How young can knee arthritis start?

Arthritis can start relatively early and may vary in severity and extent in different individuals. This may be due to the fact that people are living a more active lifestyle these days. But what causes osteoarthritis of the knee in younger patients exactly? And is surgery going to be necessary? One of our leading orthopaedic surgeons Mr Soulat Naim, an expert in treating the knee, answers these questions and more.

What causes arthritis at a young age?

Often arthritis in younger patients can be triggered from sports-related injuries that they would have sustained in early years. Some individuals have a hereditary predisposition for developing arthritis at a younger age. It could also be contributed by alignment issues of their lower extremities and anatomical factors native to each individual.
 

How would a doctor diagnose knee arthritis in a young person?

Diagnosis is reached via a detailed history from the individual and examination helped by routine X-rays and specialist investigations like an MRI. Often an arthroscopy (keyhole surgery on the knee) may be required to ascertain the areas and extent of wear and tear (arthritis) in the knee. This helps towards diagnosing, planning and proposing tailored management/treatment plans for individuals.
 

What is the best way to manage knee arthritis in young patients?

There are various ways available now of addressing arthritis in younger patients of varying severity. These range from non-surgical methods like orthosis and injection therapy (of different types), to operative methods designed to address different patterns of affection of the arthritic knee joint. These range from cartilage surgery, bespoke mini knee replacements, realignment procedures around the knee, partial knee replacements and total knee replacements.
 

When might surgery be necessary for a young patient?

The idea generally is to defer a definitive procedure like knee replacement for as long as practically possible. This is dictated by the patients’ level of symptoms and trial/response of conservative non-operative treatments and relatively smaller procedures first. I believe in tailoring treatments for individuals based on their symptoms, extent and level of severity of arthritis (wear and tear) that they carry in the knee.


If you’re worried about your knee pain and would like Mr Naim’s expert opinion, you can book an appointment with him via his Top Doctor’s profile here.