Understanding How Knee Arthritis Affects Mobility

When people get older they begin to experience more aches and pains that usually get blamed on the loss of cartilage in the joints. A common cause of these pains is knee arthritis. Knee arthritis falls into the osteoarthritis category of arthritis conditions and it is a degenerative disease that can cause the loss of cartilage in the knee joint. Cartilage in joints is what keeps the bones in the body from grinding against each other and as we grow older, cartilage can weaken due to general wear and tear on the body. Without cartilage, the two bones in the leg rub together and the pain from knee arthritis becomes extremely pronounced and could lead to loss of mobility.

Osteoarthritis is most common found in people aged 50 and over but it can also be found in people much younger too. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of knee arthritis but rheumatoid arthritis and post-traumatic arthritis is also sometimes responsible for the pain related to knee arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease that weakens cartilage in the joint. It normally affects both knees whilst post-traumatic arthritis is the result of an injury or accident at some point in the past.

As well as the actual pain related to knee arthritis, the knee could also stiffen up and lock if the muscle has not been used. It will feel like the knee will not be able to handle the weight of the person if they walk. The pain can be amplified by sitting for prolonged periods of time without moving or after climbing up stairs or doing high impact exercises that affect the knee.

Osteoarthritis Develops Slowly

In most cases the patient will experience a gradual increase of pain over time but it has been known for some to receive a sudden development of knee arthritis. Generally speaking though, the first twinges of pain will be experienced as nothing more than little annoyances. This is, of course, until more cartilage wears down and then the pain will increase. Losing weight can also affect how much pain the person suffers as less weight on the body means less weight being applied on the knee. This will cut down the amount of impact the two bones have with each other and reduce pain.

Lifestyle changes can also help relieve pain by replacing high-impact exercises such as running and jumping for low-impact exercises such as swimming, cycling or even gardening. All of these low-impact exercise therapies will help reduce pain associated with this, as they help the person stay fit and keep the weight off. If used properly with anti-inflammatory medications a person can really see great pain relief.

When severe cases of knee arthritis crop up, by that we mean that the pain is non-responsive to any of the treatments listed previously, then surgery may be the only option left available. Surgery can help alleviate pain and restore mobility but should be considered as a last resort after all other methods of treatment have been exhausted.