Arthritis knee pain
Knee pain can be caused by: Arthritis -- including rheumatoid, osteoarthritis, and gout, or other connective tissue disorders like lupus.
Strain or sprain which are minor injuries to the ligaments caused by sudden or unnatural twisting can also cause
knee pain. Other causes include: Dislocation of the kneecap.
Arthritis in the knee most often refers to osteoarthritis. In this disease, the cartilage in the joint gradually wears away.
In rheumatoid arthritis, which can also affect the knees, the joint becomes inflamed and cartilage may be destroyed.
Arthritis not only affects joints, it can also affect supporting structures such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
Osteoarthritis may be caused by excess stress on the joint from deformity, repeated injury, or excess weight. It most
often affects middle-aged and older people. A young person who develops osteoarthritis may have an inherited form
of the disease or may have experienced continuous irritation from an unrepaired torn meniscus or other injury.
Rheumatoid arthritis often affects people at an earlier age than osteoarthritis.
Other forms of arthritis which can affect the knee and cause swelling heat redness, and pain include Reiters syndrome,
psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, gout, pseudogout, and Lyme disease. Someone who has arthritis in the knee may experience pain, swelling, and a decrease in knee motion. A common
symptom is morning stiffness that lessens as the person moves around. Sometimes the joint locks or clicks when the
knee is bent and straightened, but these signs may occur in other knee disorders as well. The doctor may confirm the
diagnosis by performing a physical examination and examining x rays, which typically show a loss of joint space.
Blood tests may be helpful for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis, but other tests may be needed too. Analyzing fluid
from the knee joint may be helpful in diagnosing some kinds of arthritis. For example, patients with gout and pseudogout
may have crystals in the fluid that helps with diagnosis. The doctor may use arthroscopy to directly
see damage to cartilage, tendons, and ligaments and to confirm a diagnosis, but arthroscopy is usually done only
if a repair procedure is to be performed. Most often osteoarthritis in the knee is treated with pain-reducing medicines, such as aspirin (salicylates) or
acetaminophen (Tylenol), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Nuprin, Advil)
and exercises to restore joint movement and strengthen the knee. Losing excess weight can also help people with
osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis in the knee may require physical therapy and more powerful medications. In people
with arthritis in the knee, a seriously damaged joint may need to be replaced with an artificial one. A new procedure
designed to stimulate the growth of cartilage by using a patient's own cartilage cells is being used experimentally to
repair cartilage injuries at the end of the femur at the knee. It is not, however, considered a treatment for arthritis. On a brighter note, stem cells are being used now and the combination of autologous stem cells (stem cells obtained from the patient's own hip using a small needle) and platelet rich plasma (obtained from the patin's whole blood) has been demonstrated to rebuild cartilage. The growth factors in the platelet rich plasma help stimulate the stem cells to differentiate into cartilage cells. This is a minimally invasive procedure done entirely with local anesthetic. For more information on this technique, contact the Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center of Maryland at (301) 694-5800.
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