How to Treat Arthritis Knee Pain
October 10, 2008 by admin · 4 Comments
The knee is a hinge joint made up of two bones, the tibia and femur, and is held jointly by four ligaments:
- posterior cruciate ligament
- lateral collateral ligament
- medial collateral ligament
- anterior cruciate ligament
The knee cap or patella is also a section of your normal knee anatomy. The edges of the tibia, femur and bottom side of the patella are coated by articular cartilage – a slimy surface which let a painless and friction-free movement of the knee.
Arthritis knee cap pain is an agonizing kind of arthritis and there are three common forms of arthritis:
Rheumatoid arthritis. This ailment devastates the joint cartilages of knees easily. Rheumatoid arthritis can have an effect on anyone at any given age.
Osteoarthritis - is an advancing degenerative disease that progresses gradually in which the cartilages slowly deteriorate. This disease is the most common kind of knee arthritis among middle aged and elderly people
Post traumatic arthritis - usually happens after quite a few years of getting a fracture, ligament injury, and meniscus tear which resulted from a severe injury to the knees.
More often than not, the symptoms of knee arthritis take place gradually, although there are quite a few times that the outset of arthritis knee joint pain can happen all of a sudden.
Listed below are a few common symptoms of knee pain:
· Swelling
· The locking feeling of the knees
· Stiff knees
· Pain commonly felt subsequent to long period of inactivity
· Inflamed knees
Arthritis knee pain is often diagnosed by three dissimilar methods. These methods may include:
· Blood test to ascertain the existence of rheumatoid arthritis.
· Radiologic physical testing to determine the loss of joint space between the knees.
· Physical examination like walking, to test out if there are any swellings or pain.
People who are experiencing knee pain can choose any treatment that will suit them best. Some types of treatments or therapies you can choose from include:
1. Physical Therapy - a treatment consisting of physical activities. This treatment is great in lessening the level of pain in the joints and muscles. In addition, every physical therapy is specifically prepared for a certain patient so as to accommodate the patients’ requirements and needs.
2. Stretching Exercises – some stretching exercises are especially designed for treating arthritis. This is implemented for some patients, although there are times that they don’t go along with it because they think it will just make their pain worse. On the contrary, physical inactivity only makes arthritis worst, that’s why stretching, is advised for most patients.
3. Prescription arthritis medications - drugs for arthritis is the most commonly applied treatment. This is also the usual first step to take for most patients. These drugs offer relief from pain and lessen the tenderness and swelling of the knee joints.
4. Cold or warm compress - this is normally done to provide temporary relief on the swelling of the knee joints.
