FAQ's

• Rest 

• Drink fluids to prevent dehydration

• Hot water fomentation

• Physiotherapy 

• Acetaminophen to reduce pain

• Paracetamol to reduce fever and pain.

• Aspirin to reduce pain

• NSAIDS to reduce pain

• Diclofenac spray for local application to reduce pain.

1. Cartilage Damage:

Early arthritis, osteonecrosis, and injuries may lead to cartilage damage of a limited area leading to pain, stiffness, swelling, and difficulty in performing daily activities such as walking, standing, sitting for long, climbing stairs, and sitting cross-legged.

2. Meniscal Tear:

Results from injury, when one excessively bends the knee as in squatting, or due to twisting. Apart from pain, swelling, stiffness, and difficulty in walking, there may be ‘locking’.

3. Ligament Tears:

Sports injuries or accidents may cause ligaments to tear causing instability and ‘giving way’. The cruciate and collateral ligaments are commonly damaged.

Treatment for knee pain depends on the cause of knee pain.

Knee Preservation

It includes different methods of treatment for knees with mild cartilage damage, meniscal or ligament tears. The key is early diagnosis of the problem and prompt treatment so that it does not worsen and require major surgery in the future!

Knee Preservation includes the following treatment options-

• Lifestyle changes
• Exercises
• Arthroscopy
• ACI Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation or Cartigrow (Cultered Cells)

Lifestyle plays an important role in joint health. This is especially true in someone who has been diagnosed with early arthritis, ligament or meniscal injury.

• Keeping your knee muscles strong will help in improving the weight distribution on your knee joint.
• Maintaining your ideal body weight also reduces the load on your knee and reduces the risk of further deterioration and damage.
• A well-balanced diet, adequate in calcium and vitamin D will help keep your bones and cartilage healthy.
• Regular exercises (like cycling, walking) help keep your bones and cartilage healthy.
• Avoidance of certain activities based on your specific problem may be advisable to prevent further damage.
• Certain protein supplements (glucosamine and chondroitin) may help in protecting the cartilage.

Early knee arthritis, ligament or meniscal injury can lead to functional limitations due to muscular weakness or instability that prevents one from performing daily activities and even participating in physical activities. Specific exercises can help in reducing pain, improving function by strengthening muscles and improving gait.

• Static quadriceps exercises
• Knee extension excercises
• Straight leg raising
• Recline cycling

Arthroscopic surgery or “key-hole” surgery allows the surgeon to look inside the joint and perform procedures using special tiny instruments. This usually requires a stay of 24 hours or less in the hospital. Meniscal and ligament tears are treated using arthroscopy as also certain cartilage regeneration procedures. Arthroscopy and washout of the joint are not helpful in knees with complete loss of cartilage

• Antibiotics,such as pencillin to eliminate any remaining streptococcus bacteria.
• Long-term antibiotics to prevent recuurence.
• Nsaids to reduce inflammation and pain.
• Corticosteroids to reduce severe inflammation.
• If heart tissue is also involved strict bed rest for weeks or months may be required.

• Fever
• Painful and tender joints-ankles, knees, elbows and wrist.
• Pain that moves from joint to joint.
• Red,hot and swollen joints.
• Small,painless nodules under the skin.
• Chest pain.
• Heart murmur.
• Fatigue.
• Flat or  slightly raised painless rash.
• Jerky,uncontrollable body movementsin the hand,feet and face.
• Bursts of unusal behavior,such as crying or inappropriate laughing.