She had developed swollen joints in her hands and had stopped playing. The exercise of playing again eventually helped her. Knees start to go downhill for several reasons. The synovial fluid that oils the joint and also acts like a cushion loses it's elasticity. This causes increased stress on cartilage covering the bone.
Holes appear and bones start to grind against each other.
Cortisone may occasionally be injected into arthritic knees. And Aspirin is still the miracle drug for many. Researchers at Abbott Pharmaceuticals have helped to solve this problem. The logic is simple. Synvisc is a natural elastoviscous substance which is injected into the knee's synovial space.