The sound from my mom's knee? Suspected degenerative arthritis...Even athletes don't feel safe
May 01, 2025
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It is a disease that causes joint pain and movement restrictions due to damage to cartilage, which acts as a buffer between bones. It is easy to think of it as a disease caused by aging, but various causes such as joint trauma, genetic factors, obesity, hormonal changes, etc. can work. Excessive use of joints also has an effect. This is why athletes and manual workers are prone to arthritis. Even if the legs are bent in an O-shape, there is a high possibility that internal arthritis will occur as the weight of the body is tilted inward.
Professor Huh Joon-young of orthopedic surgery at Catholic University of Korea's Incheon St. Mary's Hospital said, `If you have a joint problem since you were young, it can appear even at a relatively young age. It should not simply be regarded as a disease that occurs with age, he said. "Degenerative arthritis can significantly reduce the quality of life due to chronic pain, so early detection and steady management are important."
According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of degenerative arthritis patients is about 4.33 million in 2023, of which patients in their 50s and older account for about 90%. In particular, women are known to have a higher risk of developing knee cartilage than men due to thin knee cartilage and less muscle mass.
Degenerative arthritis occurs most frequently in the knee. It can also appear on fingers, spine, hip joints, ankles, and shoulders. A typical symptom is pain. In the early stages, pain appears only when the joint is moved, but when the disease progresses, the pain continues even if it does not move. Joints may become stiff or have a fricative sound. Deformation can also occur where the knee joint is bent and osteoporosis (bone protrusion) occurs at the tip of the finger.
Professor Heo Jun-young said "Most degenerative arthritis does not last pain. It shows the characteristic that symptoms worsen and then gradually worsen by repeating the pattern of improvement. "If the pain persists for more than a week in the movement of bending and stretching the knee, it is recommended to see a doctor."
Treatment begins with lifestyle improvements and exercise therapy. It is recommended to lose weight and do muscle strengthening exercises in parallel to reduce the burden on the knee joint. Drug treatment mainly uses nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and joint nutrition drugs to relieve pain. In case of severe inflammation, intra-articular steroid injection or lubricant injection treatment can also be performed.
Surgery is performed when drugs and injection treatments do not work.
Arthroscopy may be considered for early or moderate patients. Arthroscopy is a method of cleaning inflammatory substances in the joint and removing damaged cartilage fragments. Its advantage is that it recovers quickly and has less pain after surgery due to minimizing skin incision. By changing the alignment of the joints, osteotomy induces the utilization of areas with less weight. Cartilage regeneration is an operation that uses stem cells or collagen to restore damaged cartilage.
If these treatments do not work, artificial joint replacement is considered. In artificial joint replacement, the appropriate surgical method is determined in consideration of the individual patient's joint condition and kinematic axis.
As degenerative arthritis is difficult to cure once it occurs, it is best to prevent it. First, you have to maintain a normal weight. The more weight you weigh, the more your joints strain. Proper exercise keeps joints healthy. It is recommended to sit in a chair and do simple exercises such as lifting legs and bending and stretching knees. Swimming and cycling are also effective. Exercise such as running, climbing, and jumping that puts pressure on the knee should be careful.
Professor Heo Jun-young said, `If degenerative arthritis is detected and managed early, it can reduce pain and maintain daily life"It is important not to dismiss joint pain as a simple aging, but to visit a specialist for accurate diagnosis and treatment if it persists."
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
