Five signs you may have arthritis in your knee

The knees are important joints in your body that provide mobility and stability in the legs. However, conditions like arthritis can cause pain and stiffness in the knees that affect your range of motion. This limits your ability to participate in physically demanding activities and can eventually make simple daily tasks more challenging.

Arthritis has no known cure, but treatments like physical therapy can help slow its progression, manage the pain and improve your range of motion. The earlier you can catch arthritis and receive treatment, the better. Take a look below at the common signs you have arthritis in your knee so you know when to seek treatment.

Five signs you have knee arthritis

1. Prolonged pain in the knee — Pain in your knee from arthritis tends to develop slowly over time. However, it may appear all of the sudden. Either way, the pain from arthritis tends to stick around once you have it, and it usually grows worse as the disease progresses.
2. Limited range of motion — Damage to the cartilage caused by arthritis creates more friction between the bones in your knee. This makes it more painful to move the knee, which can limit your range of motion. Damaged cartilage may also break off and become loose debris in the knee, which can be caught in the joint, causing it to snag when trying to bend or straighten your leg.
3. Popping and cracking — You may feel or hear popping, cracking and grinding in the knee when trying to move it if you have arthritis. This occurs because of the friction between the bones in your joint and the presence of bone spurs and loose cartilage.
4. Buckling and instability — The stiffness caused by arthritis can cause the muscles around your knees to become weaker. This can create instability in the joint that causes your knee to frequently buckle under weight.
5. Swelling — Arthritis damages the cartilage in the knees in the form of inflammation. One of the body’s responses to inflammation is swelling and tenderness. 

Visit Peak Performance Sports and Physical Therapy for knee arthritis treatment

Knee arthritis can have a tremendous impact on your ability to live a high quality of life. Are you tired of knee arthritis keeping you from running, walking or even standing up comfortably? Our team at Peak Performance Sports and Physical Therapy is here to help. Contact our team today for more information about knee arthritis or to schedule an initial appointment.