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Introduction

She finished the last mile of her 10-mile run, but the pain in her knee forced her to stop running before she reached her goal of 10 miles; stopping before reaching her goals is very uncharacteristic for this 58-year-old avid runner. An athlete since childhood and a very active individual, she has not experienced knee pain since her junior year in college, when she tore the medial meniscus of her knee playing soccer and had arthroscopic surgery. Currently, after four weeks of pain during exercise, discomfort and stiffness throughout the day, and sporadic swelling surrounding the knee joint, she finally visits her physician, who explains that she has osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis can be disabling for many individuals. People must be aware of this condition and its impact. The purpose of this paper is to heighten awareness of osteoarthritis by discussing the pathology of osteoarthritis, conducting a current review of literature pertaining to osteoarthritis, and outlining recommendations concerning exercise guidelines for those with osteoarthritis and the health professionals working with them.

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This fact sheet was last updated on 03-02-2007.