My goal was to demonstrate the effects of osteoarthritis in the knee. This is a degenerative condition characterized by worn down cartilage that causes things like swelling, stiffness, pain, and bony growths that form on the ends of bone due to the femur and the tibia rubbing against each other (bone spurs). I used household objects to build a model on the knee with osteoarthritis. In my model I included thinned cartilage, exposed bone, and bone spurs to demonstrate what the joint looks like with progressed osteoarthritis.
Mallory’s project on Osteoarthritis focusing on the potential causes and outcomes of the disease on the knee joint. Osteoarthritis is characterized of joint inflammation due to the deterioration of cartilage. It can be found in a range of ages within people, mostly elderly folks because over time cartilage of the knee joints become worn down, thin and fragile like. Younger people with injuries to the knee joint could increase the risk of osteoarthritis through obesity and a family history of arthritis. Some symptoms of the deterioration of cartilage would be knee stiffness and swelling, overall constant pain discomfort, as well as experiencing pain after prolonged sitting or resting. Treatments may differ whether or not you decide to do it through surgery or some home remedies! For non-surgical treatments would include; anit-flammatories, weight loss, physical therapy, and bracing. The surgical treatment would require replacing the entire knee joint completely. Nothing can really stop the process of osteoarthritis. Looking at Mallory’s art piece of the project, it gives an accurate and helpful demonstration of the process of osteoarthritis within the knee joint and how it reacts to the wear and tear of cartilage. In her models they characterize the disease by showing worn down cartilage and thinning of the menisci and overall just how the knee joint is reacting to worn down cartilage.I really like how she incorporated different steps within each model and it’s very creative. She used a lot of common household products and molding supplies to create this beautiful masterpiece!