OA (osteoarthritis) of the knee joint
Anatomy of knee joint: First, let us know the anatomy of knee joint. Knee joint consists of two joints Tibiofemoral joint and Patellofemoral joint, which is made up of 3 bones: Femur(thigh bone), Tibia(leg bone) and Patella(Knee cap). There are different soft tissue in the knee joint that protects the joint like ligaments (ACL, PCL, medial and lateral), Bursae, meniscus (medial and lateral) and cartilage. Today, our main focus will be on the cartilage as it is the primary structure that gets damages in osteoarthritis of knee. Cartilages are smooth and flexible substance covering the end of bones where they meet. It enables the bones in joint to move without rubbing against each other. When cartilage in the joint is healthy, it effectively allows bending/straightening motion and protects joint from weight bearing stresses. Cartilages does not have blood supply, thus, if cartilage is damages it cannot heal, exposing the underlying bone-ends and the joint looses its protective cus