Traumatic arthritis develops due to injury to a joint, such as a bad sprain or fracture, can cause damage to the articular cartilage. The cartilage can be "bruised" when too much pressure is exerted on it. This damages the cartilage, although if you look at the surface it may not appear to be any different. The injury to the material doesn't show up until months later. Sometimes the cartilage surface is damaged even more severely and pieces of the cartilage are ripped from the bone. These pieces do not heal back and usually must be removed from the joint surgically. If not, they may float around in the joint causing the joint to catch and be painful. These fragments of cartilage may also do more damage to the joint surface.

Symptoms of traumatic arthritis (TA) based on the theory of TCM:
1. Blood Stasis due to Damaged Bones
Main symptoms: Severe pain in the affected area, stabbing pain, shortness of breath, spontaneous swaeting, dark coating with ecchymosis.

2. Deficiency of Kidney and Liver
Main symptoms: Soreness in the joints, difficult to walk, constant pains day and night, pale complexion, Those who have Yin deficiency suffer from insomnia, dry throat and mouth, fatigue, shortness of breath.

3. Arthritis due to invasion of Cold and Damp
Main symptoms: crymodynia in the waist and knees, worse pain in the affected areas, more pains in overcast and rainy days, difficult to move, light red tongue coating.