2023-07-02T18:23:46
Physiotherapy clinic in Tambaram Are you Looking for Physiotherapy Treatment in Tambaram, Sunshine Super Speciality Physiotherapy Clinic, We Provide Electrotherapy, Exercise and Manual Therapy, Orthopedic, Neuro, Cardio, Pediatric, Sports and Geriatric Rehabilitation, Post Operative Physiotherapy Treatment, Fracture Rehabilitation, pain free movement. KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS || CRITERIA GUIDING DIAGNOSIS. There are quite a number of problems that can be the cause of an uncontrollable pain in the Knee. It is not always knee osteoarthritis. Indeed many cases of pain in the knee have a clear linkage with osteoarthritis, but there are certain features or characteristics that primarily identifies osteoarthritic conditions, and makes our diagnosis 100% proved. Even though several problems like ligaments sprains, tendon or muscle strains, patella catching, fracture, among others can cause severe knee pain, having knee osteoarthritis can equally cause an uncontrollable pain in your knee. This article gives a very short enlightenment about certain features that guide the diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis. The features or characteristics solely identifies knee osteoarthritis and disprove all the other conditions that can equally pose similar symptoms as knee osteoarthritis. These include: 1. Morning stiffness One of the features that remains a criterion guiding diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis is morning stiffness. This is an early morning stiffness that appears immediately after the patient has woke up from bed. Patient with knee osteoarthritis often have this problem of not been able to freely extend and flex their knee(s). This is present early morning when patient tries to stand up from bed after long hours of sleep last night. This stiffness is reported by many patients as intermittent. During walking, they experience a catch in the joint for a short period followed by a release in that order. This is often due to the lost of smooth, slippery surface of the joint because the degeneration of the articular cartilage that provides that mechanism for free movement of the joint. The eroding of the articular cartilage result to direct contact of the two bones forming the knee joint. This development can also contributes to reduced flexibility in the knee joint leading to stiffness. 2. Crepitus Crepitus is another feature that identifies knee osteoarthritis. It is an abnormal sound in the affected joint when actively or passively moved. This sound is believed to be produced in the joint because of the absence of the tissue providing cushion in the joint called articular cartilage. The wearing or degeneration of the articular cartilage leaves a raw surfaces of the two bones, and movement causes the surfaces to be kissing each other, producing a cracking sound in the joint. Also, other changes in the joint such as formation of bony spurs at the margins of the bones can contribute to this abnormal sound in the joint. 3. Tenderness Most cases of knee osteoarthritis have this third feature, tenderness. Tenderness is pain to palpitation. In other words, it is the elicitation of pain in all areas of the joint upon palpitation. Usually, the degeneration process triggers an inflammation which makes the whole joint capsule inflamed and sensitive to touch. Palpating the joint in all angles therefore produces so much pain to the patient. 4. Pain, redness and warmth in the joint These three problems are signs of inflammation, and knee osteoarthritis doesn’t go without them, especially in severe cases. Patients with knee osteoarthritis report of severe pain in their knee in weight bearing positions. The reason being that, in weight bearing positions, the joint is loaded with the entire body weight and structures that are already in a deplorable state become tensed or further strained or irritated. This compounds painful sensation in the joint , and can often makes the joint looks more swollen at times and becomes warm to touch too. 5. Radiographic findings As far as other problems mentioned in the introductory part of this article can equally cause the three features already discovered so far, findings from radiology is an important criterion that guides the diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis. By taking X-ray, MRI or CT scan, specific findings give a clear indication that there is an osteoarthritis of the knee. X-ray appearances including joint space narrowing, formation of osteophytes (bone spurs), articular surface cortical irregularity and/or sclerosis, and formation of sub-cortical cysts (geodes). These features can be seen in isolation but commonly two or more signs are present. MRI or CT Scan imaging can also reveal damages caused to other soft tissues like the articular cartilage and other surrounding joints structures. Having these findings together with the rest of the features can go a long way to clear you suspicion, and your area of focus should to tailored to osteoarthritis. There’s more than enough evidences to prove that a patient who have demonstrated these features together with the findings from radiology, is suffering from knee osteoarthritis. Thank you for reading this article. I believe you have learnt something new today. Continue to follow this community for more articles that would be released subsequently, but in meantime, I encourage you to like this post, give a comment and more importantly, share this piece with friends. SUNSHINE ® SUPER SPECIALITY PHYSIOTHERAPY CLINIC - #DrParthiban #Sunshinephysioclinic.in #Physiotherapyclinicintambaram DR.M.P. PARTHIBAN.M.P.T (Ortho), Chief Orthopedic Physiotherapist, Call for Appointments: - 9345122177 East Tambaram, CHENNAI