When Arthritis Becomes a Pain in the Knee
The symptoms of arthritis are different for the different forms, but let’s just say your knee is painful and stiff.
There are literally too many different forms of arthritis, rheumatic diseases, and related conditions to go into here. And virtually all of them have the potential to painfully affect your knees.
The most common painful knee problems have a form of arthritis called osteoarthritis. If you are suffering from this disease, the cartilage gradually wears away and changes occur in the adjacent bone.
Osteoarthritis may be caused by joint injury or being overweight. It is associated with aging and most typically begins in people age 50 years or older.
A young person who develops osteoarthritis typically has had an injury to the knee or may have an inherited form of the disease.
Infectious arthritis is a form of arthritis that is caused by infectious agents, such as bacteria or viruses. Prompt medical attention is essential to treat the infection and minimize damage to joints, particularly if fever is present.
If arthritis causes serious damage to a knee or there is incapacitating pain or loss of use of the knee from arthritis, joint surgery may be considered. Total knee replacement may be a surgery of the past as newer surgical procedures are continuously being developed that include resurfacing or replacing only the damaged cartilage surfaces while leaving the rest of the joint intact.
Like the symptoms, treatment varies depending on the form of arthritis affecting the knee. For osteoarthritis, treatment is targeted at relieving symptoms and may include pain reducing medicines such as aspirin or acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or in some cases injections of corticosteroid medications directly into the knee joint.
Other treatments for the pain of knee osteoarthritis include injections of hyaluronic acid substitutes and the nutritional supplements glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate.
People with any type of arthritis may benefit from exercises to strengthen the muscles that support the knee and weight loss, if needed, to relieve excess stress on the joints.
Rheumatoid arthritis, which generally affects people at a younger age than osteoarthritis, is an autoimmune disease. It occurs as a result of the immune system attacking components of the body.
In rheumatoid arthritis, the primary site of the immune system’s attack is the synovium, the membrane that lines the joint. This attack causes inflammation of the joint. It can lead to destruction of the cartilage and bone and, in some cases, muscles, tendons, and ligaments as well.
Other rheumatic diseases include:
Gout – an acute and intensely painful form of arthritis that occurs when crystals of the bodily waste product uric acid are deposited in the joints
Lupus – an autoimmune disease characterized by destructive inflammation of the skin, internal organs, and other body systems as well as the joints
Ankylosing Spondylitis – an inflammatory form of arthritis that primarily affects the spine, leading to stiffening and in some cases fusing into a stooped position
Psoriatic arthritis – a condition in which inflamed joints produce symptoms of arthritis for patients who have or will develop psoriasis
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Filed under: Knee