Osteoarthritis of the knee is also known as wear and tear arthritis. It is a slowly progressive and degenerative condition in which the cartilage of the knee wears away. The cartilage functions as natural cushioning between the joints. When this wears off, the bones of the joints rub more closely against one another with less of the shock-absorbing benefits of cartilage. This friction results in pain, swelling, stiffness, decreased ability to move and, sometimes, the formation of bone spurs.
While age is the major factor that contributes to osteoarthritis as the ability of the cartilage to heal decreases as we grow older, it can affect younger people as well due to being overweight or getting an infection, repetitive stress injuries (certain occupations that make you do activities that puts a lot of stress on your knees like kneeling, squatting, lifting heavy weights) or even due to athletics. If the muscles around your knee are weak and you are into long distance running or football or tennis, you may be at a higher risk for developing osteoarthritis of the knee.
Podiapro’s orthotic insoles help in such conditions as they have shock absorbing Noene pads in insoles made for such conditions. These absorb and disperse the shockwaves from hitting your knees. Also, the ankle and knee are better aligned with the insole which reduces the load bearing on the knee. Besides insoles, braces help provide support to the knee and take away from the side of the knee that is affected.