Heat And Cold Therapy
Heat and cold can be effective for managing knee pain. Heat can relax the muscles to improve pain and function and promote joint lubrication, which can reduce stiffness. You can use a hot water bottle or a heating pad. For cold therapy, an ice pack, wrapped in a towel, can help reduce pain, inflammation, and swelling.
Some people can get the most out of knee pain relief when they alternate heat and cold therapy. You can experiment with both to figure out what best works for you to manage your knee pain, swelling, and stiffness.
What Is Knee Arthritis
Knee arthritis is inflammation and deterioration of knee joint cartilage. Cartilage is the slippery coating on the ends of bones that serves as a cushion and allows the knee to smoothly bend and straighten. Knee cartilage coats the end of the thighbone , top of the shinbone and the backside of the kneecap . When cartilage wears away, the space between the bones narrows. In advanced arthritis, bone rubs on bone and bone spurs may form.
Damage to the joint cartilage over time may result in the development or worsening of deformities of the knee, including knock knees and bowleg.
Knowing If You Have Arthritis Of The Knee
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How To Treat Arthritis In The Knees
This article was medically reviewed by Troy A. Miles, MD. Dr. Miles is an Orthopedic Surgeon specializing in Adult Joint Reconstruction in California. He received his MD from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 2010, followed by a residency at the Oregon Health & Science University and fellowship at the University of California, Davis. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and is a member of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, American Orthopaedic Association, American Association of Orthopaedic Surgery, and the North Pacific Orthopaedic Society.There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 63,035 times.
Research suggests that treatment may slow down arthritis and relieve your symptoms, though there’s no cure for it.XTrustworthy SourceNational Health Service Public healthcare system of the UKGo to source Arthritis occurs when your joint becomes inflamed, causing pain, stiffness, and swelling. Osteoarthritis happens when the cartilage in your joint wears away, while rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition where your body attacks your joints. Experts say arthritis in the knee is very common because it’s a weight-bearing joint, but you can get arthritis in any joint.XResearch source Although arthritis may interfere with your life, you may be able to manage your condition.
While Oa And Inflammatory Arthritis Do Share Some Symptoms Namely Pain Tenderness And Swelling The Similarities Tend To End There
If you have persistent knee joint pain, arthritis in your knees could be the culprit. While many forms of arthritis exist, its usually fairly easy for your doctor to first determine which of the two main categories osteoarthritis or inflammatory/autoimmune arthritis you might have.
Those include whats known as mechanical knee arthritis or inflammatory/autoimmune knee arthritis, which includes a number of illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis , psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis.
While OA and inflammatory arthritis do share some symptoms namely pain, tenderness, and swelling the similarities tend to end there, as youll see below. The answers to the following questions can often help determine if your knee pain is osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis.
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What Questions Might A Healthcare Provider Ask To Diagnose Arthritis Of The Knee
Your healthcare provider will interview you when you report your symptoms. Some questions might include:
- Does anyone in your family have arthritis of the knee?
- Does your knee swell up?
- Is your skin often red?
- Is your skin often warm?
- Do you have symptoms in one knee or both?
- How long have you had these symptoms?
- What medications do you take?
- How severe is your pain?
- Do you struggle to walk?
- Do the symptoms interfere with your daily activities?
Visit A Physical Therapist
Physical therapists work with your doctor to design specific exercises for knee rehabilitation. Many of these will focus on lengthening and strengthening the supporting muscles of the upper and lower legs, such as quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves.
Even one visit to learn the proper form for knee arthritis exercises can help support your recovery.
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How Can I Ease Arthritis Pain
If you are looking for ways to reduce arthritis pain or maintain your knee surgery results, there are a number of things you can do to help alleviate pain. While there is no true cure for arthritis, there are many things you can do to help reduce arthritis pain. Some of those things include:
- Maintain a healthy weight
Osteoarthritis Of The Knee
Knee OA is a very common source of pain that can limit your mobility.
Causes of Knee OA
The cause of OA is unknown. These risk factors make it more likely you will develop knee OA:
- Age: OA can occur at any time of life, but it is most common in older adults.
- Sex: Women are more likely to have knee OA than men.
- Obesity: Being overweight adds stress to your knees. Fat cells also make proteins that can cause inflammation in and around your joints.
- Injuries: Any knee injury, even old ones, can lead to knee OA.
- Repeated stress: Frequent stress on your knee from your job or playing sports can increase risk for OA.
- Genetics: You can inherit a tendency to develop OA.
- Bone deformities: If you have crooked bones or joints, you are at higher risk.
- Some metabolic diseases: Diabetes and hemochromatosis, a condition in which your blood has too much iron, have been linked to OA
Symptoms of knee OA develop slowly and worsen over time.
- Pain: Movement causes pain. Sometimes your knee will ache while sitting still.
- Stiffness: Your knees may be stiff first thing in the morning or after sitting for a long time.
- Loss of motion: Over time, you may lose the ability to bend and straighten your knee all the way.
- Creaking and grating : You may hear crackling noises or feel a grating sensation.
- Instability: Your knee may give out or buckle, or feel like it could.
- Locking: The knee may lock or stick.
- Swelling: Your knee may get puffy all around or on one side.
Your doctor will check for:
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Possible Nonsurgical Treatment Options
You may have heard of new, cutting edge treatments for knee arthritis – but do they work, and are they safe?
There has been some recent evidence that Platelet Rich Plasma or stem cell injections have reduced inflammation in an arthritic knee but this treatment is still new and most insurance companies wont cover it so it can be expensive, said Dr. Rosen.
Stem cell treatment has also been quite controversial. There are no studies confirming long term effectiveness, explained Dr. Rosen, and most importantly, no standards as to which cells are used, what dose and where the cells come from. Dr. Rosen also said that the Food and Drug Administration has recently cracked down on stem cell clinics for false and misleading claims and products that were neither safe nor effective.
If youre suffering from knee arthritis, your doctor can help you navigate possible treatment options that would be best for you. To find a Banner Health orthopedic or sports medicine specialists, go to BannerHealth.com.
To learn more about your knee and hip health, take our free Joint Pain Test.
Are Cortisone Injections Good Or Bad For Arthritic Knees
HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Dec. 21, 2021 — Cortisone injections have gotten a bad rap in recent years as a treatment for arthritis pain, because steroids are known to damage cartilage and could potentially cause the joint to further deteriorate.
But a new study suggests that if used wisely, cortisone shots are as safe as another type of injection used to treat knee arthritis.
Occasional cortisone shots don’t appear to cause knees to deteriorate any faster than injections of hyaluronic acid, a substance injected to lubricate joints stiffened by arthritis, the researchers said.
“Knee replacement rates were, if anything, a little bit less in the group that got the cortisone injections,” said senior researcher Dr. David Felson, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at Boston University School of Medicine.
However, Felson added that the study only looked at people who’d gotten infrequent cortisone shots to their knee, and shouldn’t be interpreted as giving the green light to regular injections for years to come.
“What we know from the study that we can trust is that a few cortisone injections won’t really cause much trouble,” Felson said. “It’s conceivable that repeated injections every three months for years won’t cause any trouble, but you can’t say that.”
“If you use it enough, it will damage the cartilage,” said Leber, who had no role in the study.
Comparing two types of shots
Unlike cortisone, hyaluronic acid gel isn’t harmful to cartilage.
Wise use is crucial
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You Arent Exercising Which Is Bad For Your Knees
It may seem counterintuitive to exercise if you have joint pain, but the Arthritis Foundation tells people to be active. The knee joint loves motion, says Brian Halpern, MD, a sports medicine physician with the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City and author of The Knee Crisis Handbook. The challenge is to find the best types of activities for you. Dr. Halpern recommends bicycling, swimming, and elliptical trainers, as well as strengthening exercises that help muscles support the knee joint.
Will A Knee Replacement Get Rid Of Arthritis Permanently
Thanks to progressive technology today, you dont have to suffer from knee pain forever. When youve tried pain medications, weight loss, steroids, or lubricant injections, and still suffer from pain, knee replacement may be your best option to combat your particular issues.
At Interventional Orthopedics of Atlanta in Atlanta, GA, we are here to help you get back to enjoying your life without the struggle of knee pain, whether or not you’ve had knee surgery. Founder and medical director Dr. Christopher Williams uses cutting-edge technologies to provide his patients with premier services and excellent results to live a life well-lived without the constant interruptions of arthritic pain.
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What Is The Treatment For Knee Arthritis
Nonsurgical methods to relieve pain and stiffness should are usually tried first. These may include physical therapy, and/or oral pain medications or injections of corticosteroid or other agents. Advanced knee osteoarthritis may require surgery such as a partial or total knee replacement or patellofemoral joint replacement. Inflammatory arthritis in the knee is usually managed medically rather than surgically.
In cases of â inflammation of the synovium â or effusion , a and/or to aspirate the joint may be appropriate.
Talk To Your Doctor About Knee Joint Injections
Knee joint injections should only be explored when more conservative treatments for knee pain have proven ineffective. Before the procedure, your doctor will inject a numbing agent to reduce pain, followed by a corticosteroid to decrease inflammation. They may also discuss options like PRP injections.
While injections may work to decrease pain, knee joint injections do not treat any underlying knee pain causes or halt progressive joint deterioration. Still, when combined with a healthy diet, regular exercise, physical therapy, and other lifestyle changes, they can provide profound relief. Learn more about this option in the following video.
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How Should We Discuss The Causes Of Knee Osteoarthritis
Far too many of you are told that you wore away your cartilage. Some of you may have been told that your running caused this, or that you walked too much at work for too many years. Those theories are wrong. Osteoarthritis is often found to be less common in runners. When your healthcare providers use analogies such as a cheese grater, or sandpaper on wood, those misconceptions about the etiology or cause of your arthritis becomes your new reality.
Terms such as degeneration, aging, and wear and tear are tossed around. Words can harm. Using an inappropriate analogy can give people the wrong impression. Ive seen this movie often and the finale never changes.
Osteoarthritis does involve thinning or loss of the cartilage or cushioning on the ends of your bones. This is articular cartilage. This is different than the meniscus cartilage you hear about all the time.
For the majority of you, the cartilage was not worn away because of a mechanical process. Arthritis development is a biological process. Ill be brief here because I wrote an extensive article on osteoarthritis causation here. It turns out that our DNA, RNA, and hundreds of chemicals, protein, and hormones determine if your cartilage is going to become thinner and less resilient. Yes, this graphic below is complicated, and it should be because its meant to show you that this is a very complicated process.
Cracking Or Popping Sounds
When you bend or straighten your knee, you may feel a grinding sensation or hear cracking or popping sounds. Doctors call this crepitus.
These symptoms can occur when youve lost some of the cartilage that helps with smooth range of motion. Both OA and RA can result in cartilage damage.
When cartilage is damaged, rough surfaces and bone spurs develop. As you move your joints, these irregular areas rub against each other.
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Is Surgery Used To Treat Knee Osteoarthritis
If your doctor wants to treat the osteoarthritis in the knee with surgery, the options are arthroscopy, osteotomy, and arthroplasty.
- Arthroscopy uses a small telescope and other small instruments. The surgery is performed through small incisions. The surgeon uses the arthroscope to see into the joint space. Once there, the surgeon can remove damaged cartilage or loose particles, clean the bone surface, and repair other types of tissue if those damages are discovered. The procedure is often used on younger patients in order to delay more serious surgery.
- An osteotomy is a procedure that aims to make the knee alignment better by changing the shape of the bones. This type of surgery may be recommended if you have damage primarily in one area of the knee. It might also be recommended if you have broken your knee and it has not healed well. An osteotomy is not permanent, and further surgery may be necessary later on.
- Joint replacement surgery, or arthroplasty, is a surgical procedure in which joints are replaced with artificial parts made from metals or plastic. The replacement could involve one side of the knee or the entire knee. Joint replacement surgery is usually reserved for people over age 50 with severe osteoarthritis. The surgery may need to be repeated later if the prosthetic joint wears out after several years. But with today’s modern advancements, most new joints will last over 20 years. The surgery has risks, but the results are generally very good.
How Is Severe Osteoarthritis Diagnosed
Medical professionals can diagnose osteoarthritis in a number of ways but X-Rays and MRI machines are two of the more common methods. X-rays and MRIs are both used to help see the distance between the bones in the affected joint, and in the case of MRIs, the state of the cartilage. X-Rays are fantastic at producing images of bone by using light that is invisible to our eyes but can pass through skin and other soft tissue but cannot pass through bone. This effect is also why the cartilage cannot be seen in an X-ray so medical professionals will instead measure the space between the bones in the affected area. MRI Machines use powerful magnets that face different levels of resistance from the different materials in the body to deliver detailed slices of the observed area. These slices are high-resolution images that can show cartilage, bone and other types of tissue in much greater detail than an X-ray. MRIs are however much more costly so their use is much less common depending on the severity of the condition as well as access.
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