T he knee joint is one of the largest and most complex joints in your body. It works to perfection like a fine tuned machine constituting bones, tendons, ligaments, nerves and cartilage. These all work intricately together with the help of the surrounding muscles to give you stability, motion and function. Up to your knees ın pain Common in all ages, knee problems can slow you down. But there are now joint preservation surgeries to get you mobile again 21100-104979 FahdAttar DPS.indd 22 Knee problems most commonly present as pain and loss of function. There are various causes for this and some common ones are: *Injuries causing ligament and cartilage (meniscus) tears *Injuries causing localised joint lining defects *Disease processes such as osteoarthritis which can be early or late stages Knee pain caused by osteoarthritis in any age group can be very problematic and can cause considerable limitation and restriction in function. It is a major cause of anxiety and depression if not appropriately managed. Various reports suggest that the incidence of knee osteoarthritis is on the increase. Some of the reasons for this include the following: *Increasing obesity causing more pressure on the weight-bearing joints and hence an increased wear pattern leading to arthritis *The general population is getting older and hence arthritis associated with an ageing population needs to be managed *Increased incidence of knee injuries in young people causing secondary arthritis later in life 23/01/2015 18:41