What's Causing Your Knee Pain?
Many people, especially as they age, experience pain in their knee(s). Most people try to ignore it at first and do not think much of the pain. However, there could be a number of reasons as to why one’s knee is in pain. This is why diagnosis is extremely important. Quite frequently, the reason for the pain is Osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis that is responsible for the breaking down of cartilage in joints.
Once the cartilage between joints is destroyed, it leaves the joints bare. The joints then rub against each other. As the joints rub against one another it causes a lot of pain, and leads to stiffness of the joints. The pain and stiffness make moving around much more difficult. It is important to not ignore the pain. The longer the knee is neglected the more the problem will develop.
Some symptoms to watch out for include: swelling, stiffness, constant pain, and decreased coordination. These symptoms could all be a result of Osteoarthritis. The symptoms mentioned affect the movement of a person in general. When suffering from all these symptoms, moving around becomes increasingly difficult and a person is thus limited.
Osteoarthritis usually occurs in women but it can also affect men. In general, people of older age (approximately 50 and over) tend to develop Osteoarthritis in comparison to someone younger who would have a much lower chance of being affected by this condition. As well, people with a high BMI (Body Mass Index), for example people suffering from obesity, are also at a high risk of developing Osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis of the knee can be treated. It is important, however, to contact a doctor as soon as possible if you are experiencing pain in your knee. If the reason is Osteoarthritis, it will be a lot easier to treat in its early stages in comparison to over time when the condition will have further developed. The treatment will aid in reducing pain and maintaining a “normal” lifestyle. Some medications that can help in treatment of osteoarthritis include Synvisc, Synvisc One, Orthovisc, Hyalgan and Euflexxa.
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