“Does running ruin your knees?”

No. Recreational running does not increase the risk of knee osteoarthritis—it may

even be protective. Studies show runners have about half the incidence of OA compared to

walkers, thanks to strengthened cartilage and muscles around the joint.

Symptoms

• Pain or aching in the knee, especially when walking up or down stairs
• Knee stiffness, especially in the morning
• Limited range of motion
• Clicking or popping sounds when moving the knee
• Swelling around the knee
• Muscle weakness around the knee
• Knee instability or buckling
  

            Knee arthritis symptoms vary greatly from person to person and even day to day. Some days there may be no pain at all, other days you may be in agony. You may find that there is something in particular that  aggravates yoursymptoms, or you may feel there is no pattern at all. Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of knee pain in the over fifties age group, affecting approximately sixteen million people worldwide.

Stages of knee osteoarthritis

• Stage 1 (Minor). Stage 1 means that you’ve got some wear and tear in the cartilage in your knee joint. You probably haven’t noticed any pain yet.
• Stage 2 (Mild). The mild stage is when you might start to feel pain and stiffness in your knee joint, but there’s still enough cartilage to keep the bones from grinding together.
• Stage 3 (Moderate). If you’re at the moderate stage, your cartilage has significantly reduced. This causes more pain, especially when running, walking, squatting and kneeling. You might also have more stiffness or difficulty moving your joint, especially after long periods of inactivity.
• Stage 4 (Severe). Severe knee osteoarthritis means that the cartilage in your knee is almost gone, leaving the bones to grind against each other when they move. Your knee is stiff, painful and possibly immobile. At this stage, you might consider knee joint replacement surgery.

Genicular Artery Embolization - A Non-Surgical Treatment Solution

Genicular Artery Embolization - GAE is a non-surgical treatment alternative for patients with knee pain due to osteoarthritis who have failed conservative therapy, such as anti-inflammatory medications or knee injections, and who do not wish to undergo or are ineligible for knee replacement surgery.

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