Knee Pain Causes And Treatment
As a person gets older they frequently have problems with their knees and require knee pain treatment. It is important to find the underlying cause of the knee pain, but for most it results from degeneration of the different components of the knee from routine wear and tear. This process occurs to everyone as they age and should be dealt with appropriately with effective intervention and treatment in order to prevent the progression of disease and allow people to live a high quality of life.
This degeneration of the cartilage and bone is called osteoarthritis and is prevalent all over the world. Anyone who has used their knees has the potential to develop serious osteoarthritis and require osteoarthritis knee pain relief. The diagnosis is usually made by seeing a doctor and having tests performed to rule out other causes of knee pain. Sometimes it is helpful to take x-rays to see if there is any degeneration of bone that can sometimes occur as the disease progresses over time.
Knee pain causes include other diseases beside osteoarthritis. These causes should be considered by every medical professional because the treatment can be very different. Arthritis knee pain can improve with one treatment while infectious knee pain requires another. Some other issues that are important to keep in mind include gout and acute infection. Acute infections cause the knee to be hot and red. Sometimes people will have a fever and have incredible stiffness in their knee. The use of antibiotics in this case can be very helpful to prevent worsening of the infection.
Gout is the deposition of crystals in the joints that can be very painful. While it tends to occur in the big toe, it can affect any joint, including the knees. Treatment of the disease is directed at pain control and minimizing inflammation. Elevated levels of uric acid in the body allow gout to form and deposit in the tissues. Medicines that decrease uric acid can be very effective in managing this problem. Another type of knee pain can come from rheumatoid arthritis. This is a chronic inflammatory condition that requires multiple interventions. This disease can also affect the heart and several other organ. People with rheumatoid disease should see a specialist because of the intensity of treatment that disease requires.
For typical osteoarthritis, there are some very effective interventions. First of all, a person should continue to stay as active as possible. While some activities lead to osteoarthritis, complete cessation of activity will make the disease worse. People need to maintain their current range of motion in order to prevent further disease. Osteoarthritis can also be treated with over the counter medications such as the non steriodal anti inflammatory drugs. These can be very effective in providing pain relief while minimizing inflammation in the joints that worsen the disease. In this way a person has some relief while receiving knee pain treatment that allows them to go about their lives and their daily business.
