The pain might feel worse at the end of the day, or when you move your knee, and it might improve when you rest. Pain from osteoarthritis might be felt all around your knee, or just in a certain place, such as the front or side. It might feel worse after moving your knee in a particular way, such as going up or down stairs. Avoid heavy lifting until your pain has gone down and you have good range of movement in your knee.
Low-impact exercise, such as cycling and swimming, can be useful when recovering from a knee injury. You can also try the exercises we recommend for knee pain. Carrying extra body weight makes it more likely that you will get joint pain in the first place. If you have joint pain already, being overweight can make it worse.
Losing even a small amount of weight can make a big difference to knee pain. The NHS has a weight loss plan that is designed to help you lose weight at a safe rate each week, by sticking to a daily calorie allowance. Read more about the NHS weight loss plan. Heat is an effective and safe treatment for most aches and pains. You could use a wheat bag, heat pads, deep heat cream, hot water bottle or a heat lamp. Gentle warmth will be enough — there is a risk of burns and scalds if the item is too hot.
You should check your skin regularly, and you should try to place a towel between the item and your skin. Heat should not be used on a new injury. Doing this might increase bleeding under the skin and could make the problem worse.
Many people find that ice is helpful when used to manage short-term knee pain. Ice packs can be made from ice cubes placed in a plastic bag, or wet tea towel.
You could also use a bag of frozen peas, or buy a ready-made pack from a pharmacy. Rub a small amount of any type of oil over where the ice pack is to be placed. If the skin is broken, or you have stitches, do not cover in oil. Instead, protect the area with a plastic bag, as this will stop it getting wet. Check the colour of your skin after 5 minutes. If it is bright pink or red, remove the ice pack. If it is not pink, leave it on for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Ice can be left on for 20 to 30 minutes — if it is left on for longer, there is a risk of damaging the skin. This can be repeated every 2 to 3 hours. If you need a painkiller , you might take paracetamol regularly, for a few days.
These can help with pain, inflammation and swelling. There are many types and brands. This means you can buy them over the counter, at supermarkets and pharmacies. Other types of anti-inflammatory painkillers do need a prescription. NSAIDs carry a number of potential side effects, so you should ask your doctor or pharmacist if they are suitable for you before taking them.
You can also read the patient information leaflet that comes in the packet. These are also called topical painkillers.
Some can be bought over the counter, at pharmacies, while others need a prescription. It is unclear whether rub-on anti-inflammatory painkillers work better than tablets. However, the amount of the medication that gets into your bloodstream is much less with rub-on painkillers, and there is less risk of side effects. People with RA, an auto-immune disease, may need drugs that affect the whole system, and not only the knee joint.
A doctor may recommend one of a new class of drugs, known as disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs DMARDs. Doctors can also use corticosteroid injections to reduce inflammation in the knee joint.
However, these usually offer only short-term pain relief, and long-term use can have adverse effects. Examples of these procedures include :. Arthroscopy : A surgeon inserts small instruments into the knee to find out about possible areas of damage. At the same time, they can remove any damaged bone fragments from the knee or flush out the joint in an attempt to reduce pain.
If there is a tear in the meniscus or ligaments around the knee, the doctor may be able to repair these areas at the same time. Cartilage grafting : A doctor may take cartilage from another area of the body and graft it around the knee bones. Total or partial knee replacements : The surgeon removes the damaged knee joint and replaces it with a metal or plastic joint, which should work as the original knee joint would.
Corticosteroid injections can affect multiple organ systems and cause osteonecrosis, the death of bone tissue. They might also weaken the protective cartilage around the knee joint.
It may have anti-inflammatory effects. Learn more. A knee brace may be helpful for arthritis, although there are limited studies, and positive results are often not robust. New technologies may provide…. This article explores what Voltaren is, how it works, where to get it, how to use it, side effects, and how it compares to other painkillers. Tricompartmental osteoarthritis is a type of osteoarthritis that affects all three compartments of the knee.
Learn more about this condition here. Osteoarthritis of the knee is a progressive disease that develops in several stages. Learn about the stages, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment here.
Arthritis in the knee: What you need to know. Medically reviewed by William Morrison, M. Symptoms Types Causes Diagnosis Treatments and home remedies Things to remember Other causes of knee pain Arthritis of the knee can make taking a step painful. Share on Pinterest Getty Images. Treatments and home remedies. Things to remember. Other causes of knee pain. Adolescent depression: Could school screening help? If you have osteoarthritis of the knee, you will probably feel your knee is painful and stiff at times.
The pain may feel worse at the end of the day, or when you move your knee, and it may improve when you rest.
The pain can be felt all around your knee, or just in a certain place such as the front and sides. It might feel worse after moving your knee in a particular way, such as going up or down stairs. Sometimes, people have pain that wakes them up in the night.
Sometimes osteoarthritis of the knee can cause the muscles in the thighs to weaken, so your leg may look thinner. This weakness can make the joint feel unstable and could cause the knee to give way when you put weight on it. The effects of osteoarthritis can make people feel depressed or anxious, and it can affect relationships and sleep. If you have any problems like this, mention them to your doctor as there are things they can do to help.
But in some cases, the cartilage can become so thin that it no longer covers the ends of the bones. This causes them to rub against each other and eventually wear away. The loss of cartilage, the wearing of the bones, and the bony spurs can change the shape of the joint. This forces the bones out of their normal positions, making your knee feel unstable and painful. Some people with osteoarthritis find a lump appears at the back of their knee.
This can then cause joint fluid to be trapped in the bulge. Osteoarthritis in the knee might change the way you walk or carry your weight, and this could cause you to develop the condition in other joints, such as your hips.
There are also some treatments available that could significantly reduce your pain. Joints need to be exercised regularly to keep them healthy.
Whatever your fitness level, exercise helps the knee to be able to cope with normal daily activities again. Exercise can strengthen the muscles around your knee, improve your posture and help you to lose weight, all of which can reduce the symptoms and pain of osteoarthritis. Your physiotherapist may recommend exercise in a hydrotherapy pool. This can help get muscles and joints working better and, because the water is warmer than in a normal swimming pool, it can be very soothing and relaxing.
Hydrotherapy is sometimes called aquatic therapy. Swimming and exercising in water can be helpful if your joints are painful, as the water takes the weight of your body which reduces any strain on your knees, but still lets you keep moving.
There are various types of exercise that have been proven to help treat osteoarthritis of the knee. You can try some examples on our exercises for the knees page. These are good for posture and helping to keep your joints flexible. These exercises can be something as simple as stretching, making sure your joint moves through a range of positions that comfortably stretch its reach and flexibility slightly further each time.
This type of exercise is important to improve the strength of the muscles that control your knee, and to help stabilise and protect the joint.
Aerobic exercise is any exercise that increases your pulse rate and makes you a bit short of breath. Regular aerobic exercise can help you in many ways.
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