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What is Knee Arthritis?

 Knee arthritis is one of the major common causes of knee pain and inflammation. Knee arthritis is of varied types. The most common is osteoarthritis, followed by rheumatoid arthritis.


  • Osteoarthritis, otherwise known as wear-and-tear arthritis, is a degenerative condition where the cartilage gradually wears away. The cartilage gives a cushioning effect between the joints. When this cartilage is worn away, the joint bones rub against each other and get exposed. This condition leads to pain and inflammation.


  • Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder where your immune system attacks your knees by softening the bone and damaging the cartilage.



Causes of Knee Arthritis


The common causes of knee arthritis include:


  • Ageing – Knee arthritis affects elders comparatively. However, it can affect even younger individuals.

  • Gender - Females are more prone to getting affected with knee arthritis, compared to males. 

  • Obesity – Obesity puts heavy pressure on the knees. Hence as time goes on, cartilage will break down due to extra pressure.

  • Hereditary factors – Collagen helps in cartilage formation, which cushions the joint. People at a young age are getting affected due to the defect in the gene responsible for collagen production. 

  • Family history

  • Trauma

  • Overuse of your knees – Especially athletes and labourers who frequently damage their joints, bones, tendons, and ligaments due to overuse of knees are more prone to knee arthritis.

  • Vitamin D and Calcium deficiency 

  • Other metabolic disorders – Iron overload as well as excess secretion of growth hormone increases the risk to develop knee arthritis.


Symptoms of Knee Arthritis


Knee arthritis affects people in varied ways, where the symptoms may differ from one another.

Pay attention if you are experiencing the following symptoms:


  • Pain especially while straightening or bending the knees or during weightlifting

  • Tenderness

  • Stiffness due to prolonged sitting or when you get up from the bed 

  • Swelling due to fluid accumulation in the joint 

  • Reduced range of motion

  • Cracking noise while climbing the steps

  • Warmth sensation 



Patients usually report mild symptoms for a prolonged duration. Later, these symptoms may become severe with sudden changes.


At the later stage, the knee muscles around the affected portion weaken, which leads to changes in knee shape. This condition is known as joint deformity where the knees may later point inwards or outwards. In addition to this deformity condition, there will be constant pain with or without activity.

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