Knee Loss

Progression of osteoarthritis involves of three stages. Stage 1 start from cartilage matrix breakdown follow by cartilage fibrillation and erosion. Disease continues to progress to stage three where synovial inflammation started. With inflamed synovial, synovial membrane produced cytokines, particularly inflammatory cytokines and growth factors which both able to diffuse through synovial fluid and enter the cartilage. This will activates pro-inflammatory cytokines (Pelletier et al, 1999).In short, cartilage breakdown or degrade will lead erosion and release pro-inflammatory cytokine which in turn contribute to joint destruction. In an osteoarthritis knee, Examples of pro-inflammatory cytokines are interleukin-1, IL-1 and tumour necrosis factor alpha, TNF-α.

Forty-seven fresh-frozen cadaver knees were included in the study. Twenty-two were males and twenty-five were female. The average age of the male knees was thirty-four and the females age was twenty-eight. Before any testing began all the knees were

Osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis, is most prevalent in older patients. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative bone disease due to the gradual loss of cartilage. A primary type of osteoarthritis is hip arthritis where it is caused by joint injury, increasing age, and being overweight (“Hip Osteoarthritis,” n.d.). However, osteoarthritis can also be caused by immature joints, inherited defects in cartilage, and extra stress on a patient’s joints (Hip Osteoarthritis,” n.d.). As a result, hip arthritis becomes a huge detriment in patient’s social, emotional, physical lifestyles. In order to treat hip arthritis, doctors choose from a variety of non-drug treatments, medications, and surgeries. Uniquely, I was inspired to research about the treatments of hip arthritis because my very own brother was pronounced with hip arthritis a few years back. Therefore, his determination to battle this disease encouraged me to investigate about the treatment of hip arthritis.

As stated earlier, the patient admitting challenge was right total knee replacement related to history of osteoarthritis as evidenced by unrelieved pain. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease that “results from cartilage damage that triggers a metabolic response at the level of the chondrocytes” (Lewis, Dirksen, Heitkemper, Barry, Goldsworthy & Goodridge, 2011, p. 1881). As it progress, it causes the cartilage to become “dull, yellow, and granular” instead of being “smooth, white, translucent” (Lewis et al., 2011; Gulanick & Myers, 2014, p. 1881).As a result, it eventually becomes softer, less elastic, and less capable to resist wear during heavy use. Moreover, as the “central cartilage becomes thinner, cartilage and bony growth increases at the joint margins … that results to uneven distribution of stress across the joint” that contributes to a decrease in motion. (Lewis et al., 2011; Gulanick & Myers, 2014, p. 1882). According to this patient, OA has been giving her pain for about two years that lead her to the decision of having the knee replacement.

Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, is an endemic condition that affects 20 million people in the United States alone. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and is defined as a gradual process of destruction and degeneration or wearing away of the joint cartilage which typically occurs in the older individual age 50 and over (http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/330487-overview#a0101). . Although this diease is well known for its association with the natural aging process, it is also prevalent in athletes. Specifically, osteoarthritis of the knee has been said to be the most commonly affected area as a majpr weight bearing joint and is a growing epidemic in relation to sports injuries in the young adult. http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/guide/ostearthritis-of-the-knee-degenerative-arthritis-of-the-knee. According to, (Vincent), among upper and lower reported extremity sites, the most common region for osteoarthritis to manifest is p’in the medial compartment of the knee. The risk of knee osteoarthritis from knee joint injury is high; approximately 50% of individuals with an ACL or meniscus tear develop knee osteoarthritis [10-15]. A long-term prospective study indicated a relative risk for knee osteoarthritis of approximately 5 for any previous injury of the knee [13]. As cited in, _____, Thelin and colleagues determined that injury of the knee joint was associated with all knee OA in a

Total Knee Replacements are the most successful procedures in all of medicine, accounting for 600,000 knee replacements each year in the US. The knee is the largest joint in the body, which is why it’s very important to have healthy knees in order to get around to perform daily activities. The knee consist of the lower femur, the upper end of the tibia, and the patella. The ends of the three bones touch, which is covered with articular cartilage, this is a smooth substances that protects the bones and enables them to move smoothly. Also, located between the femur and tibia are the menisci. The menisci are C-shaped wedges that act as “shock absorbers” this provides cushion for the joint as well. Then, the large ligaments also play a role as well, they hold the femur and tibia together to provide stability. The long

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease characterized by a fragmentation and erosion of the articular cartilage, which becomes soft, frayed and thinned with alteration of the subchondral bone. It also characterized by the hypertrophy of the bone, changes accompanied by pain and stiffness which finally leads to loss of

Osteoarthritis is degenerative joint disease caused by mechanical wear and tear. Damage manifest as breakdown of cartilage, injury of subhondral bone and changes to all articular surfaces. it presents as pain in weight bearing joints that worsen with use. The joints that are mostly affected are the distal interphalanges, knees, hips, toes and spine [1]. Knee osteoarthritis is suspected after a medical history and physical examination is done. During the physical examination the doctor will examine the knee and its series of motion. He will pay close attention to areas that are swollen, tender and painful [2]. There are a variety of diagnostic tests that may help confirm the diagnosis if patient’s knee is affected. There is X-ray that

The knee has the highest prevalence of OA of all of the joints in the human body. Knee OA regularly causes people to experience troubling pain and/or loss of physical function to varying degrees,5 and often results in total knee arthroplasty8 after years of distress and economic burden to the patient and society.9 During 2005 in Ontario, Canada, knee OA costs for an individual averaged $12,200 annually, including personal expenses as well as lost wages.10 It is estimated that as the world’s population ages and as the obesity epidemic grows, the burden of OA on the healthcare system, and therefore the economy, will continue to increase, barring improvements in knee OA management.8

Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disorder, and more than half of all Americans who are older than 65 have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis. However, recent US data has revealed knee osteoarthritis does not discriminate age, and there is growing evidence that osteoarthritis affects individuals at a young age. The annual cost of osteoarthritis due to treatment and loss of productivity in the US is estimated to be more than 65 billion dollars.1 With no cure currently available for osteoarthritis, current treatments focus on management of symptoms. The primary goals of therapy include improved joint function, pain relief, and increased joint stability. Although the exact cause of osteoarthritis is unknown, many risk factors have been identified including increased age, female gender, obesity, and trauma.2 Within these risk factors, the etiology of osteoarthritis has been divided into anatomy, body mass, and gender.

The knee is a hinge joint which gives the legs mobility. The muscles and ligaments of this joint allows flexion and extension of the leg. “Because the knee supports the majority of the body weight, it is at risk of overuse and traumatic injuries” (France). The knee is composed of 3 major bones; the femur, tibia, and the fibula. The femur is the biggest bone in the human body, the inferior end flares out into two rounded landmarks called femoral condyles. Their name comes from the side of the body they are on, which is where we get Lateral Femoral Condyle and Media Femoral Condyle. Superiorly to these condlyes are the medial and lateral femoral epicondyles. The bones inferior to the femur are the Tibia and Fibula. The superior end of the Tibia flares out into slightly concave structures called the Tibial Plateaus. A crescent wedge shape of cartilage sits in each plateau. These are the Medial Meniscus and the Lateral Meniscus. This cartilage acts as a shock absorber and distributes forces. “The menisci are bathed by the synovial fluid of the knee” (France). The meniscus is what separates the each side of the Tibia and Femur and the transverse ligament connects each menisci. There is a circular bone on the

Over the years my mother has had to deal with many different health problems. Some of the more prominent problems she has had to face and deal with are her chronic pain, discs in her neck decaying, and rheumatoid arthritis. Just recently she had surgery on her neck to fuse the first two or three vertebras together. She has already been able to see a difference. Since my mother was in her mid thirties she has had to deal will chronic pain in her joints. One of the reasons for this could be because of the slow decaying of cushions in between the joints. “The cartilage that cushions the movement of bone and other connective tissues, such as tendons and ligaments, become less efficient in the middle-adult years, a time when many individuals experience joint stiffness and greater difficulty in movement” (Santrock, p 338). Because she has had difficulty with her joints for the past

Looking at the forelegs, they should be well muscled. Knees should be flat, large and an identical pair. Scars on the knees are not desirable as this could indicate the horse is prone to trips or falls – a horse with scars on the front of his or her knees is referred to as ‘broken kneed’.

The main parts of the knee joint are bones, ligaments, tendons, cartilages and a joint capsule.

The anatomy of the foot is very complex. There are twenty six bones in each foot. The bones in both feet equal one-quarter of the bones in the human body. There are thirty three joints and over one hundred muscles, tendons and ligaments in the foot as well. The longest bones of the foot are known as the metatarsals. There are five in each foot with the fifth being on the exterior of the foot and the first on the interior. On the end of each metatarsal there are phalanges, better known to most people as toes. The phalanges and metatarsals are the easiest to break or injure from weight bearing activities. According to the