Many people these days are living with arthritis pain. Oftentimes, the knees are primarily affected by this condition which occurs at the joint at no particular age range. However, arthritis knee pain is mainly seen on older people characterized by a devastating pain that prevents you to enjoy life to the fullest. Rightly then, it is vital that you have in-depth understanding why arthritis occurs for you to be able to manage arthritis symptoms and pain as well as seek proper medical diagnosis. To help you out, here are the things you should know about arthritis knee pain. Read on.
Consideration
Generally, arthritis describes over a hundred conditions, and oftentimes, knee pain is closely associated to damage to the ligament, tendon and muscles. However, it does not necessarily mean that when you experience knee pain, there is damage at the joint of the knee. This is simply because the nervous system takes on the pain sensors close to the site of injury. It requires medical tests to ensure that the knee pain is really arthritis.
Contributing Factors
The widespread of arthritis knee pain is due to the fact that the knee plays an important role in our daily function. You use your knees when jogging, climbing, walking and bending down. These eventually deteriorate the cartilages, ligaments and joints. Moreover, studies show that old age, overweight and genes are factors that contribute to the development of arthritis.
Arthritis Knee Pain Causes and Types
Arthritis knee pain has been classified into osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
- Osteoarthritis – This happens once the joint at the cartilage deteriorates, thus results to the rubbing of bones, causing pain. Once the cartilage tears off, the joint of the knee cannot move properly which absorbs the shock that is why there is pain. Apparently, these changes affect knee joint shape and could hobble and limit your capability to place weight onto your knee. Moreover, as cartilage collapses, you may hear a popping and crunching sound together with arthritis pain. Read more about osteoarthritis causes, treatment.
- Rheumatoid arthritis – This other type of arthritis knee pain is considered as an autoimmune disorder caused by an inflammation that damages the ligaments, tendons, cartilages as well as the muscles near the inflamed area. With rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system strikes itself resulting to inflammation at the joint and cartilage.
Arthritis Knee Pain Symptoms
Arthritis knee pain has been a universal problem these days especially among older people. Symptoms can vary, that is why regular monitoring is required. Knee symptoms are the strong indicator of arthritis, characterized by pain associated with tender joints. Although it is quite common and natural to feel some joint pains, but recurring and constant joint pain is an indication of an underlying problem. Aside from knee pain, the joint becomes inflamed, rigid and becomes warm and red, accompanied by reduced range of motion and deformity. Other symptoms worth noting are extreme fatigue, cracking or popping joint sound, fever and weight loss.
Diagnosis
Proper diagnosis of arthritis knee pain must be done by a qualified doctor and with thorough examination; the doctor could tell whether the knee pain you have been suffering is rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. However, taking time to examine and observe the occurrence of knee pain prior to consulting the doctor will help your physician figure out the severity of the condition. Therefore, when you have experienced knee pain, pinpoint the exact location of the pain, think about the activities you have done that could possibly trigger the pain, as well as prepare the whole medical history which describes the occurrence of knee pain. In this way, the doctor can track down what could possibly worsen the knee pain. Besides, the doctor may ask you to get an x-ray examination for the affected area, blood tests as well as joint fluid examination.
Arthritis Knee Pain Treatment
Treating arthritis knee pain differs with every person based on the arthritis type they suffer, its seriousness, location as well as other medical conditions. However, traditional treatment mainly includes home remedies, medications either prescribed or not prescribed, steroid infusion and surgery. Physicians will be the finest source of advice on the treatment method appropriate for your case; and endeavor to reduce the inflammation, pain, as well as restore motion range. Nonetheless, it is useful to acquaint yourself first to the symptoms of arthritis knee pain, observe and examine them before consulting the physician. This is very important as this will help the physician in diagnosing the condition and commence treatment program right away. You can also use home remedies for arthritis knee pain in the form of rubbing aching joints with vinegar or olive oil or have fresh juice from potatoes early morning diluted with water. Also take calcium, Vitamin C and Zinc supplements.
Conclusion
Therefore, you should never undermine the occurrence of knee pain. True, it is normal to feel some joint ache every now and then especially that the knee plays an important role in our daily functioning. However, if the knee pain is recurring, do your part in observing and examining the condition, and if possible, make a log of the things that you’ve noticed that could trigger the pain. Consequently, disclose this information to the physician so that appropriate treatment method could be started immediately. You can also read about knee braces for arthritis patients
