The knees, unfortunately, are the most susceptible to degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis. These conditions typically cause the joint’s cartilage to deteriorate, which can lead to bone-on-bone pain. Though it is most commonly seen in older patients, bone-on-bone knee pain due to osteoarthritis can be found in younger patients who may have other contributing factors such as heredity, overweight, stress, injury, or illness. While it is possible to get ahead of osteoarthritis with an early diagnosis, the truth is, by the time a patient exhibits symptoms, degeneration has already started.
Stages of Osteoarthritis
As the knee joints begin to become affected by osteoarthritis, they will go through a series of phases, the first of which may not exhibit any symptoms at all as the cartilage begins to change its formation.
Stiffness in the joint, especially after sitting still for long periods of time, is associated with the second phase. It is still possible to combat the onset of further deterioration. Strengthening exercises may be helpful at this point, along with support from braces.
Stage three is considered to be moderate degeneration as it becomes more evident that the cartilage is experiencing erosion. The pain in phase three is often more severe, and you may find that it requires more aggressive treatments.
Stage four is accompanied by an increase in inflammation in the joint and surrounding tissue creating more painful movements and the loss of mobility. Once the cartilage that provides a cushion between the bones has deteriorated, bone-on-bone pain will most likely result.
Knowing the symptoms and signs can be imperative to getting treatment early and may increase your chances of healing the condition.
Treatments That Can Help Treat Osteoarthritis and Other Bone-on-bone Pain
Traditionally, there have not been many options available for treating osteoarthritis, so often pain medications have been heavily relied on to help patients keep their pain manageable. However, prescription drugs are only designed to mask pain and not actually address the cause. This means that degeneration continues to wear down the cartilage over time, leaving patients with surgery as their only option.
Platelet-rich Plasma (PRP) is a safe and effective treatment that can be injected into the joint to boost the body’s natural capability to heal itself. By restoring the cartilage and tissue surrounding the knee joints, inflammation, pain, weakness, and stiffness also begin to subside, leading to increased mobility.
If you have been suffering from bone-on-bone pain and are feeling that it is hopeless to ever go back to living a pain-free life without physical limitations, regenerative medicine may be the answer you have been looking for. Call our office today to find out how our therapies can help.