Knee Osteoarthritis Self Test
What is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is wear of the cartilage in the knee joint.
Osteoarthritis can be caused by several factors:
- Cartilage injury due to sports or other knee trauma in the past;
- Previous crucioid ligament rupture of meniscal injury;
- Obesity;
- Congenital knee deformity (bowed legs)
- Infections or systemic disease (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis);
- Wear by older age or high activity levels (e.g. during work or long distance running)
Do you experience osteoarthritis in your own knee? Do the “Osteoarthritis Test’ and find out!
What can you do in case of osteoarthritic complaints in your knee?
In first instance operation is not always necessary, and there are several useful things you can do yourself to prevent progression of osteoarthritis:
- Regular quadriceps muscle training by straight leg raising excercises (with a physiotherapist if
required); - Modify your daily activities (bike riding is better than long walks or running);
- Lose weight (lower your Body Mass Index to <30);
- Use painkillers if necessary;
- A shoe inlay or knee brace may be beneficial;
- Have a healthy diet and enough sun exposure (for sufficient vitamin D levels, glucosamine and
chondroitin tablets can be tested but efficacy is not proven); - Occasional steroid injection can be discussed with your general practicioner or orthopedic surgeon.
