Best Ways to Reduce Knee Pain Caused by Osteoarthritis

Degenerative Joint Disorder

Osteoarthritis or the degenerative joint disorder is a kind of arthritis in which the cartilage that functions as the shock absorbers at the end of the bones wears or tears down causing the bones in the joint to rub against each other causing extreme pain. People suffering from osteoarthritis experience severe pain in the joints and extreme pain in the knee.

The pain can even occur as per weather conditions and joint deformation, as well as limping, can also occur. Though there is no such thing as a cure for this disease, there are treatment options as well as preventive measures that can be taken to reduce the pain. The knee which is the largest joint in the body and is responsible for bearing the entire weight of the body experiences extreme pain when the case of osteoarthritis is concerned.

You can easily see stiffness, swelling, and lack of mobility in your knee joints. Even if you see a bump on the finger or bony outgrowth in finger or toes, that's a cause for Osteoarthritis. You need to consult a skilled doctor at the very initial stage to avoid further complications in later stages.

What are the Possible Symptoms of Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis symptoms are more often neglected because they develop very slowly. People tend to see the symptoms when the pain worsens over time. Signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis include:

• Tenderness in joints when light pressure is applied to them.
• Pain in joint after slight movement.
• Stiffness in joints when you wake up after a period of inactivity or in the morning.
• You may lose flexibility, and so you may not be able to move your joint through its full range of motion.
• The sensation in your joints and bones may increase, and you are most liable to experience bone spurs around the affected joint.

Factors that contribute to hiking the chances of osteoarthritis include older age and obesity. Apart from that postmenopausal women are more likely to experience knee pain due to osteoarthritis than normal males and specifically, there are several ways in which osteoarthritis can affect the body.

A person who has arthritis generally experiences pain in the groin areas and sometimes in the inner thighs or knees. You can easily feel a grating or scraping sensation if you have osteoarthritis in your knee. Bony spurs at the end of joints can cause the fingers to become swollen, tender or red and there may be a pain at the end of the thumb.

Joint injuries, certain occupations that involve strain on joints and genetics can also be the cause. Osteoarthritis being a degenerative disorder worsens over time, and the pain can become so chronic that even daily tasks may become a dilemma for people who are suffering from this disease. Some people even lose their ability to work, and when the pain becomes severe, doctors suggest joint replacement surgery as the only alternative.

How Osteoarthritis Affects Overall Health?

The reduced mobility and pain that comes with osteoarthritis lead to some other diseases as well. There can be several negative health effects that can take place even when they are not directly linked to the joint disease. Some of these are listed below:

Diabetes and Heart disease

Decreased mobility and refraining from physical strain can cause obesity, which is the prime cause for diabetes. Being overweight or obese can put you at a higher risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease that can occur due to the accumulation of cholesterol.

Falls

Research says that people who are suffering from Osteoarthritis are more liable to fall more often than any other person. This is a condition that also signifies osteoporosis but the fact that balance issues are also a consequence for Osteoarthritis can’t be neglected as well.

Things Not to do During Osteoarthritis

There can be three possible reasons for arthritis for your knee pain namely osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or post-traumatic arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis attacks multiple joints apart from the knee joints, and post-traumatic arthritis occurs due to injury in the knee. The consequences for any of these can be fatal so make sure that you get diagnosed by a skilled doctor as soon as possible.

What to do During Osteoarthritis?

There are a lot of things. Some people simply do nothing while others do a lot of things that can even stand harmful for them. Several questions arise in a person’s mind while he suffers from Osteoarthritis and he even refrains himself from living a normal life. But is it really necessary? Here is a list of some preventive measures that can be taken to decrease the pain of osteoarthritis:

There are a lot of things that something like a common knee pain can even imply you of. All you need is an eye to see! The preventive measures for these disorders and diseases include daily exercising and yoga. You have to keep track of your balanced diet and include low fat, low potassium, calcium-rich edibles in daily routine to avoid bone related issues which are the root cause for back pains. The most effective way is to stay away from all the evil things that are stopping you from getting inclined towards the healthier way of living. Osteoarthritis will never be a bothering for you if you follow all this and include healthy measures in your daily lifestyle.

References

1..https://www.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/pain-management/tips/25-treatments-for-hip-knee-oa.php

2..https://www.everydayhealth.com/hs/osteoarthritis/dos-donts-osteoarthritis-knee-pain/

3..https://www.verywellhealth.com/things-stop-doing-arthritis-190407