necessary to trim out the torn piece n However, arthroscopy can exacerbate underlying arthritis – patients with arthritis may do best with conservative treatment n

My Aching Knee! Any questions?