What Causes Osteoarthritis in the Knee?

Arthritis is your knee's biggest enemy, and it can result over time from injury or disease. This is the most common type of osteoarthritis, and there are a number of causes that influence your risk of developing osteoarthritis in the knee. These can be broken down into 2 types: primary osteoarthritis and secondary osteoarthritis.

Primary Osteoarthritis of the Knee:

This is a slow, progressive arthritis condition that usually begins after 40 years of age. It mainly affects weight-bearing joints (like knees and hips) as a result of excessive loads placed on normal joint tissues, or reasonable loads applied on inferior joint tissues. The exact cause is not determined however it is believed to be affected by:

• Family history and/or genetics
• Obesity (according to the 2002 National Health Interview Survey, obese adults are up to 4 times more likely to develop knee osteoarthritis than normal weight adults; approximately 66% of adults with arthritis are overweight).
• Aging (reduction and deterioration of cartilage).
• Wear and tear on your joints that results in the release of destructive enzymes which break down the cartilage to the point where the bones of the knee joint rub together and develop sclerosis (a hardening of tissue) as well as tiny fractures, cysts and bone spurs.
• Lack of activity which results in weak muscles and unstable joints (44% of adults diagnosed with arthritis report no participation in physical activity based on findings from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey).

Secondary Osteoarthritis of the Knee:

This type of arthritis often appears before 40 years of age. It is the result of a clearly defined cause, such as:

• Acute trauma from a knee injury, loose joints, or joint surgery (bone injury or fracture, ligament, tendon, meniscus or synovial tissue damage), especially if it never healed properly. Osteochondritis dissecans results in fragments of cartilage loose in the joint, and often leads to osteoarthritis.
• Repetitive stress movements or strains that result in excessive bending, excessive walking, or overuse of your knee joint at work or play.
• Blood disorders or joint infections (such as gout or septic arthritis).

• Metabolic imbalances resulting from increased levels of uric acid, calcium deposits, or ongoing use of medications.
• Hormone disturbances as a result of diabetes or growth hormone disorders that affect cartilage wear. Menopause often increases the progression of osteoarthritis of the knee.
• Poor bone alignment or posture (your joints don't line up properly) can result in Chondromalacia patellae (Patella femoral syndrome and Runner's knee), which involves degeneration of the cartilage on the back of the knee cap. Women are more prone to this condition as they tend to have wider hips than men, which creates a wider angle at their knee. This can affect tracking of their knee cap and cause imbalanced weight on their joint, which can pose problems with instability, dislocation or pain (like a tire that is out of alignment, the treads will wear out on one side of the tire). You can often look at your shoe treads to see if one side of your heal is worn out more than the other to determine if you have alignment issues.

Progression of Osteoarthritis:

This can be classified into 5 stages of arthritis severity:

• Grade 0 - Normal
• Grade 1 - Chondromalacia involves early onset of osteoarthritis: softening of cartilage, joint surface stress, and fluid filling the joint cavity; as the condition progresses your knee gets inflamed and swollen, but there is no major joint surface damage at this point.
• Grade 2 - Fissuring, tearing or cracking of joint cartilage less than _ inch; this damage often goes unnoticed.
• Grade 3 - Fibrillation indicates later onset of osteoarthritis: very torn and worn appearance, damaged cartilage covering bone greater than _ inch (bone is still in tact); your damaged joint surface breaks into loose pieces which release enzymes that aid in destructing your joint surface. Up until now minor surgery can help your cartilage to heal.
• Grade 4 - Exposure and damage of underlying bone; healing without surgery is low.

BFST™ - Using Your Body's Natural Healing System

Your body can heal itself! In fact, your body starts healing itself the moment you are injured and it's the blood in your body that makes it all happen. Your blood is the transport mechanism for everything that is good inside you. It carries oxygen, nutrients, water and antibodies. Proper blood flow is essential to healing. Unfortunately, when you injure your body you stop moving and the swelling sets in. That means your vital blood flow can be reduced to a trickle! If you want to heal quickly, you need to keep your blood moving and that's where Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy™, or BFST™, comes in.

Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy™ promotes the flow of blood through the injured area without the need to exercise your already damaged tissue. You can really feel it work. Within moments of applying an Inferno Wrap™ you can feel the healing sensation and the increase in blood flow. During a treatment, and for quite some time after you finish, your injured area will experience increased blood flow even though your body is at rest. It's a soothing sensation and extremely effective. With BFST™ your injury is constantly being fed with healing, nutritious, oxygen and energy filled blood. This is exactly what your body needs to heal.

Inferno Wraps™ have been specifically designed for the treatment of deep, soft tissue injury. Inferno Wraps contain a patented Energy Web™ which is flexible and shaped to conform to your body. This Energy Web™ emits a uniform wave of perfectly safe electro-magnetic energy over its entire surface. This energy travels deep inside your body and stimulates the blood flow needed to heal your injury.

Our Cold Compression Wraps are recommended by countless medical professionals. That's why we sell them, because they are the best. We have noticed over time that our customers are so fond of our cold wraps that they are frequently coming back and ordering a second one. The wraps are becoming very popular with baseball and soccer trainers, and the wraps can be conveniently stored in a cooler for quick application on the field when needed.

Ultrasound therapy is also a helpful tool for pain prevention of knee injuires, and having a portable ultrasound device at home can be a powerful and convenient treatment tool. If you have symptoms or are recovering from a knee related injury, using ultrasound on a regular basis before your activity or throughout the day will help relax your muscles, tendons and tissues, diminish pain and inflammation, soften scar tissue and contribute greatly to the healing of your injury.

If you suffer from mild inflammation or pain after certain activities or movements use ultrasound therapy when you complete the activity and then rest and elevate your area of injury. Limit the application of ultrasound to a couple of treatments per day (the manual will recommend treatment frequency depending upon the injury). In between ultrasound treatments, maximize your pain relief and injury recovery by using an Inferno™ Personal Therapy System. Proven Performance, Proven Relief - only found at MendMeShop.com. If you have been given a treatment plan by your health professional, make sure you adhere to it to ensure pain free living. In general, people who are committed to their therapies and exercises will have the best medical outcomes.

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