Everything you need to know about osteoarthritis of the knee: causes and symptoms

How cartilage wears down progressively

Your body repairs joints every day. Cartilage wear occurs when repair can no longer keep up.

For a long time, people believed osteoarthritis was normal wear from aging. However, it often stems from cartilage that has been damaged by abnormal loads or an injury. Excess weight can also lead to osteoarthritis of the knee.

Why the knee is one of the most affected joints

Unlike osteoarthritis of the hip, your knee bears your full weight with every step, and even more on stairs. It is also less protected than the hip: muscles and ligaments stabilize it.

You can therefore have osteoarthritis pain in the knees in your 40s or 50s, especially after a sports injury. As statistics show, osteoarthritis is even more common among older adults. Women are also more affected than men.

The natural aging process

Risk increases with age: cartilage repairs itself more slowly than at 30. But aging does not automatically lead to knee osteoarthritis. Many people reach 80 without symptoms.

Excess weight and joint overload

Excess weight can also lead to knee osteoarthritis. Every extra pound adds to the load the knee absorbs with each step. Fat tissue also maintains inflammation within the joint.

Past injuries and trauma

An old injury can indeed provoke osteoarthritis, sometimes twenty years later. A torn ligament, a damaged meniscus, a fracture: the joint rarely regains its original alignment completely.

Genetic and biomechanical factors

Heredity plays a role, without being decisive: having a parent affected increases the risk, not the certainty. Bow legs, a poorly aligned kneecap or weak thigh muscles also place uneven pressure on the cartilage.

What are the early symptoms of knee osteoarthritis? They set in gradually, in episodes, which explains why they are often attributed to fatigue. Pain usually appears during activity, eases at rest and often comes with brief morning stiffness.

Pain when walking or climbing stairs

If you feel pain when climbing stairs, it is because stepping up requires a strong effort from the thigh muscle, and that effort compresses the knee, which also supports your weight. That is often where knee pain appears first.

Stiffness on waking or after a period of inactivity

Knee stiffness is noticeable when you get up, or after a long car ride. Pain caused by knee osteoarthritis usually subsides with rest.

Crackling and reduced range of motion

Why does my knee crack? Because thinned cartilage does not glide as well: the surfaces rub and produce a sharp sound or a grinding sensation. On its own, a crack is not alarming.

Over time, the knee bends less and can sometimes feel like it is giving way.

Symptoms that should lead to a consultation

How do you recognize knee osteoarthritis? Here are signs of chronic pain in the knee that justify an appointment:

• Pain present for more than six weeks
• Morning stiffness lasting more than 30 minutes
• Swollen, warm or red knee
• Sensation of instability or locking
• Pain that wakes you at night

Difficulties in daily activities

Standing up from a chair, kneeling, stepping over the edge of the bathtub: simple actions require support. The risk of falling increases. At that point, a bath lift seat, like the one offered by Sécur-O-Bain, becomes a safe alternative.

Consequences for quality of life

At an advanced stage, osteoarthritis of the knee can disturb sleep. Fatigue, low mood and withdrawal often follow.

The importance of adapted physical activity

Contrary to what you might think, a painful knee still needs movement. Inactivity weakens muscles and increases pain. Aim for low-impact activities: walking, cycling, swimming and aqua fitness.

Weight management

Losing as little as 10% of your body weight can reduce pressure on the knees, decrease pain and delay surgery.

Recommended treatments and approaches

Acetaminophen, topical or oral anti-inflammatories and cortisone injections can be used if recommended by your doctor. Physiotherapy and occupational therapy generally complete the plan.

Everyday actions to adjust

One good habit to adopt is to raise your seats. The lower the seat, the more the knee works to lift you. Avoid kneeling and squatting. Use a long-handled reacher instead of bending over.

Why the bathroom often becomes a challenge

Wet surfaces, lack of handholds and the bathtub rim to step over: the room accumulates challenges. It is also one of the places where seniors fall most often at home, after the bedroom.

A bath lift chair, like the one offered by Sécur-O-Bain, is an effective solution that ensures your safety and simplifies getting in and out of the bathtub.

How a bath chair can ease transfers and bathing

The most demanding action is getting into and out of the bath: stepping over the rim, sitting at the bottom, then standing up. With osteoarthritis of the knee, each of these steps stresses the joint exactly where it hurts.

Designed and manufactured in Quebec, the Sécur-O-Bain lift chair lowers you into the bath and brings you back up without the knee having to bear your weight.

It can be installed in under two hours in a conventional bathroom, with no renovation or plumbing changes required. Ask for your free quote. Our team supports you from model selection through to after-sales service.