Medical Training for Health

What is osteoarthritis of the knee?

The knee joint is a triple lace bones: the two bumps at the lower end of the femur, called condyles, engage with respective concave surfaces of the tibia, called tibial plateau. On the other hand, the patella engages with both femoral condyles.

We therefore have the tibiofemoral joint, medial compartment divided (on the inside of the knee) and lateral compartment (on the outside of the knee) and patellofemoral joint or compartment. The contact zone between the bones of these gears is covered with a layer called cartilage, which can distribute loads and reduce friction between bones with joint movements.

Osteoarthritis is a progressive destruction of cartilage due to aging or when the surface friction, stroke, infections, etc.. becomes irregular. The bone was coated before the cartilage begins to undergo changes, thickening and producing outgoing called osteophytes. Knee osteoarthritis is cartilage loss then any of the three compartments of the knee joint.

This disease affects more women aged forty, is very rare before thirty years and is more common osteoarthritis, followed by the hip.