Most people with knee osteoarthritis can control their pain and improve their mobility without surgery, according to updated treatment guidelines from the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. So what is knee osteoarthritis and what are the best ways to manage it? More than 2 million Australians have osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease, affecting 2.1 million Australians .
It costs the economy A$4.3 billion each year. Osteoarthritis commonly affects the knees, but can also affect the hips, spine, hands and feet.
It impacts the whole joint including bone, cartilage, ligaments and muscles. Most people with osteoarthritis have persistent pain and find it difficult to perform simple daily tasks, such as walking and climbing stairs. Is it caused by ‘wear and tear’? Knee osteoarthritis is most likely to affect older people, those who are overweight or obese, and those with previous knee injuries.
But contrary to popular belief, knee osteoarthritis is not caused by “wear and tear”. Research shows the degree of structural wear and tear visible in the knee joint on an X-ray does not correlate with the level of pain or disability a person experiences. Some people have a low degree of structural wear and tear and very bad symptoms, while others have a high degree of structural wear and tear and minimal symptoms.
So X-rays are not required to diagnose knee osteoarthritis or guide treatment decisions. Telling people they have wear an.