Knee pain. Is it just stiffness or could it be osteoarthritis?

People are living longer these days and staying more active. That’s good news, but it also means more people will need help with joint replacement surgery.

If you’re wondering about the type of pain you’re feeling, here are some things to consider. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that leads to the breakdown and eventual loss of joint cartilage. That allows bones under the cartilage to rub together and cause pain.

It might be osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee if you have:

• Pain while standing or walking short distances, climbing up or down stairs, or getting in and out of chairs
• Pain with activity
• Start-up pain or stiffness when activities are initiated from a sitting position
• Joint stiffness after getting out of bed
• Swelling in one or more areas of the knee
• A grating sensation or crunching feeling in the knee during use

If your doctor has diagnosed OA, you may be a candidate for MAKOplasty® – a partial knee resurfacing procedure that’s assisted with a highly advanced robotic arm.

MAKOplasty is designed to relieve pain and restore range of motion. It’s an innovative treatment option for adults living with early to mid-stage osteoarthritis that has not progressed to all three compartments of the knee.

Get back on your feet faster:

For many people considering knee or hip surgery, one of the major concerns is recovery time. With MAKOplasty, the surgeon can align and place implants with greater precision and accuracy.

They also use much smaller incisions, so patients can get back to life with less pain and a shorter recovery time. In fact, many patients report that they are walking within a week after surgery.

Partial knee resurfacing with MAKOplasty also enables surgeons to precisely resurface only the arthritic portion of the knee and to preserve more healthy tissue and bone.

Find out more:

McLaren Macomb is offering a series of free seminars so people can learn more about the procedure. Seminars are held in various locations throughout the county in February. For information, or to register for a seminar, please visit www.mclaren.org/mako

If you’d like to schedule an appointment with a McLaren Macomb Mako orthopedic surgeon, please call (855) 466-2527.