Do you have arthritis knee pain? Many people suffering from osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis are dealing with the pain, deformity and loss of motion that arthritis can cause in the knees. Although many people end up requiring knee replacement surgery as a way of healing the damage, this can be a massive procedure that can take a long time to recover from.
The knee joint has three bones involved in its structure. They are the thigh bone (femur), the shin bone (tibia) and kneecap (patella). There is cartilage which shields the ends of the bone and a meniscus, which is a pad of cushioning tissue in the middle. Muscles and tendons keep everything in the proper alignment.
In osteoarthritis, knee pain is a result of the break down in cartilage. The ends of the bones become rough and jagged in later stages of the disease, and knee damage and pain can result. Osteoarthritis is normally a disease which affects older people but younger people who have injured their joints may also experience the symptoms of osteoarthritis. With rheumatoid arthritis, the body's immune system attacks the joints and can destroy cartilage. There is inflammation, heat and swelling in addition to joint pain. Rheumatoid arthritis can affect people of any age, which makes it different than osteoarthritis.
There are a few different ways that you can treat knee pain that comes from arthritis. There are anti-inflammatory medications, pain relievers and supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin that are designed to support and repair cartilage. If you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, there are oral medications which are designed to modify the way the disease is affecting you. They include methotrexate. Gold therapy is also used although this is much less common now that safer drug alternatives have been discovered.
There are several surgical options to treat knee pain. They include scoping the knee to repair or remove damaged cartilage, repairing a torn meniscus, or a total knee replacement. Total knee replacements may take quite some time to recover from but artificial knee joints can help you return to a high quality of life.
Creams and lotions are also good ways to treat knee pain. There are creams and wraps which can heat a joint and ease symptoms. There are also creams which ease knee pain without heating the joint and this can be a great choice if you have rheumatoid arthritis. Exercise can help you maintain joint function but you need to make sure you are on an exercise routine which does not stress or damage the joints further.
Treating arthritic knee pain does not have to be difficult but it may take trying several products before you find the ones which work best for you. Talking to a doctor or pharmacist can be a great first step to getting you on the road to recovery.
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