What Are The Symptoms
The main feature of Lyme arthritis is obvious swelling of one or a few joints. While the knees are affected most often, other large joints such as the shoulder, ankle, elbow, jaw, wrist, and hip can also be involved. The joint may feel warm to the touch or cause pain during movement. Joint swelling can come and go or move between joints, and it may be difficult to detect in the shoulder, hip, or jaw. Lyme arthritis typically develops within one to a few months after infection.
Your Knee May Lock Or Stick When You Try To Move It
Smooth surfaces glide over each other easily, but when you have arthritis in the knee, there are little potholes in the lining of the cartilage and bone that can cause the joint to catch when you move it, says Dr. Colvin. Plus, as the entire joint becomes more unstable and weaker, it can cause the knee to buckle.
Is Surgery Used To Treat Knee Osteoarthritis
If your doctor wants to treat the osteoarthritis in the knee with surgery, the options are arthroscopy, osteotomy, and arthroplasty.
- Arthroscopy uses a small telescope and other small instruments. The surgery is performed through small incisions. The surgeon uses the arthroscope to see into the joint space. Once there, the surgeon can remove damaged cartilage or loose particles, clean the bone surface, and repair other types of tissue if those damages are discovered. The procedure is often used on younger patients in order to delay more serious surgery.
- An osteotomy is a procedure that aims to make the knee alignment better by changing the shape of the bones. This type of surgery may be recommended if you have damage primarily in one area of the knee. It might also be recommended if you have broken your knee and it has not healed well. An osteotomy is not permanent, and further surgery may be necessary later on.
- Joint replacement surgery, or arthroplasty, is a surgical procedure in which joints are replaced with artificial parts made from metals or plastic. The replacement could involve one side of the knee or the entire knee. Joint replacement surgery is usually reserved for people over age 50 with severe osteoarthritis. The surgery may need to be repeated later if the prosthetic joint wears out after several years. But with today’s modern advancements, most new joints will last over 20 years. The surgery has risks, but the results are generally very good.
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Warning Signs To Watch For
Occasionally, burning knee pain can be a sign of a serious underlying medical problem. If you experience any of the following symptoms, you should seek urgent medical attentions
1) Progressive weakness and or numbness in your legs2) Problems with bladder or bowel control3) Slurred speech6) Unexplained weight loss7) Severe pain, particularly at night
If your symptoms are affecting more than one part of your body, you should also get checked out by your doctor.
Specific Location Of Knee Pain
The location of the knee pain can be useful information when trying to obtain an accurate diagnosis. Pain at the front of the knee can be caused by bursitis, arthritis, or softening of the patella cartilage, as in chrondromalacia patella.
Pain on the side of the knee is usually associated with injury to the collateral ligaments, arthritis, or tears to the menisci. Pain in the back of the knee can be caused by arthritis or a Baker’s cyst . Infection may be another possible cause of knee pain.
While the location of knee pain offers significant clues as to the cause, imaging studies such as X-ray, computerized tomography scan, or magnetic resonance imaging provide visible evidence of damage and abnormalities.
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Other Injections: Hyaluronic Acid Botox And More
Some people have used other types of injections for OA of the knee.
However, experts from the American College of Rheumatology and the Arthritis Foundation dont currently recommend using these, as theres not enough evidence that they work.
Examples of other types of injections include:
- hyaluronic acid injections, also known as viscosupplementation
You may not know exactly what type of injection youre receiving or what the effect might be.
Always discuss the pros and cons of any treatment with your doctor before starting, so that you can make an informed decision.
Pseudogout: Calcium Pyrophosphate Deposition
Pseudogout is a type of inflammatory arthritis that results from the buildup of calcium pyrophosphate crystals in the joints of the body. While less common than gout, pseudogout is more likely to affect the knee.
Like gout, pseudogout is caused by a build-up of microscopic crystals in a joint and can lead to sudden, severe knee pain, swelling, warmth, and redness. Pseudogout is less common than gout but more likely to affect the knee joint.
The microscopic crystals that cause pseudogout are called calcium pyrophosphate crystals. Doctors often refer to pseudogout as calcium pyrophosphate deposition .
Reactive arthritis can result in inflammatory joint pain, most commonly in the knee, fingers, or low back. Other possible symptoms include problems involving the urinary tract, eyes, and skin.
Reactive arthritis commonly affects the knee, though it can affect any joint. Arthritis inflammation can make a knee achy, swollen, and/or red.
See Reactive Arthritis Symptoms
Reactive arthritis develops as a reaction to an infection, such as a stomach bug or a sexually transmitted disease . Days, weeks, or even months after the infection has resolved, a person may develop pain in one or more joints, inflamed eyes, and/or other symptoms.
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Limited Mobility Or Range Of Motion
For men and women who develop arthritis in their knees, activities that were once simple, easy, or routine may become difficult or even impossible to do without limitations and discomfort. Walking, running, or getting in and out of a car can, oftentimes, prove disproportionately challenging for patients with arthritis of the knee. The damage and loss of cartilage associated with arthritis are usually to blame for this phenomenon.
What Arthritis Feels Like
The form of arthritis that most people are familiar with is osteoarthritis. Everyday Health says that osteoarthritis includes pain that:
- isnt noticeable in the morning but gets worse throughout the day
- affects your posture and gait and may cause limping
- aches deep into the joint
That is nowhere near the extensive list of what osteoarthritis feels like. Their full list is here.
Arthritis glossary: frequently-used words |What is the difference between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis?
I also want to talk about other patients experience with rheumatoid arthritis is. Leslie says it feels like like tiny gnomes chiseling away at my knees, elbows, shoulders, etc.. I love that description! Unfortunately, chiseling is an accurate word for anyone with cartilage damage and/or bone erosion.
Follow Leslie on , , and her blog.
Ankylosing spondylitis is a form of arthritis that primarily affects the spine, and overtime it fuses the spine . Areas affected by AS include the joint between the spine and pelvis, low-back vertebrae, places where your tendons and ligaments attach to bones, mainly in your spine, and more .
Sebastien is someone with ankylosing spondylitis, and he says, The pain is variable depending on the area affected. For example in my shoulders it is a dull pain, in my spine it is radiating, in my foot it is piercing. I guess it also depends whether the pain is in the join or ligament.
Follow Sarah on and check out her website here.
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Knowing If You Have Arthritis Of The Knee
So What Does Osteoarthritis Feel Like
Typically it feels like joint pain, occasional swelling, and stiffness. I find that many times, especially when newly diagnosed these symptoms can be scary because you dont know what they mean or if they are dangerous. Knowing more information about each of these symptoms can truly help you feel more confident.
Having a plan can significantly reduce stress and frustration around these symptoms. Think of your most limiting symptom or the one that causes you the most stress after reading this post and implement 1-2 of these tips above. Take it one step at a time. You can do this. I am here for you.
If you are newly diagnosed, it is extremely important that you get yourself on the right track to continue to manage your condition naturally. This can be done simply by understanding more about the condition and realizing what can be done to help.
If you would like to know the TOP 5 Secrets to Reversing Osteoarthritis, download this FREE Guide here and receive weekly emails with motivation and hope!
Alyssa Kuhn
THIS ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS THAT PAY US A SMALL COMMISSION AT NO EXTRA COST TO YOU.
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What Is Osteoarthritis Of The Knee
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, and the knee is one of the most commonly affected joints.
Everyones joints go through a normal cycle of damage and repair during their lifetime, but sometimes the bodys process to repair our joints can cause changes in their shape or structure. When these changes happen in one or more of your joints, its known as osteoarthritis.
A joint is a part of the body where two or more bones meet in your knee, its the thigh and shin bones. There is also a small bone at the front of the knee called the patella or kneecap.
The ends of our bones are covered in a smooth and slippery surface, known as cartilage . This allows the bones to move against each other without friction, and protects your joint from stress.
Your knee also has two other rings of a different type of cartilage known as menisci or meniscus, which help to share weight evenly across your knee joint, and theres also cartilage underneath your kneecap.
Osteoarthritis causes the cartilage in your knee joint to thin and the surfaces of the joint to become rougher, which means that the knee doesnt move as smoothly as it should, and it might feel painful and stiff.
Osteoarthritis can affect anyone at any age, but its more common in women over 50.
Injuries or other joint problems, such as gout, can make people more likely to get osteoarthritis. The genes we inherit from our parents can also increase the risk of the condition developing.
What Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain And Discomfort Feels Like
Rheumatoid arthritis can be like the old box of chocolates adage you never know what youre going to get, according to the blogger Katie Singh, 38, of Austin, Texas. Singh was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis when she 23 years old. Sometimes it feels like burning, other times it feels like throbbing throbbing so bad that you can’t think about anything else, Singh explains. There are times I’ve almost considered wanting to cut off a foot or a hand, the pain is so excruciating.
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You Have More Pain When Youre Active
When your joint is already painful, moving it around may worsen the pain because it causes the bones to rub. As long as the feeling isnt agonizing, try to push through it. If you keep moving, youll improve circulation and lubrication in the joint, which will actually help it feel better, notes the Arthritis Foundation. Stick with gentle exercise like walking or swimming. Temple University researchers found that older adults who did water-based exercises like water jogging had improved range of motion and quality of life.
What Is Lyme Arthritis
Lyme arthritis occurs when Lyme disease bacteria enter joint tissue and cause inflammation. If left untreated, permanent damage to the joint can occur. Lyme arthritis accounts for approximately one out of every four Lyme disease cases reported to CDC. Because of reporting practices, this statistic may overstate the frequency of arthritis among patients seen in routine clinical practice.
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Explain The Pain Is It Osteoarthritis Or Rheumatoid Arthritis
If opening jars becomes more difficult because of painful hands, or if climbing stairs produces pain in your knees, “arthritis” is often the first thing that comes to mind. The two most common forms of arthritisosteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritiscan cause similar aches and pains, but there are a few key differences between them. For example:
Onset. Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage wears away. Pain occurs when bone rubs against bone. This type of arthritis pain tends to develop gradually and intermittently over several months or years.
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis affecting 27 million Americans. Many people believe it’s a crippling and inevitable part of growing old. But things are changing. Treatments are better, and plenty of people age well without much arthritis. If you have osteoarthritis, you can take steps to protect your joints, reduce discomfort, and improve mobility all of which are detailed in this report. If you don’t have osteoarthritis, the report offers strategies for preventing it.
Rheumatoid arthritis, on the other hand, is an inflammatory condition in which your immune system attacks the tissues in your joints. It causes pain and stiffness that worsen over several weeks or a few months. And joint pain isn’t always the first sign of rheumatoid arthritissometimes it begins with “flu-like” symptoms of fatigue, fever, weakness, and minor joint aches.
Common Causes Of Sharp Knee Pain
The most common causes of sharp knee pain are:
- Torn Knee Cartilage: the special cushioning the lines the knee joint
- Knee Bursitis: inflammation of anti-friction sac
- Knee Arthritis: wear and tear
- Loose Body: bone fragment floating in the joint
- Fracture: broken bone
- Nerve Irritation: nerve gets squashed or irritated
Here we will look at the common causes of sharp knee pain, how they present and how to work out what is going on in your knee. We then look more in-depth at how to treat these different causes of sharp pain in the knee.
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What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. This causes pain in your joints and different body parts. Primarily, RA impacts the feet and hands. But it can also affect larger joints like elbows and knees. Moreover, it can produce a variety of other symptoms, such as difficulty breathing and joint stiffness.
With that said, now lets see what patients suffering from it say about what rheumatoid arthritis feels like.
Dmards For Rheumatoid Arthritis
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 .
These include:
- tofacitinib
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.
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How Will It Affect Me
If you have osteoarthritis of the knee, you will probably feel your knee is painful and stiff at times. It may only affect one knee, especially if youve injured it in the past, or you could have it in both. The pain may feel worse at the end of the day, or when you move your knee, and it may improve when you rest. You might have some stiffness in the morning, but this wont usually last more than half an hour.
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. Youll probably find that the pain varies and that you have good and bad days.
You might find you cant move your knee as easily or as far as normal, or it might creak or crunch as you move it.
Sometimes your knee might look swollen. This can be caused by two things:
- Hard swelling: when the bone at the edge of the joint grows outwards, forming bony spurs, called osteophytes .
- Soft swelling: when your joint becomes inflamed and produces extra fluid, sometimes called an effusion or water on the knee.
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.