Knee arthritis can also be called osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is essentially the wearing down of the cartilage surrounding the knee which occurs simply as people age. Another common form of knee arthritis is Rheumatoid Arthritis, which results in swelling within the joint and damage to the cartilage. Not only do these forms of knee arthritis affect the joints and cartilage, they can also have a serious impact on the surrounding ligaments, muscles and tendons.

When you have arthritis in knee, you will feel the pain and swelling. You also experience the pain in the front, the back, or the sides of the knee. You can also encounter limited motion at the knee. Especially in the morning, your joints become stiff. As you try to bend and straighten the knee, you will hear some cracking sounds.

Unfortunately, the condition can get worse if it is not treated. A funny thing about arthritis in knee is that you don’t experience the pain all the times. Some months you can be free of pain depending on the weather.

Only a proper diagnosis can eliminate other knee disorders. Your doctor can arrange a physical checkup and x-rays. X-rays help your doctor to determine the damage to the joint. These two examinations will determine whether you need comprehensive tests later on.

You may need to do an erythrocyte sedimentation rate, which is a blood test to confirm if you have rheumatoid arthritis. It show how fast the red blood cells hold together and fall to the bottom of a test tube. If they sink faster, it shows that you have inflammation in the body.

Although there is no cure for arthritis in the knee, there are various treatment options available for sufferers. Among them, over the counter medications, prescription-based treatments, physical therapy, pain management and even surgery in extreme cases. In addition, numerous herbal therapies have been developed to help ease pain that is caused by arthritis in the knee.