The most common cause of knee pain in older people is cartilage damage. That is why, for people over 60 with constant knee pain, it is often said: “her cartilage is worn out” or “his knee has given out”. More precisely, it means major cartilage damage has occurred, and the pain is strong and constantly present.

Levels of knee cartilage damage (clinical grades):

• Level 1 (Grade 1): The cartilage has slightly softened
• Level 2 (Grade 2): Degenerative changes have occurred, erosion of the superficial layer begins, affecting up to 50% of total cartilage thickness
• Level 3 (Grade 3): Damage exceeds 50% of cartilage thickness and the area of degenerative change exceeds 1 cm
• Level 4 (Grade 4): The cartilage is completely worn away in parts of the joint surface, sometimes combined with swelling of the bone (bone marrow edema)

The greater the level of damage, the greater the pain intensity. The best scenario is never reaching a state of severe cartilage damage, as in grade four. That is achieved through continuous physical exercise aimed at strengthening the leg muscles. And those who have reached the fourth grade of damage also benefit from exercise.

Training

When the degree of damage is mild, exercise can completely eliminate pain, irritation, swelling and the feeling of discomfort. With major damage, exercise can improve the condition, but not as significantly. Then the training process must be longer and tissue adaptation is slower.

Strengthening all leg muscles, especially the thigh muscles (quadriceps), is essential. Don't let your knee deteriorate — contact us and book an examination at two locations in Belgrade (Novi Beograd and Autokomanda).

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