• Arthritic knees can be miserable"Closed Book With Clasps On The Lap Of Robert Ingersoll Aitken's "Past," On The North Side Of The National Archives (Washington, DC)" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: takomabibelot (Jim Kuhn) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
  
  

Significance

• The significance of arthritis is that there is no cure. Once it is established, you can only treat the symptoms. Cartilage cannot be replaced, although it can be treated with biolubricants such as hyaluronic acid, which will serve as a temporary coating. Arthritis causes pain, swelling and further degeneration of the bones.
  
  

Identification

• Traumatic arthritis is diagnosed by an orthopedic doctor. Although symptoms can lead toward a self-diagnosis, arthritis cannot be definitively decided until confirmed by an X-ray and an orthopedic specialist.
  
  

Effects

• The main effect of traumatic arthritis is pain--pain with bending, walking, squatting, twisting or any of the myriad uses that the knee is put through on a day-to-day basis. Another effect is the continued degradation of the joint. As the bones grind together, they cause more and more damage.
  
  

Specific Impairments

• Range of motion is often the most significantly impaired function of the knee due to arthritis. The knee cannot bend as it should without causing enough pain to make the person not want to repeat the movement. This lack of motion intensifies the problem by causing stiffness. Ordinary day-to-day activities such as climbing stairs and walking become problematic.
  
  

Treatment

• Although there is no cure for arthritis, there are many ways to treat the symptoms. Your doctor can give you several treatment options. These may include, but not be limited to, losing weight, physical therapy, dietary supplements, and injections of corticosteroids or hyaluronic acid. Discuss your options with your doctor.