I am a 56-year-old lady. All of a sudden I have excruciating pain in my left knee. I had no symptoms before. I am unable to walk. An ultrasonography of the knee showed marginal osteophytes from the articular surface of femur or tibia. Mild synovial effusion seen. Tibial spiking seen. Doctor says it is osteoarthritis but I just had no symptoms before. What can I do to reduce the pain.

Dr. Kunal AnejaOrthopedic Doctor7yrs exp

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Hello thank you for reaching out. Sudden onset pain in a previously asymptomatic knee can be quite disabling and worrisome. You seem to have an acute exacerbation of knee osteoarthritis which could be due to excessive physical activity/ unaccustomed exertion / prolonged standing or without any apparent cause. Osteoarthritis is quite commonly seen in middle age and you need not worry. Various strategies can help your condition ranging from physical therapy, cryotherapy, lifestyle and activity modification. Pain killer medications can help in short term.  

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Dr. Karuna ChawlaHomeopathy Doctor24yrs exp

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Yes it's osteoarthritis. Follow these dos and don’ts to help your knees feel their best. 1. Don’t rest too much. Too much rest can weaken your muscles, which can worsen joint pain. Find an exercise program that is safe for your knees and stick with it. If you're not sure which motions are safe or how much you can do, talk with your doctor or a physical therapist. 2. Do exercise. Cardio exercises strengthen the muscles that support your knee and increase flexibility. Weight training and stretching do, too. For cardio, some good choices include walking, swimming, water aerobics, stationary cycling, and elliptical machines. 3. Don’t risk a fall. A painful or unstable knee can make a fall more likely, which can cause more knee damage. 4. Rest, ice, compression, and elevation (rice) is good for knee pain caused by a minor injury or an arthritis flare. Give your knee some rest, apply ice to reduce swelling, wear a compressive bandage, and keep your knee elevated. 5. Don't overlook your weight. If you're overweight, losing weight reduces the stress on your knee. You don’t even need to get to your "ideal" weight. Smaller changes still make a difference. 6. Don't be shy about using a walking aid. A crutch or cane can take the stress off of your knee. Knee splints and braces can also help you stay stable. 7. Don't let your shoes make matters worse. Cushioned insoles can reduce stress on your knees. 8. Do play with temperature. For the first 48 to 72 hours after a knee injury, use a cold pack to ease swelling and numb the pain. A plastic bag of ice or frozen peas works well. Use it for 15 to 20 minutes three or four times a day. Wrap your ice pack in a towel to be kind to your skin. After that, you can heat things up with a warm bath, heating pad, or warm towel for 15 to 20 minutes, three or four times a day. 9. Don’t jar your joint (s). High-impact exercises can further injure painful knees. Avoid jarring exercises such as running, jumping, and kickboxing. Also avoid doing exercises such as lunges and deep squats that put a lot of stress on your knees. These can worsen pain and, if not done correctly, cause injury.  

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Dr. Kulwinder Singh ShahOrthopedic Doctor14yrs exp

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Hi you can add icing and exercises for knee and you also have to avoid activities like stair climbing squatting which increase your knee pain. 

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Dr. Vipin GuptaOrthopedic Doctor7yrs exp

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Hello Ms. lybrate-user let me explain to you what has been happening: the patients with early osteoarthritis usually do not have any complaints for a long time and the first time they approach a doctor is usually when they develop synovitis (swelling) in the knee which is known to occur from time to time in a patient of osteoarthritis. Pain control can be done in 2 ways: oral medicines or injection in the joint; oral medicines take more time and can have some side effects, however injection works faster and without side effects. You can opt for either.  

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