Knee Osteoarthritis — When Stairs Become a Fear
Table of Contents
What is knee osteoarthritis
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a condition in which the joint cartilage gradually wears down, causing bone-on-bone friction that leads to pain, swelling, and stiffness. It develops particularly often in the medial compartment, because body weight concentrates on the inner side of the knee during walking. The most typical sign is severe pain when going down stairs, and stiffness when standing up after sitting for a long time is also an early symptom.
Bow-leg progression and a vicious cycle
When the medial cartilage wears first, the lower-limb alignment shifts toward varus (bow legs), and the altered alignment in turn increases medial loading and accelerates cartilage damage. When X-rays show joint-space narrowing and osteophytes, the disease is already advanced; breaking this vicious cycle early is essential. Conservative Korean medicine treatment shows the most pronounced effect at Kellgren-Lawrence grades II to III.
Korean medicine combination treatment — acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, Gwanjeoldan
- Acupuncture: Needling acupoints around the knee such as Xiyan (knee eyes), Yanglingquan, Zusanli, and Xuehai improves local blood flow and suppresses inflammatory cytokines.
- Pharmacopuncture: Bee venom (BV) pharmacopuncture or placenta pharmacopuncture is injected into tender points around the joint to enhance anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.
- Gwanjeoldan (관절단): A formula combining deer antler, Achyranthes (uxi), Dipsacus (sokdan), and Eucommia (duchung) that promotes cartilage matrix synthesis and improves joint-fluid viscoelasticity.
Weight management — 1 kg makes a 4 kg difference
Studies show that losing 1 kg of body weight reduces the load on the knee by approximately 4 kg. In overweight patients, even a 5–10% weight loss can markedly reduce pain. The clinic combines dietary counseling with weight-loss herbal medicine (a modified Bangpungtongseongsan) to fundamentally lower the burden on the knee.
Daily care and exercise
The first step is to avoid squatting and floor sitting, and switch to chair-based living. Swimming and indoor cycling are the optimal exercises for strengthening the quadriceps without straining the joint. Using the elevator instead of the stairs and wearing well-cushioned shoes can also reduce impact.