Causes of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee
There are a number of different things that can contribute to osteoarthritis of the knee, and the rate at which it progresses over time can vary because of them.
Weight
Extra weight often accelerates the degenerative process and increased body weight is one of the biggest risk factors for knee OA.
Knee injury
Knee injury, especially to your ligaments, can cause normal degeneration to start much earlier or progress more rapidly. Those who have torn their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are at a 50% risk of developing knee OA within ten years from time of injury.
Age
The degeneration or gradual break down of knee cartilage is often due to the normal ageing process.
Genetics
If there is a family history of arthritis, that may play a part in whether someone will get the disease or not.
