A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 

Gonarthritis

'Gon' means 'knee'. 'Arthrosis' means 'disorder of the joint'. Gonarthrosis thus means a disorder of the knee joint, generally inferring early joint surface damage of any kind, while 'gonarthritis' infers more advanced arthritic destruction. It is a bit of an old-fashioned term.

In most cases joint surface damage starts with damage to the overlying cartilage or gristle. This is known as ‘chondrosis’. Chondromalacia is a form of chondrosis.

As damage penetrates more deeply into the surface layers of bone (sub-chondral bone), the damage is then referred to as ‘arthrosis’.

Arthrosis becomes arthritis when:

• damage extends into the deeper bone
• cysts and hardened (’sclerotic’) areas form, and bits of bone mushroom up into spurs or osteophytes
• the joint space diminishes on X-ray