Knee roughness

Knee stiffness, knee arthritis or knee friction, which is one of the most common chronic joint diseases; Studies indicate that more than 27 million people are infected in the United States of America. This disease may affect any joint in the body, but it is more prevalent in the knee, pelvis, lower back and neck. It may also affect the small joints of the fingers or toes; In natural joints, there is a piece of hard rubber cartilage that covers both ends of the bone that forms the joint. This piece of cartilage ensures the smooth movement of the joint, and also acts as a cushion to protect it.

What happens in knee osteoarthritis is the decomposition of this cartilage, and as a result, the two bones rub together, causing pain, swelling, and reducing the range of motion for the knee, and may sometimes lead to the formation of bone spurs. Age is the most prominent risk factor for knee osteoarthritis, but it may affect young people in rare cases, especially if they have a family history of infection, or have been exposed to inflammation or damage to the knee.


Aging is the most common cause of knee roughness, as any person who has advanced in age must suffer from a certain degree of knee roughness. There are also several factors that may increase the chance of developing knee roughness, including:

• Age: The ability of cartilage to recover decreases with age.
• Weight gain: This increases the pressure on the joints of the body in general, as an increase in weight by one kilogram increases the pressure on the knees by 3-4 kilograms.
• The presence of genetic factors: When certain genetic mutations are present, this may increase the chance of developing knee osteoarthritis, and the presence of inherited disorders in the shape of the bone may expose it more to knee osteoarthritis.
• The chance of developing knee osteoarthritis increases in women in particular when they reach the age of 55 years.
• Repeated exposure to stress injuries: This happens to people who have professions that require movement more than necessary, such as lifting heavy weights, as this puts continuous pressure on the knee, which exposes it more to the injury of roughness.
• The incidence of knee roughness also increases in athletes: such as football or tennis players, because of their frequent running when practicing these sports, and therefore they must take care to avoid damage to the knee. Doctors usually recommend moderate exercise on a regular basis to strengthen the muscles around the knee; As the weakness of these muscles may contribute to the injury of roughness of the knee.
• Suffering from medical conditions that increase the chance of developing knee roughness: such as rheumatoid arthritis, excess iron in the body, or excessive secretion of growth hormone.

Suffering from knee roughness is accompanied by many symptoms, such as:

• Feeling of gradually increasing pain in the knee: this pain may start suddenly in some cases; At the beginning of the injury, the patient may feel pain in the knee in the morning or after staying without movement for a long time, and then the patient feels it when going up the stairs, or standing after sitting, or when walking. The pain associated with knee roughness may be so severe that it awakens the patient from his sleep.
• Suffering from knee irritation often caused by the formation of bone spurs, when the knee swells and swells, in addition to the redness of the skin covering it and its high temperature.
• Frequent injury to knee sprain and stiffness: Over time, the muscles around the knee weaken, making it unstable and more susceptible to sprain. The patient may also suffer from stiffness and inability to bend it.
• Hearing popping sounds from the knee: This is the result of damage to the cartilage and the resulting friction of the bone ends with each other.
• Determine the range of motion of the knee.
• The appearance of abnormalities in the external shape of the knee: These distortions vary with the degree of knee roughness.

Knee osteoarthritis is a progressive disease and the erosive damage caused by it cannot be reversed. Occupational therapy and pain relief are the main goals of treating knee roughness. There are methods for early treatment of knee roughness that will increase the chances of preserving the joint as much as possible. The most important ways to treat knee roughness are as follows:

• Non-surgical procedures for knee roughness: These procedures include the following:
  - Physical therapy and exercise: by performing specific exercises to tighten and strengthen the knee and the surrounding muscles. It is usually performed by a physical therapist or specialist doctor. The doctor may advise avoiding some activities or movements that may lead to increased pain and friction, such as jogging.
  - Use of hot or cold compresses: Warm water compresses facilitate the movement of the stiff joint, and the use of ice packs for 15 minutes after doing any activity helps reduce swelling and relieve pain.
  - Reducing weight: because of its increase in the occurrence of knee roughness and the increase in the accompanying symptoms; Because of the extra pressure it places on the knees.
• Medical procedures and injections used to treat knee roughness:
  - Use of pain relievers and anti-inflammatories: The most commonly used pain reliever is acetaminophen, which works to relieve pain without reducing swelling. Doctors also recommend the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen, which work to reduce joint irritation and swelling, and thus relieve pain associated with knee roughness. These medications can be used either in the form of oral tablets or topical ointments.
  - Taking medications consisting of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate: These two substances are naturally found in the cartilage of the human body, and some studies have indicated that a number of patients with knee roughness improved after taking these medications.
  - The use of injections: It may include either a steroid compound that works to reduce the tumor and thus get rid of joint stiffness and relieve pain, or hyaluronic acid, which is similar in composition to the synovial fluid naturally present in the joint, thus softening it and facilitating its movement.
  - Use of supportive devices and orthotics: such as special shoes that relieve pressure on the knees, orthotics that support the joint, or using a crutch on the opposite side of the injured knee, which provides additional stability and reduces pressure on the knee.
  - Surgery: Most patients with knee roughness do not need surgery, but resort to it if the symptoms are severe, or if the previous methods are not used. And it has several types; Some of them include removing only the damaged parts of the cartilage, including what aims to fit the bones together and reduce friction, in addition to the process of replacing the entire knee joint.