Knee Joint Neural Pathways and their Osteoarthritis Pathogenic Linkage Implications
Ray Marks*
Department of Health and Behavior Studies, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, United States
*Corresponding Author: Ray Marks, Department of Health and Behavior Studies, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, United States.
Received:
October 31, 2022; Published: November 12, 2022
Abstract
Knee joint osteoarthritis, a widespread disabling disease with no known cause continues to produce considerable bouts of intractable pain as a result of multiple disease associated problems despite years of research. This paper examines some probable neural influences that may be involved or implicated in inducing and perpetuating knee joint osteoarthritis, a major chronically painful, disabling and debilitating health condition. Presented are data retrieved from several sources that discuss the nature of the knee joint nerves and their ramifications in various knee joint tissue, their proposed functional importance, and connections with the spinal cord, central nervous system and motor control pathways, as this affects joint biomechanics, pain production, joint instability at the knee, and possible knee joint pathology. As such, it is concluded that to reduce the risk of joint injury, as well as to improve the effectiveness of treatments designed to avert knee joint damage and ensuing osteoarthritis pain, a better understanding of the probable neural origin[s] of knee joint pathology and pain may permit the development of more precise as well as targeted noninvasive nerve sparing preventive and intervention strategies for mitigating disabling knee osteoarthritis.
Keywords: Cartilage Degeneration; Neural Pathways; Knee Joint; Osteoarthritis; Pain
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