Knee Joint Pain - Causes & Treatments
Knee Joint Pain Treatment
The joint of the knee is made up of three main bones, though a fourth is sometimes lumped into the grouping: The thigh bone (femur), the kneecap (patella) and the shin bone (tibia). The other bone of the shin, the fibula, is sometimes included as part of the knee joint due to its proximity to the bones that make up the joint.
Cartilage known as articular cartilage covers the ends of the bones of the joints, enabling them to slide smoothly past one another and helping to absorb shock. In addition, two menisci sit between the femur and the tibia, helping to absorb shock, provide stability and to distribute weight from the femur to the tibia. These rubbery discs are often referred to as cartilage when in reality they are special ligaments.
The knee also contains a number of fluid-filled sacs known as bursa to help the knee move in a smooth manner. The various connective tendons and ligaments of the knee along with the muscles, nerves and blood vesicles enable the movement itself.
Knee Joint Pain Causes
As you can see, there is no shortage of knee joint structural elements that can be damaged or injured, causing knee joint pain. And these knee injuries can occur via a number of sources ranging from trauma to the knee to an athletic injury to a disorder.
Besides joint pain (knee, hip, hands, neck, etc.), osteoarthritis symptoms typically include stiffness, tenderness, loss of flexibility, a grating sensation or noise and possibly the formation of bone spurs.
How to Relieve Knee Joint Pain
Unfortunately, knee joint pain treatment for osteoarthritis involves efforts to slow down the progression of joint cartilage erosion and to ease the pain as there is no “cure” for osteoarthritis. However, there are some knee joint pain remedies that can help.
One simple solution is to rest when a joint when it becomes inflamed. When that is not the case, engaging in low-impact physical activities, such as swimming or biking to increase blood flow and reduce pain can also be helpful. There are also a number of knee braces for osteoarthritis, such as the OA Knee Brace or the Arthritis Knee Wrap, that are helpful toward providing targeted compression to reduce inflammation and thus pain as well as stimulating healing.
Another step for knee joint pain relief includes losing weight if one is carrying extra pounds. If you are carrying extra weight, the Bariatric Plus Size Knee Brace is a comfortable bariatric treatment option for knee joint pain. Some also find relief for knee joint pain from using creams, engaging in yoga or taking knee joint pain supplements. (Read more on additional alternative osteoarthritis treatment methods.)
One should consult with a doctor before deciding what to take for knee joint pain.
