Coping With Arthritis Knee Pain

Arthritis is a disease of the joints connecting the bones of the body. This happens when the said cartilage of the joint becomes weak, brittle, or deteriorated; the effect of which is the exposure of the bare bones to conditions leading to arthritis.

Knee arthritis is the most common form of this disease. Generally, it is due to old age, being overweight, or just hereditary. It is common because the knee is a part of the body that is mostly used everyday, when walking, running, or doing outdoor activities; only the degree of pain varies.

Pain can be suffered not only from arthritis; there are many sources of knee pain. It may be from bursitis or the inflammation by reason of frequent and constant pressure like overuse and kneeling. Pain may also come from tendinitis or the pain in the knee while ascending or descending from the stairs or when engaging in sports and outdoor activities. Other causes includes a strain or sprain, torn ligaments due to accidents, dislocation of the knee cap, injuries, infections in the joint, and tumors.

There are several causes of arthritis knee pain and it consists of the Baker's cyst, rheumatoid, osteoarthritis, connective tissue disorders, gout, and lupus. The Baker's cyst is characterized as a fluid-filled bulge behind one's knee that accompanies inflammation. The bad thing about the Baker's cyst is that when the cyst bursts, it will not just affect the knee but also your calf.

In osteoarthritis, the cartilage of the joint slowly deteriorates revealing the joints to arthritis attacks. In rheumatoid, it is not just gradual deterioration but the cartilage is destroyed because of the inflammation. Simply put, the Baker's cyst, rheumatoid, connective tissue disorders, gout and lupus have the same serious effect of severe inflammation including the tissues, bones, ligaments, nerves, and muscles around it.

Some common arthritis knee pain includes inflammation of the joints, swelling of the bones near the joints, problems in standing, walking, or running, and intolerable discomfort.

Arthritis pain varies depending on the cause. If the person suffering from arthritis belongs to the 50 years old and up bracket, the knee pain is pretty much tolerable but it is very hard to stand, walk, or run. In this case, the person suffering from this ailment must use a cane or a wheelchair for mobility. With respect to persons under 50 years of age, the cause of arthritis may be overuse, overweight, or genetic.

A knee is considered overused when the person is sports inclined and does not rest for a sufficient number of hours. In this type of arthritis the inflammation in the knee is serious and unbearable, but may still be cure through proper rest. When the person is overweight, the pain is experienced when walking or running. In this case it is having a hard time to carry the weight of one's body.