Osteoarthritis Of The Knee
This is a common disorder affecting many people across a whole spectrum of symptoms. Many people notice pain in their knees which can be due to many causes but if you are over 40 years of age it is most likely due to osteoarthritis.
Symptoms
- Pain – worse after movement or bed time, sometimes painful enough to wake you at night.
- Stiffness – a reduced range of movement in the knee, after sitting or driving for long periods of time.
- Swelling – from increased fluid in the knee or from bony lumps at the edges of the knee that you het with arthritis.
- Cracking or crunching sounds/sensation – this can be felt behind the knee cap.
- Giving way – suddenly and for apparently no reason the knee can give way, this is due to weakness of the muscles and can be worse coming down stairs.
- A change in shape – as arthritis progresses, the knee can change shape making you look at little ‘bow legged’ or ‘knock kneed’ and sometimes you cannot fully straighten it out. Also the muscles around your knee can waste away over time making it feel weak.
As arthritis progresses pain increases and some patients can’t walk properly, can’t sit or drive for any prolonged period and are being woken most nights with pain even when taking painkillers. This is when you need to see a doctor and discuss specialist review and possibly surgery.
