Written By Anita Ginsburg / Reviewed By Ray Spotts

Knee problems are usually caused by certain diseases, injuries, or worn-out knee joints. Replacing the knee through surgery can help alleviate these painful problems and can help improve your mobility. Pain can make walking difficult, limit mobility, and make it difficult to sleep.

The pain and loss of mobility are the main reasons a person will have their knee replaced, but these can come from any of several different conditions.

Knee replacement surgery (knee arthroplasty) is a common procedure that replaces the knee with an artificial joint. This type of surgery is most common for people between 60 and 80 years of age but can be performed on an adult of any age.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is caused when the cartilage in the joints is worn down gradually over time. The most common reason for osteoarthritis is aging.

The symptoms of osteoarthritis include joint stiffness, pain, swelling, tenderness, and a crackling sound when moving the affected joint. Osteoarthritis is the most common reason people will get knee arthroplasty.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis should not be confused with osteoarthritis, as it is an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease is a medical condition that causes the immune system to attack certain parts of your body.

Rheumatoid arthritis can damage the cartilage and bone on your knee joints, among other joints of the body. Symptoms usually include stiff, swollen, and painful joints. If the pain or joint damage gets too severe, a replacement of the knee can help.

Gout

Gout usually affects the big toe, but it can affect other joints, including the knee. Gout can cause severe pain that can come on suddenly or linger. It can be caused by alcohol, a diet high in fat, dehydration, certain medications, or an injury to the joint.

Chronic gout is not common, but if left untreated, it can lead to joint damage and require the replacement of the knee.

Knee Injury

An injury to the knee is another reason for knee arthroplasty. Knee injuries occur for several reasons, like a sports injury or an accident like falling. Injuries that occurred years ago can turn into arthritis as you get older.

Athletes that are continuously hit in the knee, participate in sports that use the knee heavily, or have repeated knee injuries might need knee arthroplasty later in life.

Other Reasons for Knee Arthroplasty

Other less common reasons could also require knee arthroplasty. Certain disorders can cause bone deformities or unusual bone growth. Another reason is the loss of the blood supply to the knee, which can cause the death of the bone in the knee joint.

Knee arthroplasty is one of the most successful surgeries performed today. If other methods have failed to relieve your knee pain and mobility issues, knee replacement surgery could help you.

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Written By:

Anita Ginsburg is a freelance writer from Denver, Colo. She studied at Colorado State University, and now writes articles about health, business, family and finance. A mother of two, she enjoys traveling with her family whenever she isn't writing. You can follow her on Twitter @anitaginsburg.

Reviewed By:

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.