What Does Arthritis Pain Feel Like In the Knee?

Knee Pain Arthritis or in other term called Arthralgia is the inflammation of tissues surrounding the joints which are basically a symptom of injury, infection, illness or allergic reaction to medication.

Its term also should be used according to the symptoms. The word Arthralgia is thus used only when the condition is non-inflammatory and it is commonly called as “arthritis” when inflammatory.

Knee Pain Arthritis has many causes depending on the condition of the patient. The causes are both diagnosed whether non-inflammatory or inflammatory or whether it was caused by infection or vaccinations.

These causes are the following: Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory joint pain disorder that affects many tissues and organs. It is also known as rheumatic fever. Most women are afflicted by this illness more often than men and are most frequent between the ages 40 and 50 but people of any age can also be affected. This typically manifests with signs of inflammation with the affected joints being swollen, warm, painful and stiff.

Due to this the medication known as Vioxx was recalled because it has been found out that it can increase the risk of a stroke and heart attack in patients who were taking this drug for an extended period of time. Bextra was also pulled from shelves too and Celebrex is currently under fire.

Although these drugs as mentioned may be very helpful in treating Knee Pain Arthritis symptoms due to the possible unwanted side effects of it. More and more people are seeking other safer and possibly more effective means of natural alternatives such as glucosamine, chondroitin, turmeric, SAMe, MSM and fish oil to treat their painful symptoms.

When diagnosing for Knee Pain Arthritis and its root a patient’s personal and family medical history is check, including symptoms, and then he has to undergo a physical examination that includes performing a variety of other tests to help determine the potential underlying diseases, conditions or disorders, such as joint separations, arthritis, and bone cancer.

Depending on the suspected cause tests can include blood tests, culture and sensitivity of synovial fluid, and imaging tests, such as X-ray, CT scan, nuclear scans, and MRI.

Treatment for such illnesses, diseases, and injuries causing joint pain depends on the diagnosis and the patient’s case. Basic or first aid treatment can be applied for minor cases, however, severe illnesses or injuries causing joint pain can lead to surgery. It’s best to consult a doctor on treating complex joint pain or complicated conditions.

Overview Arthritis Knee Pain

Knee pain can result from overuse, the poor form of physical activity, inadequate warm-up or cool down, or inadequate stretching. Simple causes of knee pain often correct itself on its own when doing a few simple things. Such as with excess weight you will put yourself at greater risks for knee problems.

Knee pain can be caused by arthritis, bursitis, tendinitis, and Baker’s cyst. Arthritis includes rheumatoid, osteoarthritis, gout or other connective tissue disorders such as lupus. Bursitis is an inflammation from putting repeated pressure on your knee, like kneeling for long periods of time, overuse it, or with an injury. Tendinitis is a pain in the front of your knee that gets worse when going up and down stairs or inclines. This occurs mostly to runners, skiers, and cyclists. The Baker’s cyst is a fluid-filled swelling behind the knee that may accompany inflammation from other causes, like arthritis. If the cyst ruptures, pain in the back of your knee can travel down your calf.

Torn or ruptured ligaments or torn cartilage can cause severe pain and instability of the knee joint. Strain or sprains which are minor injuries to the ligaments caused by sudden or unnatural twisting can also cause knee pain. Other causes include: dislocation of the kneecap, having an infection in the joint, have a physical knee injury which can cause bleeding into your knee, which worsens the pain, and with hip disorders, these may cause pain that is felt in the knee. For example, iliotibial band syndrome is an injury to the thick band that runs from your hip to the outside of your knee.

A less common condition that can lead to knee pain is bone tumors. Osgood-Schlatter disease is a form of tendonitis that affects the bump on the lower leg bone just below the kneecap. Arthritis in the knee most often refers to osteoarthritis. In this disease, the cartilage in the joint gradually wears away. In rheumatoid arthritis, which can also affect the knees, the joint becomes inflamed and cartilage may be destroyed. Arthritis not only affects joints, it can also affect supporting structures such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Osteoarthritis may be caused by excess stress on the joint from deformity, repeated injury, or excess weight. It most often affects middle-aged and older people. A young person who develops osteoarthritis may have an inherited form of the disease or may have experienced continuous irritation from an unrepaired torn meniscus or other injuries. Rheumatoid arthritis often affects people at an earlier age than osteoarthritis.

Other forms of arthritis which affect the knee and cause swelling, heat, redness, and pain include Reiter’s syndrome, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, gout, pseudogout, and Lyme disease. Someone who has arthritis in the knee may experience pain, swelling, and a decrease in knee motion. A common symptom is morning stiffness that lessens as the person moves around. Sometimes the joint locks or clicks when the knee is bent and straightened, but these signs may occur in other knee disorders as well. The doctor may confirm the diagnosis by performing a physical examination and examining X-rays, which typically show a loss of joint space. Blood tests may be helpful for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis, but other tests may be needed too. Analyzing fluid from the knee joint may be helpful in diagnosing some kinds of arthritis. For example, patients with gout and pseudogout may have crystals in the fluid that helps with diagnosis. The doctor may use arthroscopy to directly see damage to cartilage, tendons, and ligaments and to confirm a diagnosis, but arthroscopy is usually done only if a repair procedure is to be performed.

Most often osteoarthritis of the knee is treated with pain-reducing medicines, such as aspirin or acetaminophen, no steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen and exercises to restore joint movement and strengthen the knee. Losing excess weight can also help people with osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis in the knee may require physical therapy and more powerful medications. In people with arthritis in the knee, a seriously damaged joint may need to be replaced with an artificial one.

Treatments for Arthritis Knee Pain

The 1st cheap treatment for knee pain is with the tons of exercises that are available for you to do to help increase the blood flow to your knees. Follow those specific exercises and recommendations. Not only will your heart be happy but so will your knees with all that extra blood flowing through your knee joints. The 2nd cheap treatment is for you to lose weight. I know how hard it is to lose weight when you can’t do much physically. But you always have a good part of the day when you could be doing some type of physical exercise. Follow the Nike slogan and “Just Do It”. The 3rd cheap treatment is for you to change your eating habits. Eat more fruits and vegetables because they are excellent sources of vitamins/minerals and they have a cleansing effect which allows your body to begin repairing itself. Instead of grabbing a bag of potato chips, start grabbing a bag of carrots. You’ll be surprised when your body begins to respond favorably. The 4th cheap treatment is with supplements and/or vitamins. Become a firm believer in supplementation because there is proof it works. Supplementing with the proper vitamins, minerals, amino acids and digestive enzymes is critical to your overall health, weight loss and arthritis pain. It works.

How do you read the confusing signs and symptoms of arthritis knee pain? The confusion begins with the signs and symptoms of any type of joint pain. Just remember that swelling, inflammation, joint tenderness and stiffness are early warning signs that your knees could be heading towards arthritis. Athletes, very active people and those of us who are overweight are usually the prime time people who will probably develop some type of arthritis knee pain in our life. If we have those signs and symptoms does that really mean we have arthritic knees? No, Not necessarily. The best way to determine if you have arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis or even osteoarthritis is to have your blood tested. If you have been suffering for a while it is best to visit your doctor soon and find out exactly what is going on. Blood work can go a long way in helping you determine exactly what you have. Many of us, when pain persists in our knees, we just mutter: “I’ve got arthritis in my knees” but we really don’t know. People who actually suffer from arthritis honestly can tell the difference between normal joint pains and arthritis joint pains.

Age factors can help you sort out the confusion of arthritis knee pain. If you know what to look for you can know how to handle it. Rheumatoid arthritis usually develops sooner than osteoarthritis, so you might want to take that into consideration. Rheumatoid arthritis basically lost a couple of nuts along the way and starts attacking your body without any known cause. Osteoarthritis, on the other hand, can be a direct result of the “old injury bug” that has been re-injured many times in your life. Heck, it could be a meniscus that was torn when you were 18 years old and now that you are in your 40’s that rubbing and irritation could lead to osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis usually creeps into your world in the middle to upper years of your life.

Other factors that can lead to arthritis knee pain are age, your genetics, your body weight and your diet, this is a huge factor. I do know this about arthritis knee pain, if you let it go long enough it will come back to bite you in the butt. Go see a doctor determine if you have some loose objects floating around in your knee. It might require minor surgery to get it fixed and then you will be as good as new. If not, they will have some answers for you and so do we. I know there are times when your knees really hurt when you are walking. Listen to your body and when the pain is present, don’t be bullheaded and think you can fight through the pain. You will probably win, but in the long run, arthritis will win.

Will you believe your body will heal itself from the inside out if you give it the proper ingredients? Specific arthritis knee pain is a sign that should not be ignored. Listen to your body, follow up with some type of treatment and exercise and over time you will find yourself in much better shape, you will be much happier and in less pain. You can beat arthritis knee pain.

See: What Are The Reasons For Knee Pain

What Does Arthritis Pain Feel Like In the Knee? Last Update: 6/6/2017