Knee Osteoarthritis: Current Insights Into Pathophysiology and Non-surgical Management Options.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Rheumatology
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative joint disease causing pain and disability.
• Pathological changes include cartilage breakdown, bone remodeling, and inflammation.
• Current treatments aim to manage symptoms and slow progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the pathophysiology of knee OA.
• To critically evaluate current conservative treatment strategies.
• To discuss emerging therapies and future research directions.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of contemporary evidence.
• Appraisal of non-pharmacological interventions (weight reduction, exercise).
• Evaluation of pharmacological therapies (NSAIDs, intra-articular injections) and emerging treatments (DMOADs, GAE).

Main Results:

• Non-pharmacological interventions significantly improve pain and function.
• NSAIDs and intra-articular injections offer short-term symptom relief.
• Emerging treatments show preliminary promise but require further validation.

Conclusions:

• Individualized, multimodal conservative management is crucial for knee OA.
• Continued research is needed to refine non-surgical interventions.
• Optimizing conservative strategies enhances quality of life for knee OA patients.