Knees and Joints
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Knee pain and arthritis
After middle age, the common cause of knee pain is degenerative arthritis. Cartilage is hard to regrow, but pain and progression can be controlled a good deal with weight management and strength exercise. Losing just 5% of your body weight noticeably reduces the load on your knees.
Source: 질병관리청 국가건강정보포털 · as of 2026-08-05
Go to a hospital quickly in these cases
- When the knee swells quickly after an injury and you cannot put weight on it
- When the knee suddenly will not straighten, as if it were locked
- When the joint is swollen and hot and you have a fever (possible infection — an emergency)
How it is treated
Exercise therapy (strengthening the thigh muscles), weight loss and medication are the basis. Injection treatments (hyaluronic acid and others) are a supporting measure, and you should keep exercising even if you have cartilage injections. Joint replacement surgery greatly improves quality of life in end-stage arthritis, where the pain keeps you from sleeping at night and walking is hard. Swimming, indoor cycling and walking on flat ground are the exercises that put the least strain on the knee.
Source: 질병관리청 국가건강정보포털 · as of 2026-08-05
Frequently asked questions
My knee hurts when I go down stairs
Pain on stairs and downhill slopes is common with a problem at the front of the knee (around the kneecap) or with early arthritis. Exercises to strengthen the front thigh muscle (the quadriceps) often help, so ask for an exercise prescription in orthopaedics or rehabilitation medicine.
Sources for this page
· 질병관리청 국가건강정보포털 (as of 2026-08-05)Last checked: 2026년 8월 5일
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