Arthritis is a condition that tends to affect older people rather than younger ones. It is unfortunate for women as they will suffer a lot more than men. As there are around 100 different types, it may be hard for the knee pain doctor to determine exactly what is in place and what they need to do to help you get on with your life. The problem with arthritis is that it attacks the cartilage in the joints. It is the cartilage that stops the joints getting damaged when there is a shock applied to the area. As strain is put on the cartilage it becomes damaged and once this has happened, arthritis is bound to set in.
There will be wear and tear that starts to damage the cartilage and osteoarthritis will begin to appear. A knee pain specialist will be required to determine exactly what has gone wrong. There are risks when it comes to injury. If there is an accident and the joint suffers a trauma, the cartilage can break down more quickly than it had been breaking down. If there are other people in the family that are already suffering from arthritis, then you could be even more at risk.
Diagnosing arthritis with a knee pain doctor
Visiting the doctor will be the first thing to do. You will have a physical examination and should be looking for the build up of fluid near the joints, and also how easily they move. If the knee pain doctor is unsure of what to do next they should send you to a specialist. Further blood tests will be carried out to see what form of arthritis is present, and to help with this there is the option of MRI scans, x-rays and CT scans.
Treatment
Initially the knee pain doctor will want to take away the pain and allow you to live life to the fullest. Limiting additional damage also has to be at the top of the to-do-list. Certain medications have been known to improve conditions. The ones you are likely to be prescribed by a knee pain specialist will be:
- Analgesics –Work on the pain but not swelling
- Anti-inflammatory –This works on the pain and swelling. Some are blood thinners, so care should be taken when taking them.
- Menthol cream –This will stop pain signals being sent out.
- Surgery –This will be the final stage as joint replacement surgery can be a major operation and the knees tend to be the joints that are the most replaced. Joint fusion can work in some joints, but the knees are not really suitable for this. A knee pain specialist will let you know why they think this will or will not work on your arthritis.
There are many reasons why arthritis may take hold and they include:
- Gender –Women will always suffer more regularly than men. There is nothing you can do to change your genetic make-up, so you will have to find ways to deal with the consequences. Even your knee pain specialist will not be able to do anything about this fact.
- Weight –If you are overweight you will run the risk of getting arthritic joints. Losing weight will mean that there is not as much pain, but it is not possible to reverse the damage that has already been inflicted on the joints. Speak to your knee pain doctor, therefore, if you are struggling with your weight and they will recommend a way to deal with it even if it means sending you to someone else for help,
- Family history –If one generation has the condition it is likely that the next one will have it as well.
It can be worrying to be told that you have arthritis in your knee and you know you are going to have to visit a knee pain doctor. The main symptoms will be pain and you can notice that the joints have started to sell. A knee pain specialist will be able to sort a plan out for you. The majority of people will find that they have osteoporosis and are the ones that tend to start off as you get older. With years of use, the knees will not be as strong. If it is rheumatoid arthritis the immune system does not work properly, and it sees the joints as a foreign body that is in the body. For this reason, rheumatoid arthritis is described as an autoimmune illness and will require a knee pain specialist to deal with it.
A knee pain doctor will be able to help you with knee pain, but there are a number of home remedies for knee pain you can try before making an appointment. Even if you do not want to have medical treatment right away it will be best to speak to your doctor and let them know what you are going to do. Knowing that there is a home remedy for arthritis pain in knee should encourage you to start looking at what can be done to help you with the pain you are feeling at present.
Finding a home remedy for arthritis pain in knee
The first thing you can do is to lose weight as this could be the reason that the damage occurred and will also make it painful to walk. There will be too much pressure on your joints and it will be the knees along with the feet and hips that suffer. The knee pain doctor will find it hard to treat while you are overweight. The weight loss will reduce the pressure and the pain could subside. Exercise will be great when it comes to losing weight and this will help in more ways than one.
The more the joint is used, the more flexible it will be although you need to be careful when it comes to selecting the exercise to carry out. A knee pain specialist will know what is going to help and what runs the risk of making things worse. Anything that puts pressure on the joints will do more harm than good. Running should be ruled out, although swimming and aerobics will be ideal as they will allow the joints to move in just the right way.
Hot and cold
Keeping the joint supply can depend to a large degree on alternative treatment. A long hot bath will help to relax the joint and ease any stiffness that is there. Even something such as an electric blanket can help with the pain. A moist heat pad will be suitable for use at night. In contrast, cold treatments will also give a lot of benefits. This tends to be when it comes to reducing inflammation and getting rid of any swelling. There is no need to buy anything here as you could wrap a pack of frozen vegetables in a towel and place it on the area that is giving pain. If this does not work as well as you would like it to, then a knee pain specialist can give you other ideas.
Acupuncture is a long-standing treatment from China and it is recommended for pain relief, although there could be a knee pain doctor who will not be too sure as to whether or not they think you should try this. It is however no good if you are not comfortable with having needles inserted into the body. The logic behind this is that there will be balance restored to the body. As it is used to deal with more than 100 conditions, there are many people who are benefitting from this form of complementary treatment. There are many people who are fully trained in this practice, so it should be easy to find someone who can help to ease your arthritic knee pain.
Another treatment that is not entirely medical is meditation. It has been thoroughly researched and results show that those suffering from arthritis benefitted a great deal. The reasoning behind this lies in your stress levels. Once the stress level is reduced, inflammation is not as severe and as this subsides, the pain level falls, and your knee pain specialist should be happy with the results. Diet is very important and while it is not often that you hear fats are needed, omega 3 fatty acids are very important. Stiffness in the joints has been shown to be greatly reduced when fish oils are taken.
There is a lot of omega 3 found there, and they can take away pain as well as aid movements. GLA is also helpful. This is gamma-linolenic acid and is a plant-based substance. It is often found in hemp, evening primrose, borage and blackcurrants. Although natural, it will be best to speak to your knee pain doctor before you start taking them as a supplement.
As well as adding a lot of flavour to food, turmeric is a great source of curcumin. It acts as an anti-inflammatory and animal testing has shown that there is a reduction in joint inflammation. Before saying that it is an ideal solution, there does need to be more research carried out, but as there is no danger, it is well worth adding it to meals unless your knee pain specialist thinks there is a reason that you should not do so.
Another non-medical arthritis treatment that can aid pain relief is massage. It can be expensive to pay for a massage; so, if you can learn self-massage, you can get rid of a lot of pain without spending a great deal of money. Herbal medicine is also claimed to be able to provide pain relief and while a knee pain specialist may not advocate this in all cases, it is well worth seeing if it works for you. The plants that can be used include:
- Stinging nettle
- Devils claw
- Boswellia
- Ginkgo
- Thunder God vine
- Bromelain
As with many treatments, it will be best to speak to a knee pain doctor before you try this form of pain relief. In the United States, there is no a monitoring system for herbs within the Food and Drug Administration. Unless they are purchased from a reputable location, there is the risk that they will do more harm than good. There are many things in life that cause stress in everyday life and the most reliable knee pain doctor and the rest of us cannot control them. Money worries and the death of close friends and relatives will put a lot of stress on anybody and the immune system will be weakened by the chemicals produced by the stress. As long as you accept that there is stress, you will be able to set aside time to try and relax. It is easy to say that you should relax, but it is not always that easy. There are certain things that are going to help you relax such as:
- Creativity –Writing or reading can help you calm down. Even taking a piece of paper and doodling will be able to bring down your stress levels.
- Slow breathing-Just take deep breathes for around 2 minutes and you will start to feel calmer.
- Films and music can help to take your mind of your worries.
- If you can get out into the sunshine, your mood should lighten.
- Surround yourself with people who can cheer you up. Laughter will do a lot to take away the stress and therefore take away the pain.
There is always the risk that this will not work, and if you find you are still in a lot of pain then you need to consult a knee pain doctor. They will have many more ways to make you feel better. Once you have been diagnosed, it is important to keep in touch with the knee pain specialist to ensure that you are keeping on top of the treatment that has been recommended. You may not be able to get rid of the arthritis, but at least you will be living a good life and not being hindered by the condition.