Knee Replacement

Are You Experiencing Knee Pain From Arthritis?

So many of us wake up with difficult mornings when our knees feel quite stiff but that doesn't mean we must imagine that knee replacement is just hovering round the corner. After all, we are mature adults who can easily recognize that stiff feeling in the knees after working quite hard in that refreshing green patch of a vegetable garden. Sometimes this could even happen because of being glued to the desktop for a whole day or sleeping in a position that is obviously not correct. So this just proves that as human beings, we do experience pain in the knees but it would be a mistake to think such pain is related to arthritis knee pain or knee replacement.

Be aware that arthritis is a condition that is much beyond such occasional body aches and pains. Arthritis comprises a whole range if disorders that could bring about pain, inflammation, pain and stiffness, primarily in the joints and connective tissues. If you are wondering about connective tissues, these refer to those supporting structures for joints, such as muscles, cartilage, ligaments and tendons. Let's understand how the joint works. The ends of bones meet at a place that is termed as the joint, where they are cushioned by cartilage. By cartilage, we refer to a layer of smooth tissue. There is a pad-like sac called the bursa that acts as a buffer to reduce any kind of friction that happens between the muscle, tendon tissue and bone. It provides a synovial fluid, to keep the joints lubricated.

By the word "arthritis", we refer to a joint inflammation that can produce pain, swelling or redness. Such inflammation need not be caused by an injury. In fact, it can perpetuate injury. Joints and its surrounding areas can be inflamed for a variety of reasons. This may be due to trauma, infection, wear and tear or a disease. Pain is the body's vital sign to indicate that something is wrong and so please take notice.

Believe it or not, there are more than 100 different categories of arthritis so don't think that knee replacement is the solution for every arthritis case. Each category comes with its own specific symptoms and varies from patient to patient. Depending on the severity of the arthritic condition, arthritis can even badly affect the most ordinary activities, such as walking, dressing and so on. For example, a patient who suffers from arthritis knee pain may suffer pain and stiffness during the mornings but at sometimes, there won't be any pain at all. or on certain days. Sometimes symptoms for arthritis knee pain can disappear completely for considerable stretches of time, only to flare up again later.

When we talk about arthritis affecting the knees, we are actually referring to the situation that happens when the joint becomes inflamed and the cartilage may be destroyed. Arthritis in the knees can also affect the muscles, tendons and ligaments as well. A patient with arthritis knee pain would suffer pain, swelling, and a decrease in knee motion. Before fearing that knee replacement is the only solution, it is best to see a doctor who would be competent to provide an accurate diagnosis by carrying out a physical examination and X rays.