Knee Arthritis

Arthritis is a widespread disorder that affects more than 50 million adults in the United States. If you have painful knees, Kevin O’Donnell, DO, and the rest of the staff at Revitalize Regenerative Orthopedics LLC can help. The practice serves the Denver metropolitan area and provides advanced non-surgical treatment options for people with knee arthritis. Call Revitalize Regenerative Orthopedics LLC or book an appointment online today.

What is knee arthritis?

The term “arthritis” describes painful inflammation and swelling of the joints. There are more than 100 types of arthritis, with the most common being osteoarthritis and the next most common rheumatoid arthritis.

Arthritis makes your joints feel stiff, especially after a period of inactivity. Vigorous activity can cause flares of pain, and patients often report worsening symptoms in wet, cold weather. The joints often swell and distort, and you might notice:

• Locking
• Creaking
• Clicking
• Grinding

Any joint can have arthritis, but it’s particularly common in ones like knees and hips that have to bear your weight. Knee arthritis can cause challenges with straightforward, everyday movements, such as walking, sitting and standing, and climbing stairs. It’s a significant cause of disability for many people.  

What forms of arthritis might affect me?

Osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease, develops due to the wear-and-tear of daily life. This causes the loss of joint cartilage, a smooth cushioning surface on the ends of your bones. 

Once the cartilage has worn away, the exposed bone ends rub against each other. The resulting friction generates inflammation in the knees, causing pain, swelling, and stiffness. As the joints degenerate, they lose strength and become increasingly unstable.  

You’re more likely to develop osteoarthritis if there’s a family history of the disease. Other risk factors include being overweight and previous joint injuries.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other rheumatologic diseases, such as lupus and psoriasis, are autoimmune diseases. This means your body’s natural immune system mistakenly attacks the healthy joint tissue as if it were an invader. The result is uncontrolled inflammation, permanent joint destruction, and pain.  

How is knee arthritis treated?

Arthritis is incurable, so Revitalize Regenerative Orthopedics LLC’s treatment focuses on reducing pain and increasing mobility.

Non-surgical treatment options include:

• Activity modification 
• Weight management 
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) 
• Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) for RA
• Physical therapy 
• Prolotherapy 
• Joint injections 
• Bone and fat stem cell therapy
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy
• Focused shockwave therapy
• Extracorporeal pulse activation technology (EPAT®) radial shockwave therapy

Your provider combines selected treatments into a personalized plan for you. Conservative measures are usually beneficial for most patients. 

Find out more by calling Revitalize Regenerative Orthopedics LLC or book an appointment using the online form today.